“Yeah, and you’re five.”
Bree laughed softly. “He’s got you there, buddy,” she said, rubbing his shoulder. “Come on, we need to get back to the park. You told the Miles’ you wouldn’t be gone long.”
“Fine.” He trudged past them, but somehow managed to slide Riley a wounded look.
“I can’t decide if he’s pissed off at me or just trying to trick me,” Riley said, happy to focus on something other than the date question. “But at least he’s talking to me.”
“Ignore him. He’s…getting better.” She slid him a quick look. “He told me that you said one day he would like to kiss girls.”
“Well…” Now at least there was a reason for the color he knew was rushing to his cheeks. “I wasn’t too much older than him when I knew I’d want to kiss you one day.”
Bree’s lips parted.
He stepped past her. “I need to go.”
“Hey…that’s not fair.”
He went still at the door, closed his eyes for a quick second, and then he glanced back at her. “What’s not fair?”
“You can’t go saying things like that and then skip out on me.” She was blushing now, blushing hard.
He could see the nerves in her eyes, too. He wanted to die a little inside because part of him wondered if she was trying to…what?
Reach out?
His phone buzzed, reminding him.
Shit.
“What’s the big surprise, Bree? I always want to kiss you. You can’t tell me you don’t know that by now.” He gave her a quick salute then slid out the door before he went and kissed her again.
That was one thing he wasn’t sure he wanted to do—kiss her and then go to another woman.
It was going to be hard enough to come back here after he was done for the day.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Oh…it’s beautiful.”
Marnie lay on the bed, a faint smile on her lips as she studied the necklace. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a slim wand on a gold chain, but she liked simple and elegant.
Her eyes flicked to his, then moved away and Riley wondered if he was imagining the tension that had hovered between them all afternoon, or if it was just on his part.
“You know, you have to go and be so perfect all the time,” Marnie said, a faint laugh escaping her as she sat up.
He took the necklace from her and after a few seconds of hesitation, she let him put it on her.
“I’m not perfect,” he said.
“Yeah, you kind of are. You go and give me something like this and I’ve got to tell you…”
Icy tension licked up his spine.
It was the nerves—he was on edge because of everything going on with Bree and Detective Chance, but now he was almost positive there was something wrong.
“Is everything okay?”
“No.” She sniffed, lifting her big eyes to his. “Well, yes. But…no.”
She looked away again and he caught her chin, dragging her gaze back to his. “Come on, Marnie. Talk to me.”
Her lips parted. He could almost hear the words—This cop came and talked to me…
“I’ve met somebody.”
He blinked.
She stared at him, almost nervously, and waited.
He processed those words again, and tried to think through what he’d been ready to tell her anyway.
“Riley?”
“You’ve met somebody,” he said. “That’s what you needed to tell me.”
Nerves lit her eyes and she tried to smile. It wobbled, then fell away. “Yeah. This is…well, I didn’t know how to explain it on the phone. But we… I’m not doing this anymore.” She bit her lip as she stared at him. “Are… Riley, I hope you understand.”
“Understand.” He took her hand and kissed it, wondered if maybe he should explain the reasoning behind the necklace, but then decided not to. She had been so battered and bruised, with so little pride in herself at all. She had that back now. He didn’t know how much was because of him—maybe he’d helped a little—but there was no reason for him to tell her that he’d been planning to end their arrangement.
“He’s a lucky man.”
“Yeah.” Her eyes slid away and she shrugged restlessly. “That doesn’t mean I won’t miss this.”
“You won’t.” He kissed her forehead, then got up and gathered his clothes. After a couple of years, reading between the lines with her had become second nature. They were done. “I can already tell that he makes you smile.”
He disappeared into the shower and leaned against the door, blowing out a breath. The man in the reflection copied his movements and he studied his own face, wondered if maybe, just maybe, he could catch a little bit of a break now.
Just for a few days.
So much for that idea.
If he hadn’t long since starting listening for all sorts of noises that could warn of impending doom, Riley would have walked right out there.
The voices were low, almost indistinguishable, especially Marnie’s.
But he had already started to open the door, and thanks to that narrow crack, he could hear them.
“Ms. Wainscott, please, why don’t you let me in so we can discuss this?”
“Detective Chance.” Marnie’s voice was calm, impressively so. “I’m not sure exactly what it is you think we have to discuss. I’m here with a friend of mine and that doesn’t concern you. So please…leave? Or I’ll call hotel security.”
“I’m a cop, Ms. Wainscott.”
“Bully for you.” Marnie laughed. “And I know that unless you’ve got a warrant, I don’t need to talk to you, about anything. And unless you have a reason for loitering on the floor, there’s no reason for you to be here. So, are you going to leave or am I calling security?”
Squeezing his eyes closed, Riley tried to figure out just how things could have gotten this screwed up, this fast.
“Very well, Ms. Wainscott. Just…please. Be careful. My card?”
Once the door closed, Riley slipped out of the bathroom and met Marnie’s eyes.
