Page 87 of Why Cheese?
“Don’t joke about that.” Roq shivers at the idea then he shakes it away. “I was thinking, if…a very largeifhere. If we can finish off the last two batches, press the cheeses and get them loaded onto the shelves.” He pauses for everyone to turn to him. “Sunday night we could finally do it.”
“Really?” Brie gasps.
“You’re pulling my todger,” Cam says.
“We’re ahead of schedule, and if we stay on it then I don’t see a reason why we cannot relax for a day. Night. Assuming we have the funds.” One by one, all three of them look at me.
I’ve been balancing a lot of numbers lately. Numbers going out for milk, cultures, and Doordash. Numbers coming in for mozzarella, cheddar, brie. I was supposed to keep track of them. Easing past the watching men, I make for the cash register. Not that there’s much cash in there, but it gives me a chance to try to think.
Move the one. Divide by five. Don’t forget the utilities.
“What are we doing?” Cheddy asks.
With a patient sigh, Roq leans over to him. “The hotel idea you had.”
“The hotel…? Oh! You mean the fancy one with the big spa tub, and the lobster, and that huge bed?” Cheddy cries out.
“The very same,” Cam assures him. “Assuming our mistress has the funds to finance such luxury.”
I’d looked up the price for a stay and nearly choked at the idea of spending so much for one night. But the longer I thought about it… A jet spa with four men. That huge bed. A balcony to look out at the stars. …the more I needed it.
“Five, six, seven…”
A ring cuts through my counting. I glance over to my purse where Cam pulls out my phone without answering it. “Your mother.”
“Ignore it,” I say. I’ve been doing that often. But she has a habit of calling when I’m deep in the middle of something. I can make it up to her later when I come home with five million dollars.
“Well?” Roq asks. I peer up to find not only him, but Cam, Brie, and Cheddy all standing on the other side of the counter watching me.
I have no idea, but I don’t care. “Yes,” I cry out. “We can.”
“Hot dog,” Cam exclaims.
“Ooh, hot dogs. Do we have any of those?” Cheddy asks.
“Let me just book the room for us. Monday right?” I lean toward Roq with my question. He massages his wide hand across my shoulders.
“Yes.”
As I pull up the hotel’s fancy app they had me download for Cheddy to ogle pictures of, Roq brushes his lips through my hair, nearly touching my skin. He whispers, “Thank you,” and plants a kiss on my cheek.
No. Thank you.
I can’t believe I’m booking one night in a fancy hotel just to spend it sucking and fucking four men. God, if my mother found out about any of this, it would put her straight in the ground.
“Here we go,” I declare and drop my finger to the reserve button.
A loud banging breaks from the glass door.
“We’re closed,” Cheddy says while they peer over my shoulder at my phone announcing I’ve got the room for Sunday night.
The banging continues, growing louder.
“Please save your cheese requests for tomorrow,” Cam calls out as he stares up at whoever’s at the door. “Ma’am.”
I don’t know why, but my heart sinks. All feeling in my fingers and toes vanishes. Numb at my wrists and ankles, my head swivels up, dread creeping out of my lungs.
With hair wild and lips locked in a rictus scream, my mother slams both of her fists on the window. “Violette!”
