“I wasn’t as great at first, if you recall,” Chancellor added.
“It took some time, but then it gained your interest and you saw it as a challenge.”
“You came out of the womb having survival skills,” he said to Collin, and Collin laughed.
“And Riley came out with that special skill of—”
They heard the loud birdcall and then the little bird sound following it. Collin smiled, and Chancellor laughed.
“What? What was that?” she asked.
They heard the sound again.
“Well, answer him,” Chancellor said.
“You do it. You were pretty good at that, too.”
“But not as good as Riley.” Chancellor turned around and half covered his mouth as he made some bird sound.
“That’s Riley?” she asked them.
“Sure is. He should be up here soon. Since he made it, I guess we could take her to the cave,” Chancellor said, and she smiled and hugged his arm.
“Really? Cool. Let’s go.” She’d started to walk ahead of them when Collin grabbed her hand.
“Me first. I don’t want you slipping and falling. You could get hurt.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Seriously, Collin, I go hiking alone all the time.”
Chancellor covered her shoulders with his hands and squeezed, slightly pulling her back. “Not anymore, you don’t. Not without one of us. Understand?”
She smiled. “I wouldn’t want to go alone anymore, not when it’s so much fun with us going together.”
Collin smiled. “That’s right.”
“Besides, I find it pretty arousing to know that I have three very capable, sexy survivalists to take care of me. I bet you know a lot of ways to keep warm out here in the cold temperatures when you can’t start a fire. Ouch.” She gasped.
Collin laughed as Chancellor smacked her butt.
“You’ll pay for that later,” Chancellor told her.
“Okay, for what?”
“For getting us horny and aroused when we need to wait to make love to you inside. It’s too damn cold. Our dicks could get frostbite.”
They continued up along the ridges, and Bethany followed with no problem. Here and there they heard the bird sounds, and Bethany looked around to see if she could see Riley, but she couldn’t. Collin knew exactly where he was headed.
They continued to walk. “Where is Riley? Will he be able to find us?”
“He will. He’s close,” Chancellor said.
“Let me know when you spot it,” Collin said, testing her abilities to see if she could find the cave without them pointing it out.
She looked ahead and then to the right. “There,” she said, pointing.
“That’s right. You found it.” He felt proud that she had natural instincts and an ability to get through the tough terrain. He would teach her so much, to ensure that she could survive if she ever got into trouble. He knew he would always be with her out on a hike or with one of his brothers, but one could never be over-prepared.
“It’s a great hideout, Bethany. If you’re ever in trouble, or need a safe place to hide, this cave is it,” he told her and smiled.
“Go on, check it out,” Chancellor told her as she approached the cave.
“Hey, does anyone else know about this cave?” she asked as she turned back to look at them.
“I don’t think so. It’s pretty hidden,” Collin replied.
“Well, the snow is matted down here, and there’s no snow on the branches of the brush. I think something is—”
“Grrr.”
Bethany screamed as Riley burst from the small cave, wrapping her in his arms and bringing her to the ground.
He started pretending he was a bear, trying to eat her as he growled against her neck, and she widened her legs, trying to push him off of her.
“Riley, that wasn’t funny. Riley,” she exclaimed, laughing and screaming for him to stop tickling her. Collin looked at Chancellor, who was smiling wide and laughing.
These were the moment to cherish. He’d never even imagined doing anything like this, or sharing any moment like this, with a woman and his brothers. It was perfect, and so was the sight of Riley kissing Bethany as they rolled in the snow.
Chapter 9
Bethany sat behind her desk in the office going over some final arrangements for the restaurant in Manhattan. The videos, commercials, and marketing campaigns were set and ready to launch. It had been several weeks of hard work in between pleasurable nights with her men. She couldn’t help but smile. Things were wonderful, and most importantly, she was able to keep her job for now since Cristano really hadn’t bothered her much.
His phone calls here and there to check on things were easy to handle. She was feeling pretty positive about things when her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” She held it against her ear with one hand and shuffled her papers on her desk with the other, trying to separate what needed to be copied and filed, then sent along to her boss.
“How is my favorite employee?”
Her chest tightened a moment. Cristano had referred to her as numerous things the past several weeks, reminding her that, technically, he was her boss.
“Hello, Cristano, how are you?”
“Better, now that I’ve heard your voice.”
Her belly clenched. She didn’t like the sound of that. Was she overthinking his flirtation, or was there serious need for concern?
She needed to stand her ground and be assertive. She was taken, and she was pretty sure he knew that she was sleeping with Riley, Chancellor, and Collin. She also had to assume that Cristano knew the men had told her the truth about what happened years ago, and about not trusting Cristano. This could be a power trip.
“Oh, I bet you say that to all the female employees. Now what can I do for you? I’m just finishing up the final touches to the campaign.”
“I’m hurt, Bethany. I don’t throw around compliments. We go way back. Haven’t I proven my honesty and trustworthiness?”