“I…”
She held up a hand. “You don’t need to explain, Riley. I—” She grimaced and looked away. “We both know what this is. So now there’s a cop…” Licking her lips, she looked down at the card she held in her hand. “She said there was a client of yours that died.”
Shit.
“She killed herself, Marnie,” Riley said quietly. “She had…demons.”
“Don’t we all?” Marnie walked over to the dresser and put the card in her wallet. “I had more than a few of my own, that’s for certain.”
“I’m sorry she bothered you. Sorry you got dragged into this.”
“I’m not.” She came to him then and kissed him. “I got dragged into it because I know you and I wouldn’t want to give that up.”
But…
She was ready for him to go, now more than ever.
Trailing his hand down her hair, Riley smiled at her. “Good luck with the new guy, Marnie. Be happy, okay?”
* * * * *
The plan had been to go home, shower, eat, then maybe sleep if it was quiet enough.
The plan fell to the wayside once he got home.
He didn’t want to go upstairs and sit outside of a family he already wanted to call his own.
Instead, Riley went into B&B and did something he rarely did. He sat down at the bar and waited until Con noticed him. Then he ordered a scotch.
“Rough day?”
“Shitty one.” He shrugged and eyed the familiar purse and stack of books at the end of the bar. “I take it our sister is here?”
“In the back, playing one of the machines.”
Even though the place was crowded, Riley’s little sister had walked off, leaving her purse and a small stack of books, journals, etc. in the seat that was all but reserved for her. And nobody would likely touch the stuff, either. That didn’t mean it didn’t irritate Riley, but he’d learned to pick and choose his fights with his sister.
He’d only been sitting a few minutes when a hoard of bodies came flowing out of the back room.
Charli was grinning widely, while a man who looked almost old enough to have been their dad was glaring at her from beneath the brim of his hat.
None of it surprised Riley.
His baby sister might as well have worked magic on the machines here in B&B. Hardly anybody ever beat her.
She saw him and her brows went up.
He studied her and felt his brows draw down.
“For fuck’s sake, put some clothes on,” he snapped.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She pursed her lips and looked down. “I didn’t realize I was naked.”
Irritated with himself, he dragged a hand down his face and looked away.
* * * * *
Riley needed to know a few rather important things and he needed to forget a couple of things that, while maybe important, they were singeing his brain.
Shame and Charli.
Charli and Shame.
No. Just…no.
But he had to talk to her and he wasn’t having much luck getting her to return his calls or his texts. He knew her work schedule was pure hell, but she still usually swung by B&B several times a week and he hadn’t seen her in a few days, so she was due in.
And if he didn’t see her today, he’d hunt her ass down tomorrow.
He ran B&B Sunday through Thursday and his brother and Shame swapped out to cover Friday through Saturday. They had a good set of night managers so all three of them could kick off at eight if they needed to, and sometimes they did, depending on client preference.
Riley had clients lined up over the next few days and one evening, so he didn’t have a lot of free time, but he sure as hell needed to have that conversation.
He was debating about whether or not he should wait at all when she sauntered in through the back and settled down at the bar. “Think Rico would make me up a burger?” she asked, the shadows under her eyes so dark, they almost look bruised.
“Go ask him. I imagine he will.” He already knew the answer. His kid sister had almost everybody at B&B wrapped around her cute little finger. And once she had food in front of her, she wouldn’t be going anywhere. She took certain things very seriously in life—her career, her family and food topped the list.
After she had sweet-talked the kitchen manager into taking some time away from inventory to make her some food, she returned to her perch at the bar and pulled out her phone, busying herself while he handled the bar inventory.
It needed to be done and he was more comfortable doing that than having the conversation that needed to be had anyway. He wasn’t avoiding it, per se.
He was…timing himself.
He was practicing the words he had to say.
He was…shit. He was procrastinating.
Throwing the clipboard down on a box on the floor, he turned and faced his sister.
“We need to talk.”
She eyed him from under her lashes. “Wondered when you’d get around to it.”
He clenched his jaw and counted to ten silently. Then, reaching for the bottle of water he kept on the counter, he went over the lines he’d rehearsed. It was all good. He just needed to know what she’d talked to the cop about. That was it.
“What the fuck were you thinking, trying to hire Shame?”
Okay, that wasn’t exactly how he’d planned it.
Charli blinked at him, her lashes falling over the eyes that reminded him of his mom. And that just made it even worse. His baby sister sat there, staring at him with his mother’s eyes and he felt as though he was about to be chastised for something, but she was the one who’d gone and tried to pay a man for sex.
Pay Shame.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he demanded again. When in doubt, go on the offensive.
“I was thinking it sounded like a good way to get him to have sex with me,” she said finally. She shrugged, looking unconcerned. “Can I get a coke?”
“No.”
She blinked and cocked her head. “No, I can’t get a coke? What’s the matter, am I over my caffeine intake for the day?”
