by Lexi Blake
Deena lay there, her arms wrapped around him and wondered why she’d fought him at all.
CHAPTER NINE
“So do we need tickets to graduation?” Eric looked up from his prep work as Deena walked in. Luckily it was nothing more than cutting veggies. So very often she walked in as he was deboning a fish or prepping a side of beef. He didn’t have to wash up before he touched her and that was a good thing since he found himself catching her as she threw herself into his arms.
Joy rushed through him. Yeah, he was going to need those tickets.
“I passed.” Her arms squeezed him tight.
“All right!” Javi clapped and the line chefs all joined in.
“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in her ear. She’d done it. She’d pulled herself up and worked her ass off and she’d gotten her degree. Thank god one of them had. He was good at a couple of things, but sitting in a classroom wasn’t one of them.
He settled her on her feet. She smiled at him like he was the only man on earth. It made those extra shifts he’d pulled for her completely worthwhile.
She grinned as she stepped back. “I am going to be a proud graduate of UT Dallas next Saturday. I know that the ceremony is in the middle of lunch service, but I hope a couple of you can make it.”
He knew all about her graduation. He’d already made plans because he’d known damn straight his girl would pass that class. He and Tiffany and Ally were attending. Sean was stepping in when he would normally take the afternoon off and they were going to bring in a new server, who would eventually be replacing Deena. Everything was ready for him to attend and cheer her on. He’d spent a nice chunk of his savings buying her a new laptop. The one she was using had been purchased at a pawnshop and was at least five years out of date. The new one had all the bells and whistles she would need for her new job.
They were both starting new jobs in a few weeks. It worried him. They would be in the same town, but if she still wasn’t willing to move a little on the no business talk edict, he could rapidly find himself playing second fiddle to her new job. She would have to work long hours. How long would it be before she’d made new friends and maybe going all the way into Dallas on club nights wouldn’t be as compelling as it had been?
What happened when she realized he was always going to want her to work with him? That he felt like something would be missing without her?
There was time enough to worry about that later. For now he wanted to be happy. He was spending most nights with her. He’d even convinced her to stay at his place a couple of nights. It was so much easier since he believed in having food in the house and not living off yogurt and coffee. That girl was going to get a complete diet makeover when they moved in together.
He mentally backed away. It was something else to discuss at a later time. If there was a later time.
Tiffany worked her way around the large prep space and gave Deena a hug. “I’m so happy for you. No more classes.”
Deena wrinkled her pretty nose. “Until I go for my MBA.”
“Seriously?” Tiffany looked at her like she was insane.
Was she thinking of that? He could support her while she went to school. It would make sense for them to live together. It wasn’t such a bad idea.
Deena shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not. I do know that I can use some of the money I won’t be using on tuition to go shopping before I start my new job. Maybe not at your namesake, but I want to buy real clothes that no one else has worn before and that can’t double as a work uniform. It’s going to be so weird to have to figure out what to wear to work every day.”
Because she’d worn her Top uniform for the last year, and before that it had been the uniform at whatever restaurant she happened to be working at. She was going to spread her wings and fly after years of being tied down first by a husband and then by debt.
Did he even have a right to try to tether her now?
“Guys, can I borrow the boss for a minute?” Deena asked, stepping close to Eric again.
Javi waved them off. “There’s a nice closet in the front of house. I stash condoms in there and everything.”
“I think we can go outside.” There was no way he was taking Deena into Javier’s broom closet.
Deena nodded. “Yes, I’m not missing graduation because I picked up a venereal disease, Javi.”
“I’m very clean, sweetheart,” Javi protested. “Did you hear about the condoms? I’m all about the glove love.”
Tiffany groaned. “One of these days you’re going to fall in love and she’s going to be so turned off by your skanky reputation.”
Javi shook his head. “Nah, this is too much man for any one woman. I owe it to the world to put this out there.”
Eric took Deena’s hand and led her outside. The sun was low in the sky, the heat of the day warming his skin. The back alley behind Top might contain the garbage bin, but it also had a basketball hoop and a couple of bistro tables and chairs for breaks.
“What did you need, baby?”
She went up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his lips. “To thank you. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few weeks without you.” She settled back on her feet.
“I was happy to help.” He was also happy with how easily she touched him these days. “So do you have plans for after graduation or can I take you and Tiff and Ally to dinner?”
“It’s going to be more than me and the girls. I’m going to need you to meet my mom.” A grimace went over her face.
“Of course,” he replied quickly. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“She doesn’t exactly know you exist.”
Yes, that was an issue. “And why is that? Because of the D/s relationship?”
“No, it’s pretty much because you have a penis.”
“Okay, that’s something we’re going to have to deal with. I was going to say we can certainly keep the fact that we’re in a D/s relationship private, but your mom is going to figure out I probably have a penis. Is it my particular penis she’ll take issue with or any penis at all?”
Deena sank into one of the chairs. “She’s kind of a hard-core man-hater. I’ve told you about my father leaving. He took off and it was rough on her. I disappointed her when I got married so young. She’s excited about me graduating. I think finding out that I’ve got a serious boyfriend is going to upset her.”
He sat down across from her. They were serious? He’d always been serious. Hearing the word from her was a revelation. “I’ll handle your mom.”
“She can be difficult, Eric.”
“And I can be charming.”
“She won’t like that one bit.”
“Okay, then I’ll be honest.” He was planning on that anyway. He’d already thawed one frosty Holmes girl’s heart. He could handle a second. Hey, maybe after a few decades, they would both figure out he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Whatever she says, don’t take it too personally,” Deena said with a frown. “She’s spent a lot of years hating my dad. When Eddie and I got divorced, she tried to get me to move back in with her because, as she put it, we didn’t need men. We just needed each other. I wasn’t willing to go back to small town life. We haven’t talked much over the last couple of years. I’m a little surprised she’s willing to come to the graduation.”
“She’s proud of you for rising above it all,” he guessed. He hoped. If she was coming to Dallas to try to talk her daughter into going home, Momma should be prepared for a fight. He wasn’t going to let go of her easily.
Deena nodded. “I’m going with that theory, too. Anyway, she’s staying in a hotel downtown. Another surprise. My mom tends to be super frugal, so I expected her to sleep on my couch.”
“That would definitely be awkward if we’re trying to hide the fact that I have a penis.”
A throaty laugh came out of her mouth, the sound going straight to his cock. That closet was looking better and better.
“We can’t hide yo
ur penis, babe. We do have to talk about the fact that we’re supposed to graduate from training school a few days before my college graduation, and one of us is going to have to tell Big Tag that we’re only going to play together. I heard a rumor that he’s planning on pimping the new Doms out.” Her eyes had narrowed and got that steely glint she always used when she was going to be stubborn.
“I’ve got Macon working on that end.” He wasn’t about to tell Big Tag that his pimping plan wasn’t going to work out unless he had a pie to give him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle Big Tag. I’m not about to top that crazy chick from the DA’s office. Besides, I happen to know we’re the only ones coming out of this thing as a couple. Althea has agreed to work full time for Sanctum.”
Deena’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Doesn’t that mean she can’t have sex?”
It was a juicy bit of gossip. “Not while she’s working with clients, she can’t. I listened to that lecture when Big Tag offered us the jobs. That man really likes the word fuck.”
“He offered you a job?” The question came out quietly, but he could hear the shock in her voice. And that little tone told him he was back firmly in boyfriend territory and that he shouldn’t head into Dom mode. It was a delicate balance with her, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“He’s looking for dungeon monitors and some professionals. The club has taken on a life of its own. I get the feeling if he could take it back to its roots, he would, but Big Tag is a realist. McKay-Taggart needs the connections he’s made through the club. He’s got all the high rollers in Dallas and some national connections coming in and out of Sanctum. He can use that when the going gets tough, and it always does. He’s building an empire.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be his soldier.”
He reached out and put a hand over hers. “I’m not. I’ve agreed to be a dungeon monitor, but not to professionally top clients. Javier, Althea, and Gage are all going to do that. I suspect he’s going to have a talk with the subs about the same types of jobs. I saw the new girl had already signed a contract, the one who got paired with Javier.”
“Mia?” Deena’s fingers tangled with his. “She’s nice. A bit weird though. She asks a lot of questions.”
The pretty blonde had been a mystery to Javi. He’d done everything he could to get in the girl’s panties, but she constantly turned him down. With a smile, of course. “She’s agreed to work at Sanctum full time so he’s got plenty of new recruits. He won’t be too upset about us.”
“Good, because there’s something else we need to talk about and it does involve Big Tag. And Chef. I looked into your business plan.”
It was the day for surprises. “You did?”
“Yes, and after we discuss that I have a surprise for you.” She let go of his hand and reached down into her bag, pulling out a familiar file folder. It was the same printout he’d given her days before. His business plan. He was surprised when she pulled out the contract he was set to sign with the Taggart brothers.
He frowned down at it. “Where did you get that?”
“You left it on the kitchen table along with the business plan. I assumed you wanted me to look at everything if I’m going to help you with this.” She flipped through the contract. “I made a few changes, but I think it’s sound. I want to talk to the lawyer about a couple of things. I think the royalty fee is a little high.”
He winced. “It’s Sean’s company and his brand. He and Ian are helping me start up. The fee isn’t outside the norm.”
“I know that, but I’m trying to look out for your best interests. And it’s on the high end of normal. It also ties you up for the next five years.”
Did she think he hadn’t read the contract? “I’m cool with it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“No. You won’t be for five years,” she pointed out needlessly. “According to this you can’t open another restaurant for five years. As far as I can tell, you can’t even work in another restaurant for five years.”
