by Lexi Blake
“Behave like what? Like I have an opinion?” She stood up, picking up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. “I will make certain not to give you an opinion again. I have to wonder if you didn’t want my business advice, why did you want me as an advisor?”
“Like I said before, I wanted you to look at my plan.”
She stared him straight in the eye, her gaze holding his. “Your plan is flawed because your contract is flawed. You’ll fail or you’ll end up being mediocre because you don’t believe in yourself or you would walk in and ask Sean for the things you need to make the restaurant great.”
That was a kick in the gut. “I’m going to fail now? Because I don’t listen to you?”
She stepped back, turning toward the door. “Like I said, maybe you won’t fail, but you’re definitely not stepping up for yourself. I learned the hard way that I have to watch out for my best interests. I have to believe in myself and value myself because no one else will. You didn’t want a business partner, Eric. You want someone to do the work you aren’t interested in. You want someone to keep the books and tell you how fabulous you’re doing.”
“Well, it’s obvious to me you don’t think much of me at all,” he replied, bitterness in his gut.
She shook her head. “You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said. Or maybe you have and you simply don’t value it. I’m glad I found out before I did something stupid. I have to go get ready for my shift.”
“That’s a good idea. All we’re going to do right now is argue.”
Without another look back, she stepped inside. The door closed behind her.
She was wrong about him. He did want a partner, but he certainly didn’t want one who questioned the motivations of everyone in his life.
“Wow, that went like shit, man,” a deep voice said. Sean stepped out. “Sorry, I park back here. I wasn’t trying to listen in, but damn, you two got loud at the end.”
Fuck and double fuck. “I wish you hadn’t heard that. She doesn’t mean what she says. She’s trying to prove herself. You know how it is. College students think they know everything even when they’re heading into their thirties.”
“I think she meant it.” Sean had his white jacket thrown over his shoulder. He put a hand in his pocket and pulled his cell phone out. “And don’t discount the Ivory Tower faction. Sometimes they pay more attention to details than the rest of us do.” He pushed a button and put the phone to his ear. “Mitch, you motherfucker. Are fucking kidding me? You put him in a noncompete clause for five years? Have you lost your damn brain?” There was a pause. “I told you what I wanted. Two years and we reevaluate.” There was another pause and then Sean cursed. “I don’t care about starting places. We’re not negotiating this. Keep your wiggle room to yourself. Redo the clause before you get here. I don’t care if you’re on your way. Have Laurel fax a new one.” He hung up the phone. “Damn lawyers. Mitch Bradford is a personal friend, but I swear to god I wouldn’t want to be the one on the opposite side of the table from him. I’m fairly certain he learned bargaining from Satan himself.”
“The contract is fine.” He’d read it. He wasn’t absolutely certain what was normal in this case, but he wasn’t about to argue with…
He’d been about to think of Sean as his CO.
Sean frowned at him. “It’s not fine and Deena was absolutely right. This should be a negotiation. I’ve been lazy about letting Mitch handle it up to this point because I’ve had a lot going on, and quite frankly after what happened with…well, it’s been easier to focus on cooking and being with my family. I’m sorry. I’ll take a look at the contract again. Mitch always goes after the best deal for his client even if it means screwing someone else. Tell me you took his advice and you’ve got your own lawyer coming in this afternoon.”
At least he could be honest about that. He glanced over to the door that Deena had disappeared through and wondered what she was doing. Likely cursing his name. “Yeah, though I haven’t actually met with her. I was supposed to the other day, but we had the problem with the menu and I ended up changing our scallop dish to halibut. It’s going to be fine. I’m sitting down to talk with her in a few minutes and I’ll sign the contract after that.”
Was he doing exactly what Deena accused him of? Was he treating this like he was still in the military and his CO was giving him a promotion? In the Navy, one didn’t negotiate promotions. One earned it and hoped his CO noticed.
This wasn’t the military.
