He continues to follow me toward the door as I search for my pink flats, the perfect pop of color with my lacy black dress.
“Settle down. Settle down, I’ll feed you before I leave,” I promise with a laugh, pushing him out of my way with my foot. “Mommy has to go meet her bosses and hopefully get some—treats for herself.”
He goes crazy as I pour the food into his glass bowl, gobbling like he hasn’t eaten in a year. His chubby belly, which nearly drags on the floor, says differently.
I grab my purse and coat as I run out the door, rechecking myself in the mirror before I leave. I’m lucky to live so close to work and even luckier that the café is between the two. I decide to skip the café today, though, as I’m already jittery enough. No reason to make myself seem even more spastic in front of them.
I speed walk down the street, eager to get there but also terrified, my stomach continuing to do flips with each step I take. As I walk by the café, I see Amber inside with Julian as well as their two roommates, who are oh so delicious. Amber is a lucky girl to be surrounded by so much gorgeous man-meat, and even luckier that Julian isn’t the jealous type. I see the black doors of the club up ahead and the neon sign showing the name Vee, although it isn’t turned on to show off its bright red glow to the street. I take a deep breath as I grab the door handle, feeling my hands shaking slightly.
“Here goes nothing,” I mutter with a nervous laugh.
Sebastian
When she walks into the club, I’m immediately aware, even though I’m nowhere near the door. I inhale deeply and her scent makes me immediately hard. There has always been an undeniable attraction, but this is different. I need her. Need to claim. Need to bite and taste her delicious blood.
“She’s here,” Finn growls, as he stands up from the couch. His snarl isn’t one of anger, but of pure desire. His eyes are black and it’s obvious he is fighting himself.
“We need to relax. We’ll scare her,” Dean cautions, taking a deep breath. “We cannot act on these urges unless we plan to end her human life. It’s not a decision we can make for her lightly.”
Finn and I both nod our heads in agreement, but it is noticeable how much we are already affected by her presence. I grab my shirt from the arm of the sofa and pull it on. “Something is different. Something has changed, but I have no idea what,” I muse thoughtfully.
“Hello? Are you up there, guys?” Her beautiful voice carries up the stairs, along with her scent. Her fragrance is intoxicating, and I feel myself falling under her spell.
“Yes, Rose. Come on up,” Finn yells in his deep voice. I hear each of her footsteps as she walks slowly up the stairs. I can also hear her heartbeat pattering quickly in her chest. She’s nervous, I think with a smile. Why would she be nervous around us?
When she steps onto the last rung and comes fully into view, I’m taken aback by how beautiful and sexy she is. She stands there with her beautiful auburn hair flowing over her shoulders, which are covered in black lace. I follow the lacy dress down to see how it frames her luscious breasts and I swear my mouth begins to water. Her breathing is fast, and she bites her bottom lip in her nervousness, showing off her perfect, full pink lips. The pull to take her is almost unavoidable. Electric.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?” she questions, her voice rising a bit at the end in her nervousness. She stays where she is by the top of the stairs and we continue to just stare at her. I can only imagine that it looks as weird as it feels.
“You look beautiful today, Rose,” I compliment, walking toward her and reaching out my hand for hers.
“Thank you,” she replies, eying me warily, but she accepts my hand and allows me to pull her farther into the room. I tug her onto our dark gray couch and sit next to her. Finn and Dean noticeably relax and take their own seats opposite us.
“How are you doing with everything? The bar? Bartending? I heard that a customer was being rude to you last night.” Finn looks at her with a smile, but his brow wrinkles with concern.
She smirks, squinting her eyes at him slightly. “You heard that, did you? You seemed otherwise occupied to me.” Her voice comes out rushed and slightly deeper. Angrier. Jealousy? I smile at the thought. Strange, yes, for me to feel happiness that she would be jealous of my brother showing another human woman attention, but I am. Ever since last night, I can’t help picturing us taking her one by one. I don’t just want her for myself, but for myself and my brothers.