“Shit.” He turned on his heel and grabbed a glass, filled it with ice. By the time he had her drink ready, his brain had leveled out a bit and he was ready, he hoped, to handle this in a more mature manner. “Listen, Charli—”
“Oh, brother.” She took the glass and sipped, studying him over the rim of her drink. “You know, I don’t need a lecture from you over this. I really don’t.”
“You tried to pay a man to have sex with you.” He slammed his hands down on the counter.
Charli tipped her head back and laughed. A few curls escaped the braid she’d twined her hair into and when she looked back at him, Riley had to admit to himself that he was maybe being a little, not stupid, really, but he wasn’t exactly being smart. His baby sister wasn’t a baby.
“Do you really know how stupid this is, coming from you?” she asked, as though she had been reading his mind.
Heat stained his cheeks red and he floundered for a response.
Charli didn’t give him time to form one. “Look, Ry. I don’t care about what it is you’re doing. I get it, even. Sex is a basic human need and sometimes it’s not as easy for some people to get it as others. You’re providing a service, really.” Her face softened. “And you did it to make sure Con and I were taken care of. But that’s not why Max does it.”
“Max doesn’t need to take care of you two,” Riley replied.
They lapsed into silence then, the door to the kitchen swinging open as Rico came out with not one plate, but two. He put the other in front of Riley and said, “Eat, man. You never do unless somebody nags you. It’s always those damn protein drinks.”
Riley was too involved in the conversation with his sister to tell Rio to fuck off. And the burger smelled damn good. So he just grunted and reached for a fry, waiting for his friend to lose himself back in the kitchen again. Once they were alone, he looked at Charli.
“Shame doesn’t do it because he needs the money, either,” she said quietly. “He does it as another way to beat himself up.”
The words hit Riley like a slap. “That’s bullshit.”
“No, it’s not. He can’t even handle being touched by somebody he knows without mentally freezing up. What do you think it does to him to have strangers touching him?”
Riley wasn’t able to offer an answer to that, because he didn’t know. He’d thought about it himself before and he hadn’t been able to come up with an answer.
But it hadn’t ever, not even once, dawned on him that maybe Shame did it as a way to punish himself.
And it should have.
He should have considered it.
Fuck.
He gripped the edge of the bar, the few bites of food he’d eaten settling in his gut like sawdust. “Look, you don’t need to be messing around with Shame. He barely tolerates you anyway.”
“Well, then he can tell me to leave him alone,” she said placidly. “He’s a big boy. I’m a big girl. You don’t need to play bodyguard for him.”
“I’m not—” He hissed out a breath between his teeth, then said, “There’s nothing I can do, at all, that will make you let this go, is there?”
Charli gave him a serene smile. “I’m surprised you even bothered wasting your time. But then, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t. You’re worried about me.” She eyed him smugly and added, “Now I bet you’re worrying about Shame, too. But you’re wasting your time. We’re both adults. He’ll deal with things his own way. And I’ll…just be me.”
“None of this is what we need to talk about,” he said, determined to think all of this through later, and come up with a solution. Maybe sending her to a convent was still an option. Somewhere. “We need
to talk about…the…um…the cop. Detective Chance.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I figured you’d bring her up.”
“Yeah. I’m going to bring her up.” He stared at the food for a long moment and told himself to eat. There had been more than a few times when he’d gone without meals just so Charli and Con had enough to eat and now that going hungry wasn’t ever an issue, he liked to enjoy his food. But damn if this wasn’t killing his appetite.
Gamely, he picked up the burger. Before taking a bite, he nodded at her. “Explain.”
“A man of many words.” Charli laughed wryly. “Not much to explain. She cornered me when I was coming out of the gym across the street.”
Bardstown wasn’t the small town it had been twenty years ago, but it was still small enough, the main drain featuring a strip that had a small-town-USA Main Street sort of feel, complete with diners and bars, shops and coffee houses, and…a gym. It took up two floors of the building that covered the entire corner block, and was busy from morning until just after rush hour.
Not much of a place to have a quiet conversation.
Riley fought the urge to drop the sandwich and swear like a sailor. It wouldn’t do him any good so he didn’t bother.
Charli kept talking.
“She told me she was looking for insight about the business my brother ran.” Charli lifted a shoulder and smiled beatifically. “I simply replied that I was too busy killing myself in medical school to know much about B&B. Then she dropped the sledgehammer about the other business. I was expecting it—no reason for her to ask about the restaurant. I just gave her a blank look like I had no idea what she was talking about and she presses on—‘You know, the off-the-books deal, where your brothers and their friend have sex for money’.”
“And what did you say?”
“I laughed at her.” Charli shrugged. “I was always good at adlibbing, you know.”
She’d always been good at bullshitting, she meant.
And she had.
“Did you lie to her?” he demanded, pressing the issue.
“I…hedged.” Charli reached for her napkin and daintily wiped her mouth before meeting his eyes. “She seems to think I answered, but all I did was talk around her question. Yes, you worked odd jobs to put me through college. Yes, you’ve always been popular with ladies. Yes, you always managed to come up with just enough money, but isn’t that what a determined brother would do?”
F*ck Club: Riley Page 9