She thought about that a moment and realized it was probably better to appease his attitude and position of authority. She wouldn’t be working here much longer. She’d already discussed potential opportunities with Chancellor. He had lots of connections, and her reputation, especially after this successful campaign, would be perfect to write her own ticket with any company she wanted.
But still, her gut clenched as she recalled Cristano’s capabilities and connections as well, especially that he’d gotten his cousin Curran a lesser charge for nearly killing her and because he’d nearly put Collin behind bars years ago and made him look like a killer instead of a hero.
“You’ve been a wonderful boss, never mind someone I hadn’t expected to count on years ago, but you proved you do the right thing.”
“Hmmm, it sounds like you’re considering leaving the company with a response like that.”
“Not at this time, but I am always weighing my options. Was there a specific reason you called? I want to get all this paperwork completed and then wrap this campaign up. The television ads will begin this evening, and over the weekend, the print ads, the commercials and billboards in the subway stations will all be up in full force. Romulo should be very pleased.”
“You’ve done an amazing job. We need to celebrate, and I already spoke with Ross and Roger. They said you’re free tomorrow night, so I booked a table for all of us at Romulo’s to celebrate the success. By then, I hope each restaurant is jam-packed.”
“Oh, I did have plans for Friday evening and the weekend.”
“You can change them. This is important, and you know when the boss requests you meet him and other board members for dinner, you shouldn’t decline. It’s in poor taste.”
“You are quite clever, Cristano. I’ll agree to dinner with everyone, but I can’t stay late. I really do have plans.”
“With Collin Cummings?” he asked.
She felt that uneasiness in her chest, but then an attitude and co
nfidence formed. She was with three amazing men, and no one had shown her love ever before them. They were her everything, and she was damn proud of them and their relationship. Screw Cristano and his manipulative, controlling attitude.
“Actually, yes, and with Chancellor and Riley, too. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. It’s been a whirlwind.”
He was silent a moment.
“So you decided to not take my advice about them, about Collin, even after what I told you.”
She wouldn’t tell what she really felt, or how she knew he was a liar and he could have succeeded in sending an innocent man to jail. Instead, she took the wiser road.
“Well, I listened to what you said. It’s stored in the back of my head, in case I need a reminder, but for now, I’m enjoying their company, and I’m happy. I’m certain, considering that you care so much, that you would want me to be happy.”
“I suppose so. We’ll talk more on Friday. See you then.”
She heard the click and then leaned back and exhaled. She didn’t feel right about that conversation. She was definitely on guard and really didn’t think Friday night would be a wise idea. She’d have to tell the guys tonight and see what they thought.
That brought a smile to her face and eased her worry.
She counted on them, trusted their judgment and advice. She really loved them with all her heart. She heard the knock on the door, and Clare peeked inside.
“Are those ready for Mr. Harris?” she asked.
Bethany snapped out of her lust-filled, happy thoughts and refocused on the task at hand.
“Just a few more things to set up.” She shuffled around the papers, separated the documents for each individual,, and then paper-clipped them, placed them into the folders, and stacked them.
“Here you go.” She stood up and looked at Clare, then smiled.
“We did great work together, Clare. You’re efficient and studious, and a really hard worker. Thanks for everything.”
Clare smiled. “Thank you so much, Bethany. You’re the best boss I ever had, and I can’t wait to see what the next project will bring.” She took the files and then headed out of the office.
Bethany smiled to herself but knew in her heart that she wouldn’t stay with the company. Not with Cristano as the boss. She would always worry that he had ulterior motives or was trying to get to her for some reason. After this campaign was completed successfully, perhaps a few weeks tops, she was out of here.
Perhaps Chancellor had a good idea about using her vacation time to spend the last few weeks before giving her two-week notice? That way, she wouldn’t take on a new project and get caught in the rut of one project after the next and not being able to leave. He knew her so well. She always finished what she started and never backed down from a challenge or from a difficult task. Everything would work out fine, because finally, her life was perfect and she was happy.
* * * *
“He’s in New York. He has to be heading your way to see his sister. Why else would he be there?” Ferdinand said to Cristano.
“I’m telling you that he is not with Bethany. I asked her a few weeks ago, and she said she hadn’t heard from him in over a year.”
“Well, maybe she lied to you.”
“She would never lie to me. I saved her life, and I have plans for her.”
“Well, that’s wonderful, but if you don’t confirm his whereabouts and make sure that she’s not covering her brother’s location up, I’ll be sending some friends to get her so I can ask her a few questions myself and smoke out that thief of a loser brother of hers. He has twenty-five grand of mine,” Ferdinand stated in annoyance.
Cristano was getting angrier and angrier. Could Bethany be lying to him? She didn’t realize how much control he had over her destiny. One phone call, one piece of information, and her future was out of her control, as was that of her three dick boyfriends. Hell, he would love to fucking eliminate them, too, but that would be damn messy. No, the ultimate revenge would be taking Bethany from them forever. He needed time to figure this out. Once again, her brother had failed her and put her in danger, but this time, he wasn’t going to save her from it.
“Why don’t you continue to put your efforts into finding his partner and the other half of the money while I find out if she is indeed lying to me.”
