Page 57 of Bad Boy Next Door
Nick’s brow furrowed, and his eyes opened with questioning alarm.
“Don’t worry, sweet cheeks.” I slapped his ass. “I’ll let you off the hook. For now. Sofa moving is a higher priority. But as soon as we get home, put on your dog collar and assume the position.”
The bell above the store’s entrance tinkled, and Nick nearly jumped out of his skin.
Dillon grinned. “I cannotwaitto tell the other guys about this.”
“She’s kidding,” Nick told his brother. A young couple passed us, and Nick leaned in to whisper to me, “Youarekidding, right?”
“Am I?” I gave him a seductive look. “Guess you’ll have to wait to find out.”
I suspected Nick would enjoy whatever I thought up in the sex-slave arena, so the longer I tortured him with worry, the better. I wasn’t interested in humiliating Nick, but he didn’t need to know that—yet.
Back when I’d thought I owed him, he’d never once asked me to do anything I hadn’t done with pleasure. And looking back, it had beenmewho’d initiated the sex between us, also the cooking and cleaning. He’d never used his falsely obtained power for sex, but I wasn’t going to let that limit me.
It was he who’d lied, after all.
Leaving the two brothers, I haggled with the shop owner about the price of the old sofa and got more assurances that it was bug- and rodent-free. My apartment-decorating shopping spree would eat up all of my tips from the past week, but it was worth it, and soon I’d be earning dancer-level tips. According to Melodie, I could make enough on one Friday night to cover everything I’d bought here today.
With a smile, I realized I was putting down more roots in Shady Oaks than at any place I’d ever lived.
“Ready?” Nick asked when I returned.
“All set.”
“Maybe you’d like to sit on your throne as we carry it?” Nick gave an exaggerated gesture toward the solid wood-and-leather sofa, already heavy on its own.
“Dude!” Dillon said.
I laughed. “Don’t worry, Dillon. If I get tired, I’ll just hop on Nick’s back.”
One side of his mouth crooked up, Nick shook his head. He was onto me and willing to play along with the game—so far, anyway. If I really wanted to make him squirm, I’d have to up the stakes.
I held the glass door open as the men carried the sofa through, then we started down the crowded sidewalk.
I fell into step beside Dillon, who was walking backward at the head of the sofa. “So, what do you do?”
“This and that.”
“Interesting.” I guided him around a post. “I’ve always wanted to do ‘that.’ Tell me, do you need a college degree to get started?” I touched his arm to make sure he avoided a woman passing by with a stroller.
He chuckled. “To get started in the ‘this and that’ business, what you really need is a graduate degree in ‘the other thing.’”
“This, that,andthe other thing. Ah. Very helpful. Thanks.” It was clear Nick’s brother didn’t want to tell me what he did for a living, but he did have a sharp wit.
Dad had warned me that many of the residents of Shady Oaks were criminals. Did that extend to Nick’s brothers? Because of Dad, I’d been around criminals all my life. Nick’s brother didn’t seem the type.
We rounded a corner that led to a steep hill, and Nick bounced the sofa to adjust his hold. “Dillon fixes things. Everything. Cars, clocks, computers.”
“Everything that starts with a C?” I laughed.
“Yup,” Dillon said. “Except cabbages. That’s right at the edge of my skill set.”
“Well, luckily, I’m pretty handy with a cabbage, so if you ever need one fixed, I’d be happy to return the favor.”
“Favor?” Dillon asked.
“For carrying my sofa.”
