by Jane Henry
Yeah, they could’ve made it work, but it would’ve meant forcing both of them, and the rest of the staff, to work sixteen-hour days through the holidays. No way. Tess already seemed to work eighty hours a week, staying late every damn night and coming in, like today, on her off-days. She’d wear herself out!
Besides which, she was making it sound like he had a reputation for making bad business decisions, which he absolutely did not. He’d hired Tess so he wouldn’t have to spend his days chained to a desk, not because he couldn’t handle his business. His personal decisions might have been a bit suspect, but never his decisions about Cara. Since when did she worry about the survival of his restaurant?
He took a breath and fought for patience, trying to figure out the best way to explain, to communicate his reasoning, to help her see past her worry, to calm his own temper.
And then a thought occurred to him. Would Dom explain his rationale for every choice he made? Did Matteo have to talk Hillary into doing what he wanted? If there was an upside to being a dominant, that was definitely it.
He looked at Tessa and shook his head once, firmly. “No,” he told her.
She waited for him to continue, and her eyes widened when she realized he wouldn’t.
“No? Just no? End of story?” she sputtered.
“Tessa, as far as I know, this is still my restaurant. You may be the manager, but I’m the owner. I appreciate your concern, but it’s not something you need to worry about. And I don’t defer to you when making decisions,” he told her calmly. “Especially not when I’m choosing to hire a part time, temporary employee.”
Tess was apparently too shocked to speak. She stared at him, her lush lips momentarily frozen into a perfect O.
“Please email Alice back and set up a time for her to come in this week,” he told her, doubling down on his decision.
She looked away for a moment, as if to compose herself. When she looked back, her eyes were shuttered and her shoulders slumped.
“All right, Tony. If you’re sure that’s what you want,” she agreed quietly.
Of course it was. And this was what she needed from him. For him to take control.
“It is,” he assured her.
But as she slowly nodded and walked away towards her office, he wondered why it felt so damn wrong.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Tony had cleaned the kitchen, turned off the music, and was sitting in his office trying his best to focus on work in spite of his surly mood, when Tess knocked on his open door.
“Hey, um… Nora’s here,” she told him. She kept her eyes down, looking somewhere between the front of his desk and the floor.
He frowned. What the hell was that about?
“Yeah, I’ve been expecting her. Bring her in,” he said.
She nodded and turned away.
“Hey, Tess!” he called.
She turned back obediently, and he faltered. He hadn’t really had anything particular to say, he’d just wanted to see her roll her eyes at him and smile, neither of which she did.
“Never mind,” he said grumpily. “Just bring her in.”
Tess nodded and departed without a word.
She returned a minute later, leading a miniature blonde version of herself nearly staggering under the weight of an enormous Red Sox backpack.
“Hey!” the mini-Tess said, extending her hand and gifting him with a bright smile the moment she walked in his office. “I’m Nora!”
Tony found himself smiling despite his mood—he couldn’t help it. Tess’s sister seemed to have all of Tess’s spirit and energy, compressed into one small package.
“Nora, I’m Tony,” he told her, coming around the desk to shake her hand.
Obviously introductions were unnecessary, because Nora was nodding enthusiastically.
“Oh, I know,” she said. “Tess has told me so much about you already!”
Had she now? Well, that was interesting.
Tony stole a glance at Tess, but Tess was giving her sister a death glare. “Nora! This is a formal interview. Professional, remember?”
Nora flushed. “Right. Yeah. I mean, yes.” She cleared her throat nervously.
Tony rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. “Meh. Formality is so overrated,” he scoffed. “We’re practically family.”
Nora giggled.
Tess sighed.
“Thank you, Miss Damon,” Tony told Tess. “Nora and I can take it from here.”
Tess met his eyes, finally, and her own narrowed in surprise. “What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.
He shrugged. “Nora is here for an interview. So, I am planning to interview her.”
“Wait, I thought that we would talk to her. Together. Figure out hours and wages and—” She trailed off when she saw Tony shaking his head.
“But you already know her,” he reminded Tess, taking her elbow and gently turning her around so she was facing the kitchen. “If she’s going to be working for me, I need to know her.” He gave Tess a gentle shove, valiantly trying not to notice the way the fabric of her jeans cupped the curve of her ass… and failing miserably.
“Tony!” she said, whirling around and glaring at him. “But, I—”
He shut the door gently but firmly, cutting off her protest, and turned to face Nora. He clapped his hands together once and waggled his eyebrows. “So, Nora, let’s talk.”
Tony grabbed a folding chair from the corner, unfolded it in front of his desk, and motioned for her to take a seat. Nora giggled as she sat.
“Okay, I’ve never seen anyone handle Tess that way,” Nora said. “That was kinda funny. Usually Tess is the one telling me what to do!”
“Tell me about it,” Tony groused as he took his seat on the other side of the desk. “I have not one but two older brothers. I know a thing or two about bossy older siblings!”
Nora tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Well, I guess it’s not bossiness with Tess, exactly. It’s more like she’s just worried about me ‘cause she loves me.”
Tony pretended to consider this. “Hmm. Nah, my brothers are just bossy,” he deadpanned, making Nora giggle again.
“So, why is she worried about you?” he asked, steepling his hands on the desk.
Nora seemed to catch herself. “Ah, no particular reason. Just the usual teenage stuff,” she hedged, shrugging one shoulder. She peered at him closely and continued, “Plus, our mom… Do you know about…”
Tony nodded shortly. “Tess has mentioned some stuff,” he said. Just enough to make him wanna lock Tess in a bubble and never let her have contact with the woman. “You don’t need to tell me specifics.” He wanted Tess to tell him, in her own time.
Nora nodded, relieved. “It’s just, you know, Tess looks out for me. Making sure I get my homework done, making sure I get decent food, making sure I’ve gotten my college applications in, that kind of thing. I don’t think I appreciated it as much when I was younger, but now I see how much it costs her. Like, literally,” she said ruefully.
Tony’s attention was caught. “What do you mean?”
“Well, um, a few weeks ago I needed money for books and test fees and my mom, she… Uh. Well. Anyway, Tess helped out. Like, a lot,” Nora admitted. “If I hadn’t had that money, I would’ve been kicked out of the accelerated program at school, and then I could kiss my scholarship chances goodbye. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.” Love and something like hero worship shone in Nora’s face.
Christ. He’d figured it was some kind of emergency that had made Tess abandon her plan of moving into her own apartment, but he hadn’t wanted to ask. Now he could see why Tess hadn’t volunteered.
“But that’s why I really want a job,” Nora continued earnestly. “I’m old enough that I can make money for myself and not have to rely on her anymore. Or at least not as much.”
“I hear you,” he told Nora. “You want to be your own person, take care of yourself.”
Nora nodded.
“But your sister loves you. I’m sure she’ll always be worrying about you and looking out for you in one way or another,” Tony told her. “At least that’s the way it is with my brothers.” God help him.
“Probably. When Tess cares, she kinda can’t help but worry!” Nora laughed. “It’s how she shows her love.”
Tony chuckled.
“You know, I was kinda worried that no one was looking out for her,” Nora admitted. “But then she told me about all the things you’ve done to help her.”
Tony frowned. All the things? What had he done? “You mean having her stay at my place?” he asked. “That’s not a big deal. She’s paying rent.” Theoretically. And that was all he’d let her pay for.
Nora smiled. “Well, that, yeah. But also how you take care of her. How you listen to her when she talks, and respect her opinions. She feels safe with you. I mean, she doesn’t exactly say it like that, but I can tell. And where we grew up, it wasn’t exactly, um… stable. You know? So Tessa can cope with whatever the world throws at her. She’s wicked strong. But it’s nice that she doesn’t have to.”
Tony nodded, and his memory flashed to the scars on Tess’s legs. Had that been her coping mechanism? And his conscience prickled. He hadn’t exactly listened to Tess or respected her opinion today, had he? But ultimately, having him in control was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?
He cleared his throat and focused his attention on Nora, giving her a warm smile. “Okay, enough chit chat. You’ve impressed me already.”
“I have?” Nora asked, her face scrunched up in look so identical to Tess’s look of confusion that Tony nearly laughed. “Oh! You mean because I mentioned my advanced classes?”
Tony did laugh this time. Like Tess, Nora had no idea the effect her sweet, loyal personality had on people.
“Yup, that was it, kiddo. That, and your Red Sox backpack,” he told her with a wink. “Can’t turn down a Sox fan. So let’s talk money and hours. You’re a minor, so there are some limitations about when you can work, and you’ll need a work permit. If I know your sister, she has all that information printed out in triplicate already, so why don’t I put her out of her misery and call her in here?”
Nora hesitated, then bit her lip. “Um, for the work permit form, do you think you can sign it for me, as my employer?”
Tony frowned. “Well, yeah, either Tess or I will have to sign it first, as your employer, saying what hours you’ll work. And then you’ll take it and—”
“Can you do it?” she interrupted in a whisper. “Specifically you? Because my mom won’t mind me getting a job, but if she sees Tess’s name, she, uh… might not sign it. She says Tess is a bad influence. I don’t want Tess to know.”
Tony blew out a breath. He could see that Nora was mortified to admit this, so he didn’t want to vent any of the fury roiling around inside him and make her feel worse, but it took everything he had to swallow it down. He had never met Tess’s mother and prayed he never would, but he knew for sure that Tess deserved better. How the hell had such an amazing person come out of that shitty situation?
“Sure, kiddo,” he told Nora. He stood and stepped forward to open the door and call Tess. As he passed her, Nora shot him a nervous look, and he smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
Somehow.
* * *
Tony had lived alone for a number of years, and he’d liked it that way. He was a gregarious person by nature, which was probably why he thrived in the restaurant business. But as the youngest of three kids in a large and boisterous family, he’d also always craved little pockets of quiet so he could relax and recharge.
He’d never dreamed that silence could be so crushing and oppressive.
It had been two hours since he’d arrived home from the restaurant, and at least an hour since Tess had gotten back from dropping Nora home after her interview. Tess was cooking something in the kitchen, but somehow Tony couldn’t seem to settle to a task. He couldn’t focus on the baseball game, or the book on his Kindle. All he could hear was the ringing silence where Tess’s voice and laughter should have been.
