Page 65 of Doubts & Fears

“Who the fuck is Fred Meyer?” I flared, pushing her back.

An uncontainable fit of laughter erupted from the tiny beauty. It was unexpected and broke the calm atmosphere that had settled over the room. Tears glistened in her eyes. Apparently, I was amusing. Who knew? Her laughter reached new heights as she let out a snort. Nik and Ivan joined her.

“What the hell is so funny? Answer the question, who the fuck is Fred and why do you need to go to his house?”

She leaned her warm body into mine. Her pretty cheeks grew pinker as the intensity of her laughter bubbled over. “Oh god, you’re killing me. It’s a grocery store. Have you never been?”

Relief flooded my body almost as quickly as embarrassment did. It had my cheeks growing warm. Now that she said it, I realized I’d seen them before in passing.

“Wow, Reaper, even I knew what it was,” Ivan retorted.

“You honestly thought it was someone’s house? I swear even I’m not that sheltered, and I lived off grid for years.” She fought to stifle her giggles. “I wanted to get some things to make dessert for tonight.”

“Awe, baby girl. That’s sweet of you.”

I cleared my throat. “You can ride in with me. I have some stops to make, and then we can go to the store.”

“Really, Reaper?” She didn’t hold back the silly grin on her face, which caused Ivan to laugh.

“You’ll eat first,” Nik demanded, and her face fell into a pout. He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

“Fine, I’ll eat.” She leaned down and kissed my tattoo before taking her seat. I left to make the arrangements, then walked back in at the tail end of her and Nik’s conversation.

“Three more bites or I tell Alek you aren’t going.”

“I’m done, honestly. I can’t eat another bite. I’m too excited and nervous. Where does he have to go? Do you know? Does it involve Death Squad business?”

“Listen to Nik, please, so we can go.”

She jumped; she hadn’t seen me come in. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing as she shoved three bites of eggs into her mouth.

“Can I go now?” she mumbled, with her hand covering her mouth. Nik shook his head.

“You may. Have fun and behave yourself.”

She kissed him one more time before turning to follow me. Marcus had the door open and was waiting. And fuck me, the smile on her face was everything.At the first stop, she waited in the car while I rushed inside to pick up some new rings for our parents’ upcoming anniversary.

It was the next stop I wasn’t sure how she would react to. Unusual nerves shot through me as we drew near. I had a meeting with a new hire Marcel had cleared, and it was at the club. Kinsley’s demeanor changed almost immediately when we pulled up.

“Don’t look at me like that. I have a previously set appointment. I won’t be long, I promise. You can stay in the car if you’d like.”

“I’ve been inside.”

“I remember.” A flashback of her in that sleek black dress with the choker and whip hit me. “Stay off the poles.”

“You sure about that? You asked me to try out once before.”

“I’ll fucking drag you off stage by your hair if you even so much as tried to step foot on one,” I growled, thinking about her taking her clothes off.

“Wow, someone is grouchy. Calm down, I was only teasing. Public stripping isn’t my thing.”

I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. “I guess that means a private show might be in the cards for me?”

“Don’t count on it.”

I took her inside and introduced her to the morning girls who were practicing. I totally spaced Jenna and Alisha would be there today. Ignoring the look on both their faces, I spoke with Marcus, asking him to keep an eye out for Kinsley. Allison was due any minute, so I waited in my office.

Allison had expressed an interest in moving overseas, and after an interview with Sebastian, we had agreed to hire and train her. Today was more of a formality. She’d taken the checklist home, and the plan was to discuss the contents today. Tommy, the day manager, showed her back, and we sat down.

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