“We already found Smitty, and he’s no longer a problem. I expect a call by Friday night.” The phone clicked, ending the call.
Cristano knew in that moment that Smitty was dead and Ferdinand would stop at nothing to find Angelo and kill him. He would see how Bethany acted tomorrow night. It was a shame, really, because she was a very beautiful, sexy woman with brains, too, but apparently not too smart. No one got away with double-crossing him. No one ever lived that did. Rules were rules, and he had a reputation to uphold. If she were lying, tomorrow night she would probably take her last breath.
* * * *
Bethany and Chancellor were heading down the street to her house. Collin and Riley were going to meet them there momentarily. As they approached the driveway and pulled in, Bethany smiled. “So you think it’s a good idea, then, to take the vacation time and hand in my two weeks’ notice Monday?”
“I think it’s a smart move because I’m sure, by tomorrow morning, they might have another job lined up for you to work on. Then what? You’ll want to see it through, and you’ll be stuck there. I didn’t like the sound of that conversation Cristano had with you. It was like he thinks he has this control of you, and that just fucking pisses me off.”
She caressed his arm.
“It’s okay, Chancellor. He doesn’t have anything on me and no means to have control. When I leave, he can’t bother me anymore, and there’s no reason to. He knows I’m with you and your brothers. It will end there.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the top after he parked the truck in her driveway.
“Let’s get inside and wait for them to bring dinner. Then I’m stripping you naked and having my wicked way with you.”
“Hmm, sounds perfect.” She kissed him on the lips. They smiled after they parted lips and then got out of the truck.
Chancellor wouldn’t be happy until she was away from that company and Cristano, but he was trying to be patient, even though his gut clenched with concern. He wanted her by his side, maybe working for one of his companies instead. Although he hadn’t mentioned possibilities yet because he didn’t want her to take it the wrong way or like an act of control, he really did think she was talented and could do a great job. Maybe over the weekend they could discuss the possibility.
As soon as she got to the door and opened it, she looked concerned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“My door is unlocked,” she said as headlights appeared down the road, lighting her entryway, Collin and Riley were coming. Chancellor saw the figure of a man in black.
“Bethany, run to the truck, to Collin and Riley,” he said, pushing her to the side and storming into the house. The guy was caught off guard as Chancellor tackled him to the hardwood floor and punched him. The guy struggled as Bethany screamed for help, and then lights came on. He knew his brothers were there, too.
“Freeze. Police!” Riley yelled.
“Oh God, Chancellor, stop. Stop. I know him,” she said, and Chancellor and the guy were both gripping one another and struggling a moment.
“Call your dogs off, Bethany. What the fuck?” the guy exclaimed as Bethany grabbed onto Chancellor and caressed his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Chancellor. That’s my brother.”
Chancellor was shocked. This was the asshole that hadn’t even shown up to help her when that dick boyfriend beat her and nearly killed her. This was the guy who showed up when he was in trouble and needed money?
“He’s the one who is never here for you and left you in that hospital to die. What the fuck is he doing here?” Riley asked, putting away his gun and tossing her brother onto his belly.
“Spread your legs and your arms and keep your palms on the floor flat while I pat you down,” Riley demanded, and he was rough in his treatment of the dick.
Chancellor looked back at Bethany. Collin was holding her around her waist, and she looked so upset as her eyes welled up with tears and she held onto Collin’s arm..
“Jesus.” He ran his fingers through his hair. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
“I was fucking scared and thought he was a burglar,” he told her.
“Get up, asshole, and explain how you’re in this fucking cabin without permission.” Riley raised his voice.
“Okay, man. Jeesh, calm the fuck down. I’m her brother. Fuck, you’re fucking huge,” Angelo said, and Chancellor took in the sight of the guy. He was tall, almost six feet, and filled with muscles. He had a tattoo sticking out from his black, collared shirt. He was dressed all in black and looked pretty normal otherwise, and a lot like Bethany. Dark black hair, green eyes, nothing like what he had expected.
“What are you doing here, Angelo? They could have killed you.”
“I fucking see that. What are they, your fucking body guards?” he snapped at her.
Riley gave him a smack in the back of the head.
“Show some respect, asshole, or I’ll lock you up for breaking and entering, and resisting arrest.”
“Resisting arrest? He’s a cop, and he attacked me.”
“That’s not how we saw it go down. Feel like challenging me?” Riley asked, and Chancellor couldn’t help but smirk inside. This guy didn’t have a chance to pull any shit with Riley and them around.
Bethany stepped from his hold. “Angelo, what are you doing here?”
He looked at her. “To see you. Damn, sis, you look incredible.” He stepped toward her. Riley gripped the back of his collar.
“Hey, what the fuck. She’s my sister. Bethany, call this bulldog off. Who the fuck are these guys, anyway?” he asked.
“Her fucking boyfriends, and if you don’t start showing respect and answering her questions, I’m going to lock you up,” Riley said to him.
Crossroads 5: Show Me What Love Is (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 16