“I wasn’t going to say anything to Rhonda about this. She’s got enough on her mind without worrying about me.”
“Maura,” Toby said, sitting down beside her on the bed. “If Antoine knows, Rhonda knows. I’m sorry. We’re all so sorry about what happened to you.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. I should have known Frank was a letch.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” Toby said heatedly, no room for argument. “Frank’s the worst kind of asshole.”
She glanced over to the doorway to see Max standing in the middle of it.
“I won’t let anything like that happen again.”
“You’re right about that. You won’t,” Max said, walking to the dresser where he picked up the tray.
Toby helped her under the covers and grabbed the T-shirt he had left on the chair. “Put this on, Maura. We’ll turn away.”
“I don’t think there’s much of me left that you haven’t already seen.”
“Strictly from the doctor and his assistant perspective,” Toby said.
“Oh, so now you think you’re doctors?” She pulled the T-shirt down over her breasts and then pulled the towel from underneath it and tossed it toward the end of the bed.
“I am a doctor, Maura,” Max said, setting the tray down on her lap. Her mouth watered. The scrambled eggs, toast, juice, and coffee reminded her that it had been too long since she had eaten.
“Actually, he’s a surgeon, and a damn fine one. You got yourself some very expensive stitches.” Toby kissed the top of her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His lips were soft. Inadvertently she lifted her face upward, thinking how nice it would be to feel his lips on hers.
“You should eat something, Maura.” Max’s voice cut into her thoughts, bringing with it a blush of embarrassment.
Looking away from Toby, she reminded herself thoughts like that would not help her cause. However, Toby’s reference to Max being a surgeon had finally registered, and now she more than confused than ever. “You don’t mean you’re a real doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you at the Wolf’s Den if you’re a doctor, and why didn’t you say anything before?”
“Let’s just say I needed a break, and the Wolf’s Den provided that break. And,” he continued in answer to her question, “my being a doctor has nothing to do with the Den, and that’s the way I like it.”
“The Wolf’s Den must be just temporary.” Being a doctor wasn’t a job, it was a career, and you didn’t just stop being one unless you lost your license and Toby hadn’t referred to it in the past tense. She wondered what other surprises he had in store for her.
“I’ve been thinking about selling the Den and going back to medicine. I’ve had a few offers worth considering.”
“What about you, Toby? Are you…”
“Medicine was never my thing. This was just part-time for me anyway. I’m an artist.”
“So neither of you really see the Den as your future.” Maura held her breath. “So what happened with Frank isn’t something you’re going to hold against me.” She knew there was no logic in her statement, but if Max were leaving, maybe she had a better chance of staying.
“I’m not holding it against you.” Max sighed. “But it doesn’t mean I think you should go back on the floor either.”
“You said it wasn’t my fault.”
“Toby said it wasn’t your fault.” Max said, looking down at her.
“What he means,” Toby jumped in, “is that he, I mean we, have an idea. We want you to learn to be a bartender. Before you say anything”—he held up his hand—“you’ll still make good tips, and you’ll be behind the bar where there’s some protection against assholes like Frank.”
“It’s that or nothing,” Max finished.
A bartender. She was not nearly as averse to the idea as they might think. The two of them must have been discussing this while she was asleep. She had a feeling this was Toby’s idea, not Max’s. But what did it matter? She could still make the extra money she needed, and like they said, she wouldn’t have to rub up against customers like Frank. Maybe Frank had done her a favor. She immediately thought better of it. Nothing was worth having a man like Frank molest her. She was going to prove to Max that making her a bartender wasn’t a mistake.
“When can I start?”
Max sat down in the chair next to the bed. “When you’re able to walk out of here without limping.”
“I’ve been enough of a burden to the both of you already. I need to go home.”
“If you want to continue to work for me, Maura,” Max said, “then you’ll do as you’re told.”
She knew arguing with Max would not be in her best interest. So she looked into those beautiful blue eyes that were anything but friendly with her most pleasant smile. “Yes, boss,” she said, imitating Antoine.
“I think she’s feeling better, Max.” Toby laughed.
* * * *
For the next few days, Max and Toby played nursemaid along with their dog, Bo. It was obvious they didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone for long no matter how much she balked at their fluffing her pillows or bringing her meals. They at least allowed her to go to the bathroom herself.
She hated to admit it, but she liked the attention. In fact, she more than liked it. She looked forward to their frequent visits. They taught her how to play Hearts and a few other card games they enjoyed winning. Toby lent her his laptop so she could play games and go on the Internet when they weren’t there to entertain her.
She had even succumbed to Max’s observation that she needed a sponge bath. She knew she should have said absolutely not, but his insistence had been so logical that she had bit her lip, not wanting to insult him by making him think she thought he had ulterior motives. His touch had been so gentle and caring it had taken all her willpower to control her treacherous body that wanted him to wash her completely instead of handing her the washcloth to wash between her legs. She ached for his touch. She couldn’t even look at him when she handed him back the washcloth, praying he couldn’t smell the scent of her need for him.
When he had left her, Bo had walked into the room. She had turned from the animal, wishing he would leave her alone to finish what Max had started. Her body was on fire. However, Bo had sat staring at her. Finally, when she couldn’t take it any longer, she had limped to the bathroom and shut the door. When she came out, he was waiting for her.
“Bo, I love you, but sometimes,” she said, laughing, “a girl needs to be alone.”
She knew he couldn’t understand her, but with a switch of his tail, he padded out of the room but only after she was safely back in bed. There was something a little eerie about Bo. Sometimes he acted more human than any dog she had ever known. But he was a wolf, not actually a dog, so maybe that accounted for his heightened senses.
When he was with her he was either sitting by her bed with his head resting on a body part or curled up next to her. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her petting him, which she usually did until she fell asleep. She had never realized wolves could be so affectionate.
She had also never realized how easily she could get used to being pampered. Up until now, her whole life had been spent waiting on others. However, her stitches were dissolving, and the leg felt a lot better which meant in another day or so she’d be ready to leave. She was going to miss the attention of the two brothers and their wolf.
When Rhonda stopped by later that day, it was a much-needed diversion from her wayward thoughts. Max and Toby had both already left for the Den. She was sure they had set up the visit since neither of them thought she was capable of being on her own without supervision.
“Goodness, girl. Good thing I stopped by. I’ve never seen your hair so tangled and in need of a shampoo.”
“Thanks. I was going to try to do it myself. Toby had said he’d help me, but I wasn’t sure that would be such a good idea. Besides, I don’t think he w
as serious.”
“I’d say, knowing Toby, he was more than serious. So then, you’re nothing more than a patient?”
“Rhonda!”
“Well, rumors are flying at the Den. Everyone knows what happened between you and Frank and that Max and Toby took you home with them. Don’t be surprised if some of the girls don’t welcome you back with open arms.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“There ain’t one of us, even the married ones, that haven’t wondered what it would be like to share Max and Toby’s bed. I mean they’re awful good looking and nice as hell, to boot. You can’t think for a minute that some of the girls aren’t jealous.”
“There’s nothing to be jealous of.”
“That may be, but Katie’s already let it be known that you’re going to be trained to be a bartender. Something that’s unheard of for a server. And you’re sleeping in Max’s bed.”
“They don’t know that. I mean the part about me sleeping in Max’s bed. And that’s all I’m doing.”
“Believe me, if they could see the way you look now, they’d believe it, too.” She laughed. “But they think you are, for lack of a better word, fucking the two of them.”
“Both of them?”
“Come on, Maura. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”
“That’s crazy,” she lied. “They’re just being nice to me. They feel responsible because I work for them. That’s why I got the bartender job. Max said he couldn’t put me back on the floor.”
“I get it. I really do. And I’m happy for you, hon. I just want you to be prepared for some backlash when you return to the Den, that’s all. And…”
“And what?”
“Just don’t be naïve about Max and Toby.”
Maura shook her head. “They just want to help me.”
“Help you into their bed if you ask me.”
“Rhonda, if that were the case, they’ve had plenty of opportunities, and nothing’s happened. You’re wrong.”
“I’ve seen the way they look at you, and it’s different from the way they look at any of the other girls. I’ve also seen the way you look at them when you think no one is looking. There’s a pretty strong attraction there if you ask me.”
“Well, I’m not asking you. Subject closed.”
Thankfully Rhonda had sense enough to change the subject and talked about Todd and her girls until she had to leave. Maura listened, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what Rhonda had told her. She liked Max and Toby. Okay, more than liked them if she were honest. But that didn’t change anything. Just because Toby was so eager to please her and Max had taken such good care of her was no reason to think they thought of her as anything more than an employee who they felt obligated to help. She knew she had to keep her feelings to herself and work through them without embarrassing herself.
She couldn’t deny that she had been attracted to Max from the moment she had met him, regardless of his interviewing techniques. There was something almost palpable between them even before he had bathed her. She had felt it whenever his body was close to hers, but she had never thought he could possibly feel the same way, and according to Katie, he didn’t get involved with his employees.
It had been the same with Toby. Rhonda was right. She wanted them both, but that wasn’t going to happen. They were leaving the Wolf’s Den to go back to their lives that didn’t include a girl like her. To even consider a relationship with one of them, let alone the two of them, was emotional suicide. The best thing she could do was concentrate on being a good bartender and hope that when they were no longer around she still had a job with the new owner.
After Rhonda had left, she had taken a nap. She woke to the feel of a wet tongue on her hand.
“Oh, Bo,” she sighed. “I think I’d better leave here soon, before I never want to.”
The wolf’s clear blue eyes looked into her own with an intelligence that made her think once again that he could understand her. He whined before he ran around to the other side of the bed to leap up next to her before curling into her side.
She ruffled his fur as he burrowed in closer to her. “What am I going to do without you?”
Chapter Seven
Three weeks behind the bar at the Wolf’s Den and she was making drinks like she had been doing it her whole life. Toby had been more than helpful every step of the way by showing her the art of mixology, and Max had been there whenever she had questions. She had begun to see a whole new side of him now that she wasn’t serving the customers on the floor. He was more relaxed and even fun. She enjoyed working with him, but it was Toby that had made her laugh more than she had in a very long time.
Toby had taken their bartending to a whole new level by encouraging her to put on a little show for the customers. He taught her how to throw bottles in the air and catch them behind her back as she made drinks. The customers loved it. Max had not supported their showing off, but he hadn’t told them to stop either. However, he did warn them that they would have to pay for anything they broke. So far, neither of them had broken so much as a glass.
Rhonda had been right about one thing. The girls weren’t welcoming her back with open arms. However, they valued their jobs too much to be blatantly unkind. Katie hadn’t said much, but Maura could tell the lead Bitch was anything but pleased that she had been promoted to a bartender. However, Maura had eventually won her over with her expertise, and now she was treating Maura like she was one of them instead of an unwanted member of the team.
On the other hand, Antoine had been ecstatic from the moment she had returned. He said although he loved her and all, she had been giving him premature gray hair, especially after what had with happened with Frank, who he told her had been banned from ever returning. Whenever she thought of Frank, she tried not to. She couldn’t bear to think about what he had wanted to do to her right there at his table. She still blamed herself for not seeing through him before things had turned ugly.
She knew Max still blamed himself for what happened with Frank. She had meant what she said. Nothing like that could ever happen again. There wouldn’t be a next time, but God help her if there were, not even Toby would be able to convince his brother to give her a second chance.
She tried not to think too much about Max or Toby as being anything more than what they were. To do so only encouraged the kind of daydreams she knew needed to stop. It didn’t help that she was still living under their roof. She still couldn’t believe that she was living with them. She had never thought that morning when she had finally been able to walk down to the kitchen for breakfast instead of waiting for one of them to bring it to her, that they would make her an offer she couldn’t refuse.
Although they acted surprised to see her walk into their kitchen without help, she knew they both were more than aware that she was healed and had been for a few days. She had expected them to broach the subject of her leaving, but when they hadn’t, she knew it was up to her. However, she hadn’t been prepared for Toby’s questioning about her finances.
“Why do you need money so badly, Maura?” Toby had asked when she had sat down to eat the pancakes he removed from the tray and set in front of her.
When she didn’t answer right away, Max repeated the question.
She wasn’t going to tell them about Tim at first, but after all they had done for her, she couldn’t lie to them. Although talking about Tim was always humiliating, she found she wanted Toby, but most of all Max, to understand why she had been so desperate to be hired.
“I had a boyfriend whom I thought I meant something to, but by the time I found out the truth, he had stolen more than my trust. It’s embarrassing to tell you how stupid I was where Tim was concerned, especially since I had fallen into his trap with my eyes wide open.”
“Jesus,” Toby said. “How much did he take you for?”
“A lot. He also insisted we move into the Park View. It was a much more expensive apartment. One that I can no longer afford. It’s a b
ig mess, but I’m working to get myself back on track. Being at the Den is how I’m doing it. I need to get back to work.”
“When’s your lease up?” Max asked.
“In a couple months. I’ve already been looking around for something cheaper. Luckily I don’t have a lot to move.” She tried to laugh. “The only thing he left me was the bed.”
Toby’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Would you let us help you?”
“You are helping me. You’ve nursed me back to health and given me a job as a bartender instead of firing me. I’d say you two have done more than enough. I’ll never be able to repay either of you for your kindness.”
“So that means you won’t take any money from us?” Max asked, pouring them all another cup of coffee.
“I can’t take your money. It wouldn’t be right.”
“What were you hoping to pay in rent?”
She looked at Max, who she noticed was looking at Toby. Toby smiled back at his brother.
“Well, I could go as high seven hundred dollars a month, but that would probably just get me a studio, but that’s fine with me. Between both jobs, I’m not home that much. Why?”
Toby sat back in his chair and waited for Max to speak.
“How would you feel about living here, with us? As you know, we have an extra bedroom, and the place is big enough for the three of us without bumping into one another. We’d only charge you five hundred a month as long as you didn’t mind doing some of the cleaning and cooking.”
“Five hundred dollars isn’t enough for living in a place like this. I don’t want your charity.”
“I wouldn’t say you’re in a position to worry about that. Besides, you’re only renting the bedroom, and the rest is community. I think it’s a fair price. If you’re really in the bind you say you are, I’d say you don’t have a lot of choices. And if you meant what you said about repaying us, doing some cooking and cleaning for us is one way to do it.”
“I’m not sure the staff at the Den would understand. According to Rhonda they already think the worst of me.”
Serving the Wolf's Den (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5