Finn’s face reddens a bit and the sight causes a guffaw to leave my throat. I have not once seen my brother blush, and I didn’t even know we were capable of such a human reaction. Both Rose and Finn’s eyes go straight to me, giving Dean the opportunity to snigger without being caught.
“Is something fucking funny, brother?” Finn grits out, causing Rose to arch her brows at him. He turns back to her and shakes his head. “She was no one. Just a friend.”
“Do you typically make out with your friends? Or let them straddle you? I haven’t lived the nightclub life long, but it isn’t something I see a lot,” she snaps back with sharp wit. I smile at her ferociousness.
“Well, uh, no. I mean—” Finn stammers, trying to regain his footing in the conversation.
“I mean, you and I are friends, aren’t we? I know you are all my superiors, but I’ve felt a friendship between us.”
“Yes, of course we are friends—”
“So, why hasn’t this happened with us? If you go around kissing all your friends, you would think I might have experienced this already. Or maybe there’s still time. Is that it, Finn?” Her voice is sharp, but still carries humor. She’s teasing him, I think with a grin.
Dean and I look back and forth between the two as the exchange takes place, Finn becoming more and more flustered as he’s unable to redeem himself.
“I mean, I don’t kiss all my friends. Like I said, she was no one. I...I...”
“You don’t need to apologize to me, Finn. I’m a big girl, I’ll be alright,” she assures him with a smile, turning to look at me.
“So why exactly did you need me to come in early?”
My smile is huge, and I can’t seem to wipe it off my face. “No reason. We just wanted to hang out and talk to you about last night, make sure you are okay.”
“I’m okay. It was annoying, but I’m fine. It wasn’t the first time a drunk got rowdy and it certainly won’t be the last.” She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and leans back into the cushions of the couch, relaxing.
“I’m just fucking with you, Finn. You know that, right?” She smiles at him and his mouth pops open like a fish.
“Right. I know. Right,” he mumbles quietly, as if he’s unsure how to proceed with the conversation.
Now that she’s in the room with us, close enough to touch, the pull is so much stronger. I sniff the air, hopefully nonchalantly, and try to discern the difference between today and yesterday. Something has changed. Then, the attraction was more natural. There, but easier to ignore. Today, it’s almost impossible not to kiss her, not to put my fingers in her hair and pull her onto my lap. To drag my teeth along her jaw as I travel down to her neck and her breasts...
“Sebastian!” Rose’s voice enters my subconscious thought, and I shake my head, trying to put myself back in the present.
I can feel my erection pressing against the seam of my jeans, and I adjust my position on the couch to make it less noticeable. “What’s up, babe?” I question, hearing how out of it I sound with my own ears.
Her face immediately blushes, and my hand moves of its own accord, dragging my fingers across her cheek. Her eyes widen perceptibly, and Dean loudly clears his throat. I pull my hand back quickly and put it on my thigh, willing it to stay where it belongs.
“We like you, Rose. A lot. But this—” Dean motions his finger in a circle, indicating all of us. “This would never work. There are rules against this.” He pauses as if searching for the words. “Laws that do not allow these circumstances.”
The who
le time Dean speaks, I barely move my eyes from her. When the words ‘we like you’ leave his lips, her mouth goes agape. Surprise colors her features and I can’t believe that she didn’t already know this. That she could be surprised that we are attracted to her pisses me off. Of course we are attracted to her. She seems to regain her composure as her eyes dance from Dean, to Finn, and finally to me.
“A-All of you?” she stutters quietly, as if shy by the thought. “How could all of you like me?” Happiness floods my chest that that is the part she picked up on. All of us. Not that this couldn’t happen, but that we all want her. We all need her.
“Yes, all of us. It’s not something we typically do, but if it were allowed, I would guess that we would like to share you,” Dean confesses darkly, unable to hide the lust in his voice.