“Or you’ll sit down and tell me what you need to make the contract work,” Sean said, his voice soft. “Do you think I haven’t been where you are? That I don’t know how hard this is on you? You went into the Navy as a kid, right?”
Now he was seeing how easy it was to stay in that mentality. Sean wasn’t his CO. Sean was about to be his business partner, and that meant Eric had to be a good one. “Yeah. Straight out of high school. Before that I worked at my dad’s sporting goods store during summers. All I’ve known is the Navy and kitchens since then. I guess the business stuff freaks me out a little.”
“Then it’s very good that your girl has a business head on her shoulders. She’s spot on. I don’t like to think about the Food Network show. It seems a little douchey to me.”
“Then why do it?”
“Grace,” Sean admitted. “She told me if I didn’t take this opportunity I would regret it for the rest of my life. It’s a chance to grow this business, to build something for our daughter, for our friends. I don’t want to be a TV chef, but if I can talk about what happens when vets leave the military, about how hard it is to find yourself after years of service, maybe I should. And I owe everything to my girls. They deserve the best life I can give them. So I’ll go on TV. You need to figure out what you want and do it quickly, brother.”
“I want to open Top Fort Worth.”
“I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about with Deena. Do you want a sub or a queen? Don’t think I’m saying one is better than the other. They’re simply different, and every man has to decide what he needs in his life. Every Dom I know has been forced to ask himself the question and there’s no right answer. If you’ll be happy with a woman who is submissive to you in every way and you have her best interests at heart, then you should go for it. I don’t think Deena’s that girl. Do you know why I want Grace to submit to me in the club and the bedroom?”
Eric knew the answer to that question. He’d been around Grace Taggart long enough that the answer came easily. “She won’t do it anywhere else.”
“Exactly. Grace is my queen and we run this business, our family, and our lives together. I don’t get anywhere close to this place without that woman by my side. Deena could be a queen, but you have to stuff your pride down long enough to listen to her, really listen to her, and let her lead when you can’t. It’s hard to admit that we don’t know it all.”
“Nope, I know nothing about this,” he said quickly. His gut knotted at the thought of what he’d done to her. “I wanted it to be easy. I didn’t want to fuck a good thing up and so I wasn’t listening to her. I was listening to my fear, and we all know where that can get us.”
Sean put a hand on his shoulder. “Go talk to her. Grovel a little, maybe.”
He could do that. Pride was important, but Deena meant more. “Thanks, and I’ll talk to the lawyer. We might need to iron a few things out.”
Sean opened the door to the kitchen. “I might need to talk to Deena about some of the things she was advising you on. Hell, maybe I’ll hire her.”
“Not on your life, Chef. That’s my queen.” And he was keeping her.
Sean smiled as Eric strode through the door. “We’re at Code Red, gentlemen.”
“Thank god.” Big Tag was leaning against the counter, his arms crossed over his massive chest. “I thought it was all going to be boring lawyer stuff.”
“Shit,” Javi said. “I knew something was wrong when Deena ran through here. What did you do?”
Eric winced. It was so great to have a damn audience. Code Red was Chef’s sarcastic way to let everyone know there was relationship drama happening. “I’ll fix it.”
He had to. He jogged through the door and prayed she hadn’t left.
* * * *
Deena pushed through the locker room in a haze of tears.
Asshole. Jerk. He was exactly like every other man in her damn life. Useless and uncaring and now she’d wrecked her whole life again and over a man. It was inconceivable. What the hell had she been thinking?
“Whoa, that is a serious face.” Charlotte Taggart was sitting on the sofa, a tablet in her hands. “Sorry, the girls are with Alex and Eve for a few hours. I came with Ian to sign the paperwork for your boyfriend’s restaurant. I want to make sure Mitch doesn’t try to screw Eric. Don’t take it personally. Mitch tries to screw everyone. It’s part of what makes him an awesome lawyer. I was just catching up on some reading. I can leave if you need me to.”
Deena was fairly certain Charlotte Taggart didn’t get a ton of alone time, much less reading time. She had twins and a job and was active in club life.
