by Marla Monroe
Deacon smiled. He’d been pretty damn proud of what they’d accomplished as well. He and Jethro had brainstormed hard to figure out ways to make it safer for Rissa to handle loading and unloading her merchandise.
“Here we are. Um, Rissa? Do they have valet parking here?” Jethro asked.
“Yes, sorry, I didn’t think to tell you that. They’ll take good care of your truck, Jethro. I promise.” Rissa smiled over at his friend.
“He’s not worried about the truck, Rissa. Just worried about how this is going to work getting out. I don’t want anyone helping you down but me,” Deacon said.
“I’ll wait for you, Deacon. He’ll open the door, but I’ll wait for you.” Rissa turned around and smiled at him.
It pleased him that she understood that he wanted to help her down. It was a long fucking way down for someone as short as she was even with the mega heels she wore.
Sure enough, someone opened her door and stepped in to help her, but quickly moved out of the way when Deacon stomped around to do it himself. He played the almost perfect gentleman and didn’t slide her down his hard body, but gently swung her down and held on to her until he was sure she was steady enough on her feet.
Jethro joined them on the sidewalk, and the three of them walked into the building together. Deacon followed behind Rissa as his friend approached the maître d’ to let him know their name and that they had reservations for seven fifteen.
“Your table is ready. Come right this way please.” The man didn’t seem the least bit interested in the fact that there were two men with Rissa.
Deacon started to relax a bit. The waiter took their drink order then regaled them with the specials for the night. Personally, Deacon didn’t give a rat’s ass about any specials. He’d stick with steak and go from there.
When he opened the menu, he nearly groaned out loud. It wasn’t that the prices were so exorbitant, they could afford them, it was that nothing really made sense as to what it was. He looked over at Jethro. The other man had a perplexed expression that he was sure mirrored his own.
“Um, Rissa?” he said to get her attention.
“Yes?”
“Where is the steak on here?” he asked.
“Oh. Um.” She reached over and pointed out where it was. “They have prime rib in nine ounces, ten ounces, and twelve ounces. I would think you’d want the twelve-ounce. You can get anything else you want with it as well.” She frowned. “I should have pulled up the menu online, so you would be familiar with it. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. We just aren’t used to the fancy names and such, that’s all,” Jethro said. “What are you getting?”
“Seared salmon salad,” she told him.
“Don’t you want something more than that?” Deacon asked.
“No. I love their salad here. It’s what I normally get. Besides, I ate a huge lunch today with Taylor. We ordered in,” she explained.
“If you’re sure,” Deacon said. He frowned. “You aren’t trying to diet or anything are you?”
“No. I promise.” She winked at him. “I know you like me like I am.”
“F—damn straight,” he said, stopping himself before he used the f-word.
Rissa noticed and smiled, patting his hand. It dragged a half smile from him. He liked it when she touched him like that. For nothing. She touched him just because she could.
The waiter returned, took their orders, then left them alone. Before they had a chance to get into the ins and outs of their week, a man along with who had to be his date walked over. He looked as if he’d swallowed a sour lemon by the expression on his face.
“Clarissa, I haven’t seen you around lately. Have you been ill?” the man asked.
“Hi, Brad. No. I’ve been busy. Hello, Patty. How have you been?” Rissa asked.
“Fine. So, you’re still working on that store you’re planning to open?” Patty asked.
“I’m having the grand opening on Friday. You should stop by if you have time. I’m excited it will be open in time for Black Friday.” Rissa seemed to be unaware the other woman had her nose turned up.
Deacon had to grind his teeth not to say something to the bitch. She had no right turning her nose up like that.
“Really. I wasn’t aware that you had even finished the building,” Brad said.
“It’s finished. Has been for several weeks.” She turned to indicate Jethro then Deacon. “Have you met my dates? This is Jethro and Deacon. They did all the renovations to the building for me.”
“Since when do you take out your contractors to eat?” Ben asked with a sneer.
“They’re taking me out, and they aren’t my contractors anymore. They’re my boyfriends. I’d thank you to be civil, Brad.”
“Both of them?” Patty asked with wide eyes.
“Yes. Both of them. We’re celebrating my grand opening.”
“Does your father know about this?” Brad asked. He had his hands at his sides, fists clinched.
Deacon was having to do the same to keep from decking the bastard. He now realized this had been the asshole who’d left Rissa on the side of the road with a flat tire without doing anything. He owed the man a busted nose, but it would have to wait.
“No, but I’m sure after tonight someone will tell him, won’t they, Brad.” Rissa’s voice had taken on a cool tone now.
“This is insane, Rissa. You’re not some common woman to date one, let alone two contractors. Are you trying to give your father a heart attack? What is going on with you?” Brad demanded.
“I’d thank you to keep your voice down, Brad. And don’t insult Rissa. You don’t want to get on my bad side,” Deacon warned the man.
To his credit, Brad paled and took a step back. He snapped at Patty that they needed to leave.
“Your father will hear of this, Clarissa.” Brad walked away with his chin in the air as he did.
“You should have talked to your father about this before you came out with us, Rissa,” Jethro said, frowning.
“I tried, but he’s been so busy this week that he hadn’t returned my calls when I wasn’t busy and unable to answer the phone. I guess you could say we’ve been playing phone tag. There’s nothing for it. I wasn’t about to postpone our date because he couldn’t be bothered to call me at night when we were both available.” Rissa looked down at her plate, but Deacon saw that her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
He reached across and snagged her hand. “I hope you know how hard it was for me to keep from knocking Brad the bastard’s face in. I really, really wanted to pop the asshole.”
She looked up with a broad smile. “I almost wanted you to, but he’s the kind of man who’d have pressed charges and made a big deal out of it. I didn’t want you to end up in jail because of him.”
“I can’t promise it won’t happen if he acts like that to you outside the restaurant though,” Deacon told her.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She smiled then squeezed his hand.
They ate without further incident, but the second they got back in the truck, Rissa’s phone rang. Deacon was sure it would be her father and dreaded what that would bring. He’d do anything, even walk away, to keep Rissa from having to choose between them and her family. That he couldn’t live with.
Chapter Sixteen
Rissa answered the phone with both Jethro and Deacon in the truck. She’d prefer to talk to him alone without the guys hearing her, but they couldn’t have secrets between them, and besides, this was what they could expect if they continued their relationship as a threesome.
“Hello.”
“Clarissa. I just got off the phone with Brad. He tells me that he just saw you at Edwardo’s with your construction workers? What is he talking about?” her father asked.
“They aren’t construction workers, Daddy. They own their own company and handled the work on my building. They’re contractors,” she said.
“Well, contractors, fine. But two of them? Why would you go o
ut with both of them?”
“I’m dating both of them. They’re my boyfriends, Daddy. Brad is just trying to cause trouble. I’ve been trying to talk to you all week,” she said.
“Did I hear you right? Did you say you’re dating both of them? At the same time?”
“That’s right. Both of them at the same time,” she said with a sigh.
“Rissa, are you feeling okay? Do you need to come home for a few days and rest? I think you’ve been overdoing it working on that store of yours.” Her father sounded as if he truly believed she’d suffered a mental break.
“I’m fine, Daddy. In fact, my boutique will be opening on Friday. You should come see it. You could even come before it opens and see how great it looks without customers to get in the way,” Rissa said. She hoped it would distract him from the fact she was dating two men.
It didn’t.
“Rissa, you can’t go out with two men at one time. It’s just not right. Eventually one of them is going to get angry about it, and then you’ll be stuck in the middle of a mess,” he said.
“Not much different than my going out with Brad while he was still seeing his ex, is it? The only difference is that we’re all above board about it. Don’t think I don’t know about David seeing that Angie girl behind his fiancée’s back. I know all about it. So see, there’s no difference. I’m just being honest and upfront with seeing two men at one time.”
Rissa hadn’t wanted to bring all of that up because she wasn’t one to get involved with anyone else’s life, but her father was not going to dissuade her from seeing Jethro and Deacon. There was nothing wrong with it.
“Now, Clarissa. It isn’t the same thing.”
“Why, because it’s the man doing the cheating seeing two women? What if I had been seeing someone besides Brad? I’d have been shamed right out of that little circle of people I’d run with for the last ten years. What you don’t know is that I know that Catalina Ford is seeing her yoga instructor behind her husband’s back who’s screwing his secretary. Grace Montgomery is messing around with Jacob Hensley while her husband is messing around with Judith Canton, one of the other attorneys in his law practice. Should I go on?”
“No. I think I’ve heard enough. Thank you for making it difficult for me to look at those people in the eye now,” he said.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know about it. My only worry is that one day I’ll find out that you screwed around on Mom. I know she didn’t on you.” Rissa’s face had gotten red as she’d been talking.
“I never once stepped out on your mother while she was alive. Not once,” her father said with enough vehemence she believed him.
“Daddy, I’m just doing what makes me happy. You and Mom both always told me to do what made me happy as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else. I’m not hurting anyone by seeing Jethro and Deacon. They make me happy.”
“I’m just worried it will come back to hurt you, darling. People can be vicious when they talk,” he said.
“I know that better than anyone, Daddy. I don’t have to deal with them anymore. I have my store and my guys. I just don’t want to lose you,” she said.
“You won’t, Rissa. I will always love you.”
“Thanks, Daddy. I’ll talk to you later,” she said.
“Good night.”
Rissa ended the call and shoved her phone back into her purse. She blinked her eyes several times to get rid of the tears and noticed how quiet it was in the truck. She turned to look at Jethro.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Are you sure you want to risk losing everything for us, Rissa?” he asked.
“I’m not losing anything I ever wanted, Jethro. Daddy isn’t going to stop being my father. David might not speak to me for a while for telling Daddy about his little indiscretions as they call them, but he’ll come around eventually. You and Deacon are important to me. More important than any of those people who would as soon trample on me as to help me up. I’ll get the last laugh when my store does well, and they’re forced to shop there in order to own a Rissa’s original. I’ve decided that once the store is established that I’m going to design my own line of lingerie and sell it.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jethro said.
“What do you think, Deacon?” Rissa asked, pulling down the visor and opening the vanity mirror so she could see him.
He was looking out the side window with a stoic expression on his face. Rissa had a feeling he wasn’t hearing anything she and Jethro had been talking about.
“Deacon?” she asked again.
“I don’t want you to lose anything, Rissa. You deserve more than what we can ever hope to give you. We don’t run in those circles and will never fit in with that crowd,” he said.
“How far are we from the building?” Rissa asked Jethro in a tight voice.
“Just another couple of blocks,” he said.
“We’re having a talk just as soon as we get there. I’m not having this conversation every few weeks when one of you worries that I’m going to want out because of what someone says. This is going to stop here and now.” Rissa fumed the rest of the ride and had the door open ready to jump down on her own when Deacon grabbed her by the waist and swung her down before she could.
“Don’t ever do something foolish like that just because you’re mad at me or Jethro for that matter. If you hurt yourself, I’ll be pissed off,” Deacon said in a growling voice.
“Then stop pissing me off,” she snarled back at him.
“Um, we need to take this inside, guys. I don’t like being out on the street while we’re having a disagreement,” Jethro said.
“He’s right,” Rissa said. “The restaurant is open now and people are coming and going.”
She allowed the guys to escort her inside then upstairs to her apartment. She tossed her jacket and purse on the table by the front door then headed straight for the kitchen where she poured a glass of wine.
“Help yourselves. You know where everything is,” Rissa said.
She stalked back into the living room and plopped down on her favorite chair to wait on them. Jethro sat across from her on the couch, but Deacon prowled around the room like a pissed-off lion.
“Thank you both for going with me tonight. It was a mistake. I should never have put you guys through that. I already knew that I wasn’t going to be hanging out with the people in those places anymore, so it was stupid to drag you through it. I’m sorry.” Rissa realized she’d been thoughtless and regretted it.
“You shouldn’t have to give up your friends because of us, Rissa,” Deacon snapped.
“Aren’t you listening to me, Deacon? They aren’t my friends. I’ve never had a real friend, one you can tell secrets to that would never dream of telling someone else. I’ve never had anyone other than Mom who I could talk about boys with or tell girly things that I didn’t want anyone else to know. The closest thing I’ve had to a friend besides my mom is you guys. You’re my friends as well as my lovers.”
“Don’t you care that they’re going to talk about you? Call you names?” Deacon demanded.
She jumped up and stomped over to look up at him. She got as close to his face as she could. She wanted to be sure he was listening to her.
“I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck! Do you hear me? I could care less what they say. They’ve been talking crap about me all my life and most recently since I broke up with Brad. He’s told everyone that he couldn’t handle how cold I was in bed. Did I curl up and cry about that? Hell no. I could care less.” She stabbed Deacon in the chest with one finger.
He bent over and growled in her face. “I’ll care. I’ll fucking bust the face of anyone I hear talking bad about you including your fucking brother. Do you understand, Rissa?”
She smiled. “I would expect nothing less from my boyfriend.”
He blinked. Slow. “What?”
“Since we’re not going to be around any of those social bastards anymore, I’m not worried. If they come here,
I’ll expect you to wipe the floor with them. It won’t bother me one bit. Just don’t hit a woman. I can handle that part just fine.” She turned back to where Jethro stood and was watching them. “Can I count on you to post bail for us if we get sent to jail?”
Jethro burst out laughing. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you two.”
“Deacon, are we okay now?” Rissa asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Can I take this shit off now? I think it’s cut off the blood supply to my head. I’m feeling a little light-headed.” Deacon ran a finger around the neck of his shirt.
“I bet you aren’t wearing a button extender, are you?” she asked.
“A what?” he and Jethro asked at the same time.
“Never mind. I’ll get you both one. We won’t be going anywhere like that again, but you may have a reason to dress up again at some point in the future so you both need clothes just in case. I’ll take care of that part for you.” She smiled. “After all, I own a clothing store now.”
“I’m not wearing anything from your store for any reason even for you, Rissa,” Deacon said, his face turning a ruddy color as he pulled off the tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.
“I just mean that I know where to get what you need so you don’t have to go try on things anymore. I can order it online for you.” She unbuttoned the rest of Deacon’s shirt.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his brows furrowing.
“The shirt is too small for you. I’m just making you more comfortable. Take it off, Deacon.” She turned to Jethro. “You, too.”
Jethro lifted his brows, but made short work of tearing out of his. She watched as poor Deacon struggled to get his arms out of the sleeves. She finally had pity on him and helped by pulling at the sleeve.
“This is going to the Salvation Army,” she said, dropping it over the back of the couch. “Now don’t you feel better?”
“I’d feel a lot better if you’d take off that smoking-hot dress you have on,” Deacon said.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re thinking dirty thoughts about me?” she asked.