“I’ll be working at my own, Deena.” He wasn’t sure what the problem was and he didn’t like the tone of her voice.
“What happens if it doesn’t work out in Fort Worth?” She leaned forward, pointing to the contract. “Anything can happen. We should know that. We got hit by a tornado last year. What if that happens at your location? What if the city comes in and uses eminent domain to push you out of your location? Any of a number of things can happen. There’s no language excluding failure in this contract. If Sean wanted to hold you to the noncompete clause, you wouldn’t be able to work in the industry even if your place of business fails. You would be forced to move to another city and start all over again.”
He sighed. She was being cynical. “That wasn’t the intent of the language.”
“The intent means nothing in a court of law,” she pointed out. “This contract binds you even if something happens to Sean and someone else takes over.”
The whole conversation was making him antsy. This wasn’t what he’d meant for her to do when he’d asked her to look at his business plan. He hadn’t meant for her to go through the contract. He simply wanted to open a damn restaurant. He wasn’t going to make a federal case out of it.
She sat up straighter, obviously warming to her subject. “I also don’t like that there’s no written agreement that forces Sean to support the restaurant with personal appearances. He’s about to be on TV. Food Network is doing a special on new chefs and Sean Taggart is going to be featured. Chef is smart, funny, and quite frankly the man is gorgeous. He’s going to be very popular on that show. Six months from now, it’s not only the Top brand that will be worth money. It’s going to be Chef Taggart, and if he’s making money off your hard work, he can support it with guaranteed appearances. It would also be nice if we could get you featured on the show. You’ve got a great backstory. We can use that with the press.”
This was the part of the job he hated. He wanted to cook. That was all he wanted to do, but he could see the point. Still, it didn’t seem right to ask the man to do more than what he’d already done. “I think Top Fort Worth can stand on its own and I don’t even want to talk about the press. That will work itself out.”
She shook her head. “It won’t. I want to talk to you about bringing in a publicist. Not full time at first. I have a couple of names of people I want to interview. If we can get some solid write-ups about the way Top works, I think we can draw great crowds. I expect that you’re going to continue hiring veterans like Sean has.”
“Of course.” It was part of their business model. They brought in vets who struggled to find work and if they showed promise, trained them to cook or to manage. But that had nothing to do with publicity. “I’m not hiring a publicist. We don’t need one.”
She continued talking like he hadn’t said a word. “I also want to talk about community outreach. Fort Worth has some great events I think we should be involved in. Main Street Arts Festival, there’s a yearly restaurant night at the zoo.”
He held up a hand. “Stop. This is too much for me.”
“I know it’s a lot, but it’s okay because I’m handling it for you. I’m going to talk to Chef about my plan. I think he’s going to see the value.”
“Deena, did you hear a word I said?”
“I did and I think you’re wrong. What I’m proposing is best for you, and in the end it’s best for Sean. He’s taking a cut of your profits. He should want that cut to be as high as possible.”
“Or he could expect me to work my ass off and do it on my own,” he argued. She might have been the one to go to class, but it was his butt on the line.
“Then why call it Top at all? Why not open your own place?”
“Because I don’t have the money to open my own place.” He forced himself to stop because he’d barked those words at her. She was calling him out on a bunch of stuff he didn’t want to hear. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to do.”
&n
bsp; “Yes, I do. You’re devaluing yourself,” she shot back.
Eric took a deep breath, measuring his words. “I’m not. I’m taking a very good offer and running with it. That’s all I’m doing. You’re trying to make things complicated because you just graduated and that’s what you’ve been taught to do.”
“No, I’ve been taught how to run a business. I’ve been taught how to read a contract and how to negotiate. You’re the one who asked me to look into this.” Confusion settled over her features.
“I wanted you to check my business plan. To run my numbers not question my business decisions. I didn’t ask you to do that at all,” he corrected. “I certainly didn’t ask you to come in here and try to convince me that the best deal I’ve gotten in my life is really a way for a man I trust to screw me over.”
Her face flushed. “I wasn’t trying to say you were getting screwed, Eric. Look, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s hard to ask for the things we deserve.”
He felt his fists clench, frustration rising. This wasn’t the conversation he’d intended to have with her this afternoon. “You have no idea where I’m coming from and I do deserve this restaurant.”
“You’re willfully misunderstanding me.”
He pushed back from the table, unable to remain sitting. “And you’re accusing a man I respect of trying to fuck me over.”
“He’s not trying to screw you,” Deena replied. “He’s only looking to make the best deal he can for himself and Top. This is the business world, Eric. It’s not the Navy. You don’t have to take what you’re given. You can demand more.”
“Or I can be grateful for what I’ve been given.” How did he get her to understand that not everything had to be a fight?
“You haven’t been given anything. You earned it.”
It was obvious that she was never going to understand. “I am not having this discussion with you. You said you wanted to keep our business and personal lives separate. If you’re going to behave like this, maybe we should.”
