“That’s a wonderful idea. It would be crowded to be your bedroom, too.”
“I already have a bedroom here with you guys,” she said to them. Falco smiled.
“So you’re moving in here with us?”
“I haven’t slept anywhere else since you seduced me into bed the other night.”
Rome squeezed her ass hard.
“Ouch.”
“Who was doing the seducing?” he asked and winked.
She smiled and hugged him as she reached out and cupped Falco’s cheek.
“There’s no place else I’d rather be than living with the six of you and loving you every chance I can get.”
She heard their exhales of relief and each of them gave her a kiss goodnight to leave her with Rome and Falco in bed. Everything was going perfectly, and she couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow brought.
Chapter 11
The week had passed and Mercury, Slade, and Falco just met with Roger Hiatte to finalize the security detail and delivery of goods from one area in Connecticut to South Carolina and a private warehouse. They were going to pick up Rose and bring her to a meeting with Mulgoff Lenotz about a gallery show. He was glad that she trusted them and asked for their support and guidance in case there was some sort of contract Mulgoff wrote up.
“I wish there was some way we could be the ones to showcase a gallery event for her instead of Mulgoff,” Slade said to his brothers.
“I know, but we don’t have the connections like that. Mulgoff showed five of her paintings and look what happened. This is her dream. We can be here for her, support her, and protect her,” Falco added.
As they arrived back at the house Rome, Rylan, and Remo were in the kitchen and Rose wasn’t around.
“Where’s Rose?” Falco asked.
“She is painting in the cottage and we aren’t allowed to see,” Rome told them.
“Why not?” Mercury asked.
“Don’t know. I think it’s because Rylan pissed her off this morning with the self-defense training,” Remo said to them.
“I didn’t piss her off.”
“She was doing pretty good. Pulled a move that Slade taught her the other day and Rylan got pissed at the cheap shot and gripped her wrists and turned it into a make-out session. She was stripped and naked in seconds,” Remo said to them.
Rome chuckled. “She is not a fighter. I mean we’ve all tried showing her different things but she’s just too sweet. She won’t even let me show her how to use the gun yet,” Rome said to them.
“She is going to have to learn a few things, plus use a gun. I’ll talk to her on the way to Mulgoff’s place,” Mercury said.
“We should check on her and let her know the time. She’s probably caught up in whatever she’s working on,” Remo said to them.
“I’ll go get her,” Slade said and headed out the door to the cottage.
“So how did the meeting go? Get any feeling toward this shit?” Rome asked Mercury.
“Something is up. The details aren’t crisp. We know this and Vaughn and the guys pulling things on their end. We’ll do our part and see this through but we have to be super diligent in security. We need to make a plan to take those goods to a different location without Hiatte or anyone else knowing it. That’s where Nicolai will come in,” Mercury said to them.
“I don’t fucking like this. I wish we could drop the job entirely. We know that it’s more than likely Molokai who is trying to destroy our company,” Rylan stated.
“We don’t have definite proof, but the best thing to do is to show them we have better connections and we can be just as damn sneaky.”
A few minutes later Slade came inside with Rose. Mercury locked gazes with her. She wore a pair of slim fitting black dress pants, black boots and a light green sweater that showed off her eyes. Her makeup was light but appealing. She looked classy and sexy.
“How was your meeting?” she asked Mercury and them.
“It was okay. Are you set for this meeting with Mulgoff?” Falco asked her.
“I’m a little nervous, but excited. Do you think he liked the paintings we sent over from the warehouse?” she asked. Mercury and the others spent an hour trying to decide which ones to send. All of her work was amazing.
“If he didn’t he would have canceled the meeting,” Rome said, sounding kind of snappy. She gave him a somber expression.
“Rome. You promised,” she said to him.
Rome walked closer, took her hand, and pulled her into his arms. “I want you with me safe and sound at all times. I don’t need some rich jeweler getting to talk paintings and gallery events with you and touching your hair or whispering into your ear while you look at papers and shit.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked with her palms against his chest.
He placed his hand over her ass.
“You’re gorgeous and sexy. He’s a man and he dressed you in fucking lingerie before we did.”
She chuckled and cupped his cheeks.
“You can dress me in lingerie all you want and anything you like.”
He widened his eyes.
“Anything I like?” he asked and she blushed.
“We need to get moving or she won’t make it to the meeting,” Slade said and Mercury cleared his throat.
“You all set?” he asked. She nodded and then kissed Rome, then Rylan and Remo before taking Slade’s hand and walking out with him, Falco, and Mercury.
* * * *
“You’re very lucky to have such a beautiful, talented artist like Rose for your girlfriend. Although it probably wasn’t necessary to accompany her here. I’m not offering any signed contract. I’m just asking for a verbal agreement that she give me a percentage of her sales. After all, I am a businessman, Mercury,” Mulgoff said to him as they all gathered around his living room sipping cognac.
“What exactly is the percentage you’re asking for?” she asked before Mercury could.
Mulgoff smiled at her and reached out and patted her knee, which did not go unnoticed by her men.
“Twenty, thirty percent?” he asked and waved his hand in the air as if either would be fine.
“I think you should get more,” Rose said to him.
“Rose,” Mercury said her name.
“Well, think about it, Mercury. Mulgoff is spending his money to host the event, have refreshments and food and staff to assist. He needs to make that up and also gain a profit. If the paintings sold for half as much as the others we would both still do very well, wouldn’t we?” she asked Mulgoff and then looked at Mercury.
Mulgoff smiled. “I don’t think you needed your boyfriends here to negotiate terms at all. It seems you have a natural knack for it. I will accept whatever percentage of sales you would find suitable considering I am providing the venue, the guests, the food and drinks and servers. It will all be covered.”
She looked at Mercury, Slade and Falco. “You’re running the show,” Falco said and she smirked.
She looked at Mulgoff. “Mulgoff, meeting you that night at the party has changed my life. It made me money I needed, got my artwork out there and now the ability to do this gallery event, but most importantly it got me to meet the James brothers and fall in love. How does a fifty/fifty deal sound to you?” she asked.
Mulgoff smiled. “Sounds very generous, and like a woman in love. Deal.” He reached his hand out for her to shake as he stood and she stood up too, shook his hand and he leaned close and kissed each cheek.
“To being business partners and making a lot of money. This is only the beginning,” he said and winked.
She turned to look at her men, who seemed stunned.
“Shall we take a look at the paintings and come up with a theme for the event?” he asked and she nodded then walked with him and her men followed. He had the paintings displayed in a room on easels. He walked through and talked to her about which ones to present where and then asked if she had more paintings she was working on.
“I hav
e one that’s nearly complete, and a bunch more in their warehouse,” she told him.
“Well, I’d like to see more of them and then pick about forty to show.”
“Forty?” I thought you said a small event with about a dozen paintings,” she asked.
“That was before the fifty/ fifty deal, darling. We’re going to make a lot of money. You’ll be able to open your own gallery if you want,” he said and winked and she couldn’t help but be excited.
“So you love us, huh?” Slade asked her as Mercury and Falco talked to Mulgoff about venues.
She smiled and gripped his hand that tightened around her waist. She turned toward him sideways.
“It’s kind of hard not to when you guys use that love potion of yours,” she said and he chuckled. “Just wait until I get you home.”
“Rose, I nearly forgot. I need you for a private dinner party on Saturday. I know it’s late notice and all. I should have called you days ago when I first heard but I’ve been swamped. It will be about four hours. The pay is very good. Five hundred an hour.”
“Seriously? What would I be modeling?” she asked.
“Not as expensive as that blue diamond, more like the jewelry you wore for the first event at the hotel Ambiance. Rings too this time so before you leave today I’ll need to measure your fingers and your wrists too for bracelets.”
“Okay,” she replied.
“Wait, where is this event?” Mercury asked.
“Oh, it’s a private party at a friend’s house. No need for high-tech security or you know I would have called you. She has her own security team.”
“Who is that?” Slade pushed. Falco looked at her like he was a bit angry. She probably should have asked about where, who and security. She was just excited about the gallery event and also about modeling to make more money. She didn’t want to be dependent on the James brothers even though they deposited fifty thousand dollars into her account and gave her a debit card. She put that right into a box she would never use.
“Do you know Cassidy Monclaire?” Mulgoff asked them.
“The wife of Norman Monclaire who owns all those shopping malls across the south? Of course,” Mercury said. Rose swallowed hard.
“Well, she is doing a fundraising event with about twenty-five friends and business associates. I’ve been asked to donate a percentage of sales that evening to the children’s hospital they’re raising money for. Mrs. Monclaire asked for Rose specifically. She was at the event where the blue diamond was sold.”
“That’s so nice. I would love to do that and especially if money is donated back. I could even give part of my earnings too,” Rose offered and Mulgoff stared at her.
“You are a gem. More rare and valuable than any gems I’ve come across. Don’t you change, Rose. Your men are very lucky indeed. I will text you the information and have a car pick you up at your place.”
“Oh, I’m living elsewhere now.”
He smiled. “The James estate then. I’ll make a note of that in your contact information. They’ll bring you here where Daisy and Elga will do your makeup and have your dress ready for you. Then we’ll drive over together. Afterward my driver will drop you off at home. She should arrive to you by eleven,” he told the James brothers and they didn’t look happy.
Rose reached out to shake Mulgoff’s hand. “Thank you again and I’ll see you Saturday.”
“Yes, around four they’ll pick you up.”
* * * *
They were quiet and Falco sat next to Rose in the back seat of the Range Rover and ran his hand along his jaw.
“This is all so exciting. I think it’s going to work out great,” she said and he could hear her enthusiasm.
“I don’t like it one bit,” Mercury said.
“Nor do I. We don’t know who will be there. Could we get that information somehow?” Slade asked as he drove.
“I suppose we could,” Mercury said.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“About the modeling thing Saturday,” Falco said to her. She turned in her seat to look at him.
“What about it?” she asked, her green eyes narrowed slightly. He reached out and stroked her cheek.
“We won’t be there. You understand that?”
She swallowed. “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry. Mulgoff will be there and it’s at some wealthy woman’s estate. You guys even know who she is.”
“We don’t know who is attending.”
“It will be fine. It’s like four hours.”
“You’ll be gone more than six.”
She took Falco’s hand and then leaned on his shoulder.
“I’ll be fine. There are going to be plenty of times when you guys can’t be with me and I can’t be with you.”
“I don’t like it,” Mercury said again and Falco couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling he had. Any man could hit on her, try something with her. Damn it, this whole dating thing was insane and the jealousy he had toward men other than his brothers was going to ruin his fucking mood Saturday.
“You really don’t need the money or need to do this,” Slade said to her.
“That’s not the point. It’s a fundraiser and the woman asked for me. How could I say no to Mulgoff?”
“Easy. You say no,” Slade snapped at her.
“I’m not canceling this. You’re all being overprotective and silly.”
Falco turned to face her and reached up and cupped her head and neck with both hands.
“Not silly. Possessive of what belongs to us and only us.” Then he kissed her, undid her seatbelt and brought her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms as he slid his hand under her sweater to her breast. She held on to him and caressed his chest and his neck. They made out like teenagers until the Range Rover stopped and his brothers got out. When he released her lips she was pliant in his arms.
“Rome, Rylan, and Remo are going to be just as pissed off at this.”
“That’s silly. It’s one night, and I kind of like modeling. It makes me feel beautiful and like I’m as valuable and pretty as the things I’m modeling.”
He squinted his eyes at her. Surely she had to know how gorgeous she was. Did she lack self-confidence and have poor self-esteem?
“Honey, you’re gorgeous, sexy, sweet, smart, and classy. Those tough times didn’t break your self-esteem, I hope,” Falco said to her.
“I guess a little.”
“Well, you’re past that. You’re amazing. You have the six of us to support you in all you do in achieving your dreams and you have your friends, too.”
She smiled.
“I didn’t just tell Mulgoff that I love all of you just to blurt that out. I wanted him to know that I trust the six of you with everything, even protecting me in all aspects of the word.”
He felt his heart race and his gut clench. He and his brothers were responsible for her in every way and would protect her and make her happy.
“Damn straight, and you can show us all how much you love us when we get you inside and strip you naked.”
“Falco.”
He slid out of the back seat and pulled her along with him.
She grabbed on to his arm.
“Will the others be very upset about the modeling Saturday?” she asked.
“I’m sure they will,” he said and she sighed and then shook her head, smiling as they headed into the house.
* * * *
They were flipping mad. Saturday night was the same night that the delivery and transfer were taking place. Mercury didn’t want to tell Rose and he couldn’t, not with Mulgoff there. Add that she would be at some rich broad’s house modeling while they were trying not to get killed and trick Molokai and shit, he was fucking pissed off. They all made love to her the moment she and Falco came into the house. When she told Rylan, Remo, and Rome that she was doing a modeling gig they weren’t happy. Rome currently had her in the backyard learning how to shoot a gun.
“What are we going to do?” Slad
e asked as he, Falco, Remo, and Rylan walked into the home office.
“We do what needs to be done to protect this company and each of us. I called Nicolai. He’s close and hopefully has what we need before those trucks pull out of that warehouse in Connecticut,” Mercury said to them.
“We can’t all go. We need to decide who is pulling what and who stays here with Rose to pretend that nothing is going on, just a business trip,” Remo said to them.
“Remo, you and Rome stay here. I need to be seen out in public someplace in case this shit gets fucked up. There’s an event not far from where Rose will be modeling. I’ll call up Graham and Cooper and have them meet up with me. Slade, Falco, and Rylan will handle the operations and get those trucks to the other location. I’ll have the facility confirmed as soon as I can. You’ll need to start gathering the team but not give any info just in case for some fucked up reason we have inside people working against us,” Mercury said to them.
“Anyone is and we find out, I’ll personally take care of them,” Slade said straight-faced.
“What about this modeling thing with Rose? Who is even going to be there?” Rylan asked.
“I’m working on finding out a guest list. She’ll be safe there and occupied while we take care of this. Hopefully it works out to our advantage. It should be done and over with by the time she’s getting dropped off by Mulgoff,” Mercury told them.
* * * *
“I don’t want to touch it,” Rose told Rome and he was getting pissed off.
“You need to. I want you to feel capable, empowered, and ready in any situation. You’ve improved your self-defense skills, now this is next,” Rome told her.
“You’re such a liar. I suck at self-defense.”
“You choose to suck at it because you don’t want to think about ever having to use it. I didn’t want you to ever have to use it nor ever have to shoot a gun, but God knows in this crazy world we live in, baby, that it could very well happen. Would you rather be prepared, or unprepared?”
A Shot of Love Potion [Love on the Rocks 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 17