So she would suck it up and get through dinner shift and then try to figure out what the hell she was going to do with the rest of her stupid life. “No problem. Read away. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute or two.”
Charlotte set down the tablet. “I think we’re going to the same place. Is it wrong to drink during negotiations? Because the bartender here makes a mean martini and I usually find these things hella boring. It was easier in the mob. Don’t like the terms of a contract? Shoot ’em between the eyes and take over their territory. Bloodier, but easier and with a lot less arguing and ten-dollar words.”
Charlotte had a colorful background. “Don’t worry about it. I happen to know that there will be no negotiations. Eric is planning on bending over and taking it any way he can get it. And I won’t be there to watch. I’ve got menus to print and my replacement to train.”
And no job since she’d called the firm earlier today and explained she’d changed her mind and was going a different direction. She’d intended to tell Eric that she was accepting his crappy, nearly no upfront pay offer because she was dumb and in love and believed in him.
What the hell had she been thinking?
“Whoa, what’s going on? Is there trouble in paradise?” Charlotte asked.
The door to the locker room swung open and Tiffany raced in. “I heard there was a Code Red. Who is it? I asked Sebastian but he said he wouldn’t lower himself to discuss gossip. Seriously? What is wrong with that man? Is it Jenni? Because I met her new guy and he had one of those weird pencil beards that takes dudes like four hours to perfect. He’s got to be a douche. Oh, hello, Mrs. Taggart.”
“Charlotte, please,” the redhead said. “And I’m fairly certain it isn’t douche beard. I think perfect Eric might have fucked up.”
Tiffany’s jaw dropped. “No.”
This was why she didn’t get super close to people. Because it was embarrassing. It was humiliating.
Why? She stopped in the middle of buttoning up her shirt. “Why am I embarrassed?”
“I have no idea, but I’m looking forward to finding out,” Charlotte replied. “I’ve already read that book a couple of times. This is better.”
Deena’s first instinct was to push them all away and hide the pain, but why should she? She wasn’t the one at fault here. “He’s being a massive ass.”
“Eric the Gallant?” Tiffany shook her head. “Don’t tell him I called him that, but he reminds me of a knight sometimes. What did he do?”
“I tried to give him very good business advice and he basically told me to shut up. He used more polite words, but he said I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“Rude. Does he have a degree in business?” Tiffany asked. “No. You wouldn’t tell him how to cook.”
“It’s worse.” It felt good to talk about it. “You know that job I took? The dream job with the nice salary, benefits, and paid health insurance? Yeah, I quit that to become Eric’s business manager because I am that stupid.”
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Honey, this is not like it was before. You can talk to Eric. And we can call the company back. Maybe the job is still open.”
Deena took a deep breath. “No, it won’t be. Hell, I wouldn’t take me back, either. I’m going to take a few days and reassess my situation. I might talk to Chef. I have some ideas about restaurant publicity. Maybe I can consult with him.”
“Or you can come in and talk about rehabbing McKay-Taggart’s image. We’ve run into some trouble after Ian got pissed at a rival firm and sent the managing director a big box of glitter dildos,” Charlotte said. “He rigged it so they blew up and went all over the dude’s office. We’re getting sued for glitter injuries, and one of the flying dicks might have poked an eye. In Ian’s defense, that asshole screwed up two of our operations in Africa and ended up getting Liam briefly kidnapped by a rebel army. He’s totally fine. Li bought them all whiskey and escaped after they’d partied too hard, but Ian felt like a little revenge. Guy can’t take a joke. I mean that literally. His name really is Guy.”
“Yeah, I will look into that for you.” It appeared she needed to find a good publicist for all of the people around her.
Charlotte stood up. “Don’t give up on Eric so easily. He’s scared, Deena. When guys get scared they turn into massive tools. Women, we tend to grab a bottle of wine and talk it over with our friends, but guys get difficult.”