“All of you,” she repeats softly, as if to herself. Her cheeks are a gorgeous pink and I can see the gears turning in her head. “What rules? What laws? Because you are my bosses?”
Unease travels across our faces as we try to navigate this conversation carefully without giving away too much. It’s hard to think about rules and politics when your cock is as hard as a rock and all you want to do is flip the beautiful woman in front of you over and slam home. Dean, the most composed of us, answers her in a pained voice. “We cannot. It would be taking advantage of you. There are so many working parts, just know that it’s not because we find you unattractive, or that we don’t want you.”
Finn adjusts himself in his seat and groans. “Wanting you is definitely not the issue.”
“I just—I guess I just don’t understand. Why can’t we all just do this? We’re all adults. Consenting adults.” Her voice is louder, sultrier, as she speaks to us now, and it is clear she’s regaining her confidence. “Why even tell me this if you don’t plan to act on it? Why tell me you want to fuck me if you don’t plan to do it?”
“No one said anything about fucking you, Rosie,” I counter with a smile, even though her tone has turned angry. I can’t help it. I want to push her, to get her angry. I want to pick her up and throw her onto my bed. To rip that dress off her luscious body with my teeth.
“Well, I read between the lines. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Did you guys ask me here just to tell me this? That you want me, but won’t have me?” Her ability to calm her anger and turn her tone to a relaxed seriousness impresses me.
“Honestly, I don’t know what we expected to come from this. Something just felt different so I, well, we wanted to see you and talk,” Finn explains quietly.
“We didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, Rose. Perhaps we went about this the wrong way. I’m going to go downstairs and get the place ready for tonight. Feel free to stay up here until your shift starts.” Dean stands from his seat and walks toward the door. “Finn? Sebastian? Are you coming?”
Finn stares at Rose long enough that she notices, and then he stands and follows Dean out of the room. “I’ll catch up with you guys,” I yell, and see Dean glance at me sternly out of the corner of my eye. When they both leave the room and I’m alone with Rose, I begin to realize what a bad idea this was.
Rose
My mind is still spinning when Dean and Finn walk out of the room. They all want me? I still can’t believe it. It’s complete shit for them to tell me that and then put a stop to it immediately. I mean, why the fuck tell me in the first place if it’s against some unknown rule?
I look at Sebastian, who remained behind. He sits beside me, as gorgeous as ever, and dear God I feel like even his scent is making my mouth water. A scent that’s all him that I’ve somehow never smelled before. It feels as if something changed last night, but I know that’s impossible. You don’t just develop oversensitive smelling overnight.
“This is all fucked up, you know that, right?” I question Sebastian, staring directly in his eyes. He flinches slightly and his beautiful faced is marred by a grimace.
“I know,” he agrees, running his hand down his face. “You have no idea how hard this is, Rosalie. It’s killing me.”
“You’re right, I don’t know. Please explain,” I snap. I’m too flustered to deal with his nonsense. I feel like someone gave me a present, then immediately took it back. I’m frustrated and unbearably horny, which is making me grumpy. Even though my tone is angry, I inch closer to him on the couch, unable to resist the desire to be close to him.
“I can’t, Rose. I would if I could, but I can’t. It’s too dangerous.” He sighs deeply and leans his head back on the couch, closing his eyes. I take the opportunity to inch a bit closer, unable to control myself. “You have no idea what you’re asking for, Rose. I can’t demand for you to give up everything.” When he opens his eyes and pulls his head upright, we are face to face. His eyes dilate when he realizes how close I am, and his breathing picks up. Something takes over me, and I turn into a completely different person as I push my body forward and press my lips to his. His eyes widen in shock before he closes them and pulls me closer, causing my heart to skip a beat. Butterflies flutter in my stomach, and my chest clenches at my bravery and his response to my kiss. I lace my fingers into his gorgeous, shaggy hair and pull slightly, kissing him deeper. A small moan escapes my lