by Cee Bowerman
“I do, actually. My Mom ran a daycare until she died. And, of course, I helped there when I wasn’t in school.” I smiled at the memory. “There are a lot of kids in this town that had their diapers changed by me. How old are your niece and nephew?”
“They’re not born yet.” Finn said softly as we pulled into the dealership. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded, once again noticing the sadness in his eyes. “Later.”
“Let’s get you into a new truck! Our colors are green, yellow, black and white, so if you can pick one of those it would be great.”
“Can I get a black one?” I asked him. “If I was buying it for myself I’d get burnt orange.”
“Why?” He asked me as he glanced my way. “Your favorite color?”
“No. My college. University of Texas.”
“Really? My Mom and Dad met when they were both students there, and my brothers and I have all attended school there ourselves. It’s a family tradition now.”
“Hmmm. I got my Business Management Certificate there.”
“You did?”
“The information was on my resume.”
“Oh. I got sidetracked and didn’t even get to really look at it.”
“That’s why you need me then, right?”
Finn laughed as he slid out of the truck. When he saw my hand going for the passenger door, he said, “I’ll get your door.”
I watched him walk around the truck and open my door. His gentlemanly ways reminded me so much of my Father that it caused my heart to squeeze in pain. My Dad never let my Mom, or me open our own doors, and I thought it was rare to find a man that did that now. Julian had never once opened a door for me, instead he was usually impatiently waiting in the driver’s seat for me to get in so he could get on the way. Asshole. One of the many things that I saw looking back that had never even crossed my mind while we were together.
As Finn helped me out of the truck, he seemed to notice what I was wearing. His eyes went from my heeled boots up to my chest slowly before he finally looked me in the eyes. I felt a little rush when I noticed that he had to swallow twice before he could speak.
“I forgot to tell you, there’s really not a dress code in the office, and if you go to a job site, you’ll have to wear steel toe boots and a hard hat. We can head out and get those for you this afternoon, and I’ll show you around a few of our work sites if you want.”
“That sounds great. I’ll just keep the boots in my truck if you don’t mind.” I realized that my hand was still in his, and I gently pulled it away as I stared into his eyes. “Thanks.”
He shook his head and stepped a few feet back from me, never losing eye contact. He took a deep breath, and I noticed that his face was flushed now. I realized mine probably was too. I had been so close to him that I could smell his laundry detergent, and the clean scent of his skin. His warm hand in mine had sent a shiver down my spine, and I had to tamp down the urge to get close to him again.
Down girl! I thought to myself. It’s been a while, but you can control yourself around your new boss, dammit. My pep talk didn’t seem to be working, so I looked away from Finn’s gaze and stared at the lines of trucks around the lot.
“What’s are we looking for here?”
“New. Bells and whistles. Tow package. Four-wheel drive. Four door truck. And, like I said, green, black or white.”
I let out a whistle and I shivered. “Do you have any idea what the sound of all that does to a Texas girl?”
Finn smiled down at me and then surprisingly, reached to take my hand. “Come on, let’s go shopping.”
✽✽✽
FINN
And now I’m holding hands with my new employee. Fuck. What happened to the pep talk I gave myself not an hour ago about control? Out the window, apparently. I looked at her from the front and all the blood went from my brain to my dick. And now, I was holding her fucking hand.
Although, she didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
“I’m holding your hand.” I said quietly.
“I noticed that.” Lena smiled up at me but squeezed my hand as she did. “Is there a reason you want to hold my hand?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to hold a woman’s hand before. It just seemed like the thing to do.”
“Hmmm. Well, it doesn’t bother me. It’s a little weird, but I kind of like it.”
“Why is it weird?”
“We met just a few hours ago, and you’re my boss. But none of that seems important. It’s like this is right, it worked out perfectly.” Lena shook her head. “And now I’m holding your fucking hand.”
“I gave myself a pep talk in the truck earlier about how I can’t ask you on a date because you’re my employee.”
“Did it work?”
“Not really.” I squeezed her hand and looked down at where we were joined. “Do you have plans for dinner?”
Lena threw her head back and laughed. I was mesmerized by her throat, wondering if I could put my hand there and feel her pulse while I fucked her slowly. I shook my head and willed my dick to go back down to a manageable level, rather than trying to push its way past the zipper of my jeans.
“So, is that a yes or a no?”
“Where are you going to take me?”
“You like steak?”
“Of course.”
“How about that new Roadhouse place over by the mall?”
“That sounds good. Is this going to be a date?”
“It’s not a good idea, is it?”
“It depends. Can you and I keep work separate from the dating part? Can the two of us be grown up enough so that if things don’t work out between us, we can still work together every day?”
“I can do that.”
“So can I.” Lena stopped walking and pulled my hand to get me to turn in front of her. She held up her free hand with her pinkie out up in the air. “Promise?”
I leaned down and licked the end of her pinkie finger and then smiled softly at her. “Promise.”
She laughed quietly and shook her head. “There are men over there staring at us, and I’m pretty sure they’re from your gene pool.”
I turned my head slowly to the side to see Royal and Ronan, my younger twin brothers, standing a few spaces down watching Lena and I as we made our promise. I smiled up at the two of them, but they had identical looks of confusion on their faces.
“That’s Royal and Ronan. They’re twins.”
“Really?” Lena looked up at me with theatrical confusion. “I couldn’t tell.”
Royal and Ronan both laughed, and I shook my head and laughed right along with them.
“This is Royal.” I pointed to the one with the shorter beard. I then pointed to his identical twin whose beard was longer and came down to a point between his pecs. “This is Ronan.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lena.” Lena let my hand go so she could stick hers out to shake both of my brother’s hands. “I’m your new office manager.”
“Do I get to hold your hand next?” Royal asked, his smile devious.
“Back off.” I growled at him, and both Royal and Ronan smiled brightly and nodded their heads.
I felt Lena’s hand touch mine, and when I turned my palm around, she fit her hand into it. I smiled at my brother’s and saw that they were looking at our hands clasped together. Both twins nodded slowly, in unison as always.
“I’ve never driven a brand-new truck before. I’m a little excited and a lot nervous.” Lena smiled up at me, and then looked over at my brothers. Then she pointed past me to a line of trucks. “I’d like that one, if it’s possible.”
Ronan whistled through his teeth, and Royal nodded his head and said, “Good taste. Shiny black and sleek. Let’s go look at it.”
“If one of you would rather have that color, I’ll choose something else.” Lena offered.
“We can all three get that color as far as I’m concerned.” Ronan answered her. “I don’t mind i
f you two don’t. We’ll just set up the sticker placement a little differently on each so it’s easy to tell at a distance which one belongs to who.”
“Your trucks don’t have numbers?”
“No. They never have. Why?”
“It’s good practice to number each company truck, so that if there is more than one with the same make and model it won’t be confusing to track maintenance, gas charges and such on them. Also, your phone number is on there, so if someone is driving like an asshole, Sally Soccer Mom can call in and give a truck number to complain about it.”
My brothers and I stared at her in shock.
“Well, then. I guess we need to get some numbers put on.” Royal agreed with Lena’s idea. “We need a competition. Every time someone gets a call in about shitty driving, they owe everyone else a six pack each.”
“How about every time someone gets a call in about shitty driving, they have to donate one hundred dollars to a pool, and at the end of the year we’ll take all the money and buy some gifts for the children’s home?” Lena suggested.
Once again, we stared at her for a second before we all agreed.
“Damn, girl. You’re brains and beauty all in one package. Got any sisters?” Ronan asked her with a smile.
“Only child, sadly. My parents got perfection on the first try, so they didn’t need to have any more kids.”
Ronan and Royal laughed but I just shook my head. “I’m the oldest Conner. That’s why they think that’s so funny. My parents were simply good Catholics, they didn’t get to stop after the perfection that is me.”
“Well, three isn’t too bad, I guess.”
“There are nine of us.” Royal swallowed hard and looked down at his feet. “There were nine of us.”
Just then the sales guy we were waiting on walked up, and we all greeted him, and I introduced him to Lena.
“You’re the new office manager? Those are big shoes to fill. All of you boys doing okay?” Jeff, the car salesman, asked as he shook Lena’s hand. “Do you guys want to look at this beauty?”
Royal and Ronan talked to him about trading in both of their vehicles to knock down the price of their new choices. While they talked, I pulled Lena over to get into the truck with me. I opened the driver’s side door and helped her up into it, marveling again at her perfect ass as she climbed inside.
I went around to the passenger seat and hopped in.
“This is beautiful.” Lena was looking at all the bells and whistles and ran her hands over the smooth dashboard. “Oh, I want to live in this.”
“Sometimes I feel like I live in mine, that’s for damn sure.” I grumbled. “It’s almost time for me to get a new one.”
“I can’t believe I get a company truck. That is so awesome!”
“I’m glad it makes you happy. Does this mean that you’re going to be driving us on our date tonight?”
“Can I?”
I laughed at her excitement. “Yes sweetheart, you can drive us around tonight.”
She clapped her hands and bounced in her seat with excitement. “Oh, I love this truck so much. Good Lord, it’s awesome.”
“You’re going to look even sexier driving this truck. If that’s even possible.”
Lena smiled over at me and reached out for my hand before she asked, “Whose place am I taking at the company? Whose shoes am I trying to fill?”
“Our Mom’s place. She always managed the office for my Dad and his brothers since they started the company before any of us were born. There’s even a room there that still has a couple of cribs in it from when she took us to work with her until we were all old enough for school. She never got rid of them. She always said they were waiting on grandbabies, and then she’d stare us in the eyes like she was telling us to get on that task immediately.”
“When did she pass away?”
“Two months ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Finn. I lost my Dad just last year; I know how much it hurts.” Tears filled Lena’s eyes at the mention of her father. “We lost my Mom when I was thirteen.”
I nodded my head. She really did understand what I was feeling, and her pain was almost as fresh as ours.