It was fucking annoying.
Was she pissed off? Was she giving him the silent treatment? He couldn’t even tell. Val’s way of settling an argument had been to get in his face and make ultimatums. His brothers generally used their fists. His mother had only ever needed to look at him a certain way to express her anger.
And if Tess was pissed at his high-handedness, what should he do? Fight with her? Punish her? Spank her ass? Was that what a dominant would do? He hadn’t the first fucking clue.
Yeah, she’d questioned his ability to do his job, and she’d been disrespectful about it. He expected better from her.
But all he knew for sure was that, looking back at his own behavior, he’d been rude, insensitive, and way out of line, speaking to her the way he had. They weren’t in a formal D/s relationship—hell, they weren’t in a relationship at all, for God’s sake! - and she’d been trying to do her job. It wasn’t her fault that wanting her so badly was fucking with his head. His own moral code demanded that he admit he was wrong and ask forgiveness.
And if that made him weak or whatever? Then fuck it. He’d go back to being a dominant tomorrow. For tonight, he just wanted peace in his mind and in his home.
He hauled himself off the sofa and stalked toward the kitchen.
“So… Nora’s a good kid,” he said offhandedly as he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer.
Tess, still in her red sweater and tight jeans, was standing barefoot at the sink, washing produce. She turned her head for one brief moment to acknowledge his presence, before turning her eyes back to the grapes in the colander.
“She sure is,” Tess agreed proudly. “Did she tell you she was taking advanced classes?”
“Uh, yeah. She mentioned that.”
Tony leaned back against the counter and took a deep drink. “So, about earlier,” he began, not sure exactly what he planned to say.
“Yeah,” she said. “About that.”
As Tony exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck, struggling for words, Tess wiped her hands on a dishtowel and slowly turned to face him.
“I’m really sorry,” she said, biting her lip. “You’re the owner of Cara and I’m not. I was wrong to question you and I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize.”
He frowned. Wait. What?
“Tess,” he began, shaking his head, “that’s not—”
“Please,” she said, pressing her hands to her stomach. “Just let me finish.”
He nodded reluctantly and set his beer on the counter.
“I expressed myself badly earlier. I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t trust you. I do. I just… worry. It’s stupid, but sometimes I can’t help it.” She offered him a half-smile, and Nora’s words came flashing back to him.
When Tess cares, she can’t help but worry. It’s how she shows her love.
Jesus. Could he be a bigger jerk than he already was? She hadn’t been doubting his ability to run things, she’d been giving him shit about the restaurant because it was important to her. And hadn’t she proved that, time and again, by working like crazy trying to make things better? She’d been scared, and instead of explaining his reasoning and comforting her, he’d gotten pissed off.
Well done.
“And when I think of all you’ve done for me and now for Nora,” she continued. “I owe you so much, and know I’ll never be able to repay you. The very least I can do is be a good employee.”
“Stop,” he said roughly.
“No, really, Tony! I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
“Stop!” he said more forcefully. He strode forward and grasped her elbows gently. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that again.”
Her lower lip trembled. “I won’t. I’m really…”
“Not that,” he said, shaking her gently. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that you o
we me. You don’t owe me a damn thing.”
“But,” she argued.
“Never. Again,” he said firmly. “Do you understand?”
She nodded, wide-eyed.
“You do the work of three people at the restaurant. Which is why I know that we need more than Nora’s help to get us through the busy season. You work too hard, Tess,” he told her, lifting a hand to stroke his thumb gently over her cheekbone.
Her eyes widened impossibly further, and she swallowed hard. “I do?”
He nodded.
“And that’s why you want to hire Alice?”
He nodded again. “And I should have explained that.”
She shook her head. “You shouldn’t have to justify—”
His free hand moved from her elbow to her waist, and he pulled her firmly towards him so that their chests nearly touched. “No, you’re right. I don’t have to justify my decisions to my manager. But you’re not just my manager.”
She looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes. Shit. Why had he waited so long? “I should have taken the time to explain it so that you would have what you need from me. And for that, I am sorry.”
She swallowed again, her breathing choppy. “Okay,” she agreed.
Her ragged reply made him smile. “My only excuse is that I’ve been incredibly distracted all day, all week, thinking about you.”
“Have you? About me, uh…” Her arms rose to loop around his neck, her fingers driving into his hair in a way that made him close his eyes and stifle a groan. “Working too hard?”
“No, Tessa,” he told her, his voice a barely-intelligible growl even to his own ears. “About your beautiful eyes, and your gorgeous smile, and about the way your ass fills out these jeans.”
The hand at her waist deliberately moved down, and then in, cupping her ass, and pulling her pelvis flush against him, so that the hard length of him pressed into her belly.
He hissed in pleasure. Tess moaned.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Tess,” he informed her, grabbing her hands and raising them above her head while he backed her against the refrigerator door.
“That’d be good,” she agreed, struggling against his hold, trying to get her hands back on him.
