Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
I swallow hard.
“Yes, but that’s what I want to discuss,” I say in a low tone. “Carl wants me to belong to him as well, and so that’s what we need to work through. We need to figure out how this is going to unfold because I don’t want to leave him high and dry. I owe him, you know. He took me in when I had no place to go, and even found me my job at Herald. So we need to discuss this.”
John merely shrugged.
“As far as I’m concerned, you don’t owe him anything, sweetheart. Carl merely did what any alpha male should do, which is to protect and look out for a woman in his care. But we can meet and talk,” he acceded. “Why not? It’s just a conversation over a cup of coffee.”
As a result, we’re at the Cheshire Café this afternoon. It’s a cute place with a garden outside, and we’re seated at a wobbly glass table with uncomfortable wrought-iron chairs. But at least the setting is beautiful. A vined trellis shades us from the sun, and the garden’s bursting with dozens of colorful blooms, including purple and pink hydrangeas, as well as lilacs of the creamiest white.
But the idyllic setting doesn’t make up for the stormy expression on both of my lovers’ faces. Carl’s shooting daggers at John which could practically kill, while John’s acting like nothing’s wrong. Yet I can tell from the tense set of his shoulders and the harsh flush of color across his high cheekbones that he’s well aware of the enemy at the gate.
“So what’s going on?” John drawls. “What are we here for today?”
I take a deep breath before looking meaningfully at both men.
“Thank you for coming,” I say in a firm tone. “Before we start, I just want to set some ground rules. No physical fighting, no violence, and no epithets will be tolerated.”
Carl grunts.
“This fuck here deserves whatever he gets.”
John’s square jaw jerks towards Carl then.
“As does this asshole.”
I hold up both hands, already feeling exhausted.
“Okay, we’re not exactly off to a good start, but I’m going to take that as an agreement on the physical violence. We will not be fighting. I’m pregnant, and I can’t take the risk that somehow, I get pulled into the melee.”
Both men turn to me then.
“I would never hurt you,” Carl growls, blue eyes flashing. “Never in a million years.”
“Only that fuck would accidentally swing and miss before clipping you,” John adds in a smarmy tone. “I never miss.”
I roll my eyes because men can be so childish sometimes! I swear, these guys are in their forties, and yet they’re acting like babies. I merely huff out an exasperated breath before looking at them.
“Well, now that we have that cleared up,” I say in a wry tone. “We might as well get started. As you know, I’ve been with both of you now, and I wanted to get that into the open. Even more, I want to discuss how we’re going to proceed from here. Both of you have sampled my curves, and there must be some way to work this out without putting my job and housing situation in jeopardy.”
“You’re welcome to stay with me as long as you like,” Carl immediately interjects.
“And you’re welcome to work at Herald for as long as you like,” John immediately throws right back. “So it’s solved. We’re good to go.”
But I hold up one hand as the big man stands, his huge form towering over us.
“Sit back down,” I snap. “We’re nowhere near done.” The CEO reluctantly seats himself again, refusing to even look at Carl. I sigh because this conversation isn’t going well, and I have no idea how I’m going to convince two bullheaded, stubborn men to share me. Well, the only thing to do is to try.
As a result, I take a deep breath and start again.
“Listen, I know that both of you would like to have me to yourselves, but that’s not a possibility,” I say in a low tone. “Before we start the negotiations, I just want to put that out there. It’s either both of you in the game, or neither of you gets to enjoy me, period.”
Carl and John immediately shake their heads.
“Naw, that’s not necessary,” my stepfather growls. “He can get lost. Jobs are a dime a dozen honey. Hell, I’ll even find a new position myself, Herald Enterprises be damned.”
John shrugs at hearing these fighting words.
“Jobs are hard to come by these days,” the CEO drawls. “Don’t knock it until you get out on the labor market and see how difficult it is. I hear recruiters don’t even talk to you if you don’t have a good recommendation, and you know you won’t get one if you leave and take Clara with you.”