“Well, he can be difficult all he wants. I won’t try to help him again. He made himself very plain.” She was going to be calm. Hey, at least they weren’t living together like she’d been planning on suggesting. She hadn’t fully tied her life to a man who didn’t really want her. That was a plus. She could save her dignity and be pleasant with him and he didn’t ever have to know what she’d almost done.
She worked the buttons of her shirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles.
“You made yourself plain,” Tiffany said quietly. “It didn’t stop him.”
Deena turned. Both Tiffany and Charlotte were watching her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Tiffany took a few seconds but seemed to come to some conclusion. “It means you’re a pain in the ass and he still wanted you.”
She could handle the pain in the ass part. Tiff was right about that. To say she’d been difficult at the beginning of their relationship was an understatement. “I accept that but he doesn’t want me now. I think he’s one of those guys who likes the chase. Now that he’s got me, he doesn’t want the same thing from me and I can’t be the girl he seems to need.”
“Whoa, that is some nice deflection there, Holmes.” Charlotte clapped her hands together. “You’re good at this.”
Maybe she wouldn’t be working for McKay-Taggart. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
Charlotte nodded. “No one ever does. It’s a real mistake because I’m super good at this. Kai and Eve might be the ones with the fancy degrees, but I’m the one who deflected for years and you can’t even come close to me, little girl.”
“What the hell am I supposed to be deflecting?”
“Oh, I think you’re good at deflecting everything. Emotions. Friendships. Definitely relationships.”
“I was trying to have a relationship with Eric.”
“And the minute Mr. Perfect wasn’t so perfect, you ended it,” Charlotte pointed out. “I would bet he doesn’t even know you’re ending it. He’s probably out there waiting for you to walk out so he can talk to you because he feels bad. What’s your plan when he walks up to you and puts his arms around you?”
She’d already thought of it. She’d seen it play through in her mind. He would feel bad, but she knew the real Eric now and she wouldn’t buy it. When he tried to touch her, she would walk away, tell him she wasn’t ready and then she would stop answering his calls, stop seeing him, move on.
Like she’d always done. Walk awa
y because it was easier than working things out.
Charlotte didn’t wait for her to answer. “You plan on shutting him out, but that’s a mistake. Once you start down that road, there’s not a lot of going back. Not for someone like you. Tell me something. How long would it have been before you stopped answering Tiffany’s calls? Your friends from the club’s?”
Charlotte was getting to her. She didn’t like the antsy feeling in her gut. How many times had she walked away? How many times had she watched her mom do it?
“I don’t know. It’s…I’ve never had friends like this before and sometimes I don’t know how to trust any of this.” She felt tears welling. “My mom and I moved a lot. We did it because we would run out of money or she would need a fresh start. I was always the new kid until I met Eddie. I felt like the new kid here until I got together with Eric.”
“They’re not the same,” Tiffany insisted. “Not even close. I think Charlotte is right. Eric is being an ass because he’s scared about this deal. He wants it badly and he’s afraid to do anything to mess it up. Neither one of you is trusting the people around you to have your backs. I’m your friend, D. I’m going to be your friend whether you ever call me again because I decided a long time ago that’s who I am. This is your moment. Who are you? Are you the woman who lets a guy like Eric go because he’s a dumbass? Or are you woman enough to fight back?”
There was a knock on the door and then she heard Eric’s voice.
“Hey, Deena, sweetheart, can I come in?”
She went to the door and threw the bolt. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Tiffany sighed. “This is a mistake, D. He’s not your ex-husband.”
“I know that,” she admitted. She still needed the safety of that door between them because she wasn’t sure of what to do. If Eric walked in here, would she dissolve into a puddle of submissive goo at his feet? “At least I know it in my head. My heart is a little slower. I need a minute because I’m mad at him right now.”
There was another knock followed by a male voice. “Yo, Charlie, Mitch and the other lawyer are here. Let’s get this thing done and we might still be able to make out in Sean’s office before we have to pick up the girls.”