“I’ll do a good job for you guys, and I understand that you miss her. If I do something wrong, or in a way she wouldn’t like, just tell me. I can be pushy.”
“She was pushy. Ran the company for years with a baby at her breast and another one on her hip. Tough as nails.”
“Sounds like it. Is she where your red hair came from?”
“We got that from our Daddy. She gave some of us her blue eyes though.”
“It’s good that you can see both of them in you then.” Lena squeezed my hand. “Thank you for this, Finn. I won’t let you down.”
“Thanks for understanding that we’ll have to make a lot of adjustments to having you run the office. I’ll try to make sure it goes as smooth as possible, but there might be some rough patches.”
“Hey, my truck has four-wheel drive, I can go anywhere in this baby, rough patches included!”
3.
“Do you supply the whip and the chair?”
Lena to Finn
LENA
“Shirley, I got the job and he had me start today!” I yelled into the cab of my truck, and soon I heard Shirley’s loud sounds of happiness coming through the speakers. “I need to hire two assistants, so I want you to have Lily put a resume together. Those classes she’s been taking, and her experience with the apartments is going to come in handy. I’ll get her information to the brothers as soon as you get it to me and see about getting her a job.”
Once again, Shirley started screaming, and I used the buttons on my steering wheel to turn the volume down just a bit.
“They hired you on the spot?” Shirley asked me once she had calmed down. I gave her the details of my morning, and she put in her two cents occasionally, until finally I pulled up in front of the office at the construction company.
“Girl, I’ve got to go. Have Lily email that to me, and I’ll print it out here. I’m not sure what the hours will need to be, but I’m sure I can make it work around her classes.”
“Thank you so much, Lena. You’re a gem. I’m so excited for you!”
“Love you, lady! I’ve got more to tell you, but I’ll call later, okay?”
“I’ll hire your replacement today then.”
“Yes! Do that! No more Creepy Ronnie for me!”
“Girl, really. That man is so weird.”
“Don’t I know it. Talk to you later.” I reached out and pushed the button to disconnect the call and then sat in silence as I looked around my new truck.
The passenger door opened, and Finn got inside. “You know where Benson’s is?”
“I do.”
“We’re meeting the rest of my brothers there for lunch. I assume you want to drive?” I smiled brightly at him as I nodded my head. “Alright sweetheart, let’s go.”
The drive over to Benson’s didn’t take too long, and Finn and I chatted about office things during the ride there. When we drove up and parked along the curb, I looked over at Finn and he exaggeratedly wiped his brow and let out a breath.
“My driving is not bad, mister.”
“It’s really not. I’m just giving you shit.” Finn reached over and squeezed my hand. “Come on and meet the rest of the crew. And they’re all going to give you shit for something or the other, be warned.”
“I can take it, but am I allowed to dish it out too?”
“Most definitely.”
Once again, Finn reached out and took my hand as we walked. He reached out and held the door open for me to walk in, never letting my hand go in the process. I looked around the restaurant and knew instantly who we were here to meet. There was an entire table full of men with hair just like Finn’s, one of them with a short beard like Royal’s, and two with beards almost as long and thick as Ronan’s. Only one brother had a smoothly shaved face like Finn.
“I take it that
the table of gingers is where we’re headed?”
“I’m not ginger, woman.”
“Oh, yes you are. Dark red is still red, mister.” I studied the men as we walked toward them. “Is that another set of twins?”
“That set is Mace and Angus. They’re identical, obviously. The other set is Tavin and Chess, they’re also identical, but easier to tell apart. They are the youngest two, over on the end.”
“Your parents raised three sets of twins?”
“Twins run in our family. Our Mom was a twin and so was our Dad.”
“Holy shit. The women better double up on their birth control with all of you guys. Good Lord.”
“You don’t want kids?” Finn asked me quietly as he stopped in the middle of the restaurant.
“I do. And more than a few kids, to be quite honest. I was alone growing up, and now that both of my parents are gone, I have nobody. They were both only children too. So, I have no cousins or siblings. I’m the last one of the Sullivan line.” I squeezed his hand. “I wouldn’t mind twins, but the thought of having three sets of them? That terrifies me.”
“That’s good to know.” Finn smiled at me and moved his hand so that our fingers were intertwined. “Now, let’s go introduce you to the horde.”
Finn stopped at the end of the table, and I was surprised to see that every one of the Conner brothers stood as I approached their table. Finn introduced me to each one, and I tried to find something that stood out on each brother, so that I could remember their names.
I already knew Royal and Ronan, so Finn bypassed them and went to the next brother at the table.
“This is Mace. He and Angus are both twenty-six.” I looked first at Mace and noticed that he had the same dark red hair as his brothers, and the same long beard as Ronan. His eyes were brown, and he had laugh lines on the outside of both of his eyes. Angus looked harder, more intense than his twin. He had some lines around his eyes, but I would bet that they were from squinting in the sun, rather than laughing. I noticed that in his long beard, he had one single black bead tied close to the end of a lock of hair. That would make it easy to tell the twins apart if he didn’t take that little bead out.
