Page 8 of Calla's Boys

Of my four boys, he seems to be the only one with a firm grip on the rules I’ve attempted to set out for them. Inside of the school and on public outings, I prefer that they address meproperly. In private, they can either call me Calla or anything that comes to mind during the heat of passion.

“Wait here for me? I’m going to head in there and find out what the holdup is,” I state, jerking a thumb toward the window. He returns my smile and nods, shuffling away from the door so that I can let myself in. “And do me a favor, Billy?”His ears always turn so red when I say his name,I muse mischievously. “Don’t let anyone on until we come out? Not even the driver.”

He instantly looks nervous as the crimson crawls from the top of his ears, down to his cheeks. He’s never been good at lying, but persuasion, he’s a master at that. I’m living proof that Billy can get anything he wants—he just needs to learn to believe it himself from time to time.

“Sure, Ms. Hunt,” he finally agrees as I push the doors open, then begin to ascend the few stairs inside.

I pull the lever to close the doors, then smile warmly when he leans his body against the door.

“Hey, Calla,” Jesse calls out.

I glance over at him as I start to close the gap between us. I sit down next to him and cross one leg over the other.

“How’d you know?”

“Your scent,” he answers, his eyes still closed. I arch an eyebrow at him.My scent? I wonder what I smell like.“You know, like predators can smell their prey from a mile away? I know what your pussy smells like even after it’s been used by one of them.”

I roll my eyes as I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in the seat. “Are you planning on joining us today, Jesse?”

“As soon as it goes down.”

I shake my head fondly.That’s what the problem is.

“You can make it happen a lot faster, Calla. Wanna give me a hand?” he asks, a sly smile starting to spread across his lips.

The thing about Jesse is that he takes what he wants, when he wants it—even if it isn’t freely given. I learned that the hard way with him on more than one occasion.

And even so, I know we don’t have time for this right now. Especially not since it’s Billy who’s been left guarding the door. He’s a good boy, but he buckles under pressure far too quickly, and I know he’ll let the driver on when pushed.

“The sooner you can rein that in, the better. We need to check in before this place gets crowded, and besides, I could use a nice, relaxing soak in the hot tub.”

Jesse’s eyes open instantly as he turns that sly smile toward me. “Hot tub?”

I laugh as I shake my head and get to my feet. “I thought that might get your blood pumping in the right direction. Just put it in the waistband of your boxers and let’s go get checked in.”

With a grunt, Jesse does as suggested, then stands up. Placing his hands on my hips, he guides me toward the double doors.

“Dibs,” he breathes into my ear as I lead the way down the stairs, then push the doors open.

Chapter Six

Clyde

I try not to nod off as the bubbly young lady talks about her goddamnEtsystore. Her guy keeps giving me glances that I can’t quite figure out.

Is he making sure that I stay awake? That I pay attention? Or is he sorry that they sat down next to us to begin with?

“So, anyway,” she continues as she picks up her slice of pizza, “if you want to check out my greeting cards, I can give you a discount. Actually—here,”she says as she sets her slice down on the plate. She reaches for a napkin to quickly wipe her fingers clean, then I watch, as patiently as I can, as she sifts around in her small clutch before producing a business card and holding it out to me.“You don’t have to buy anything, so no pressure.”

“Thanks,” I say as cheerfully as I can. I hope she doesn’t think I’m mocking in trying to match her disposition, but I’ve never met a happier person in my goddamn life and it’s a bit weird to me.

But at least it keeps my mind off Calla and wherever the hell she may have wandered off to.

“What did you say your name was again?” I ask, barely glancing at the card as I set it down next to my beer.

“Carly! And this is Fin,” she reminds me, gesturing toward her guy. He gives me a nod as he raises his pint of beer, and I return his nod.

“Clyde,” I say, holding a hand to my chest briefly, “and Doc,” I finish with a nod at my friend sitting on the other side of me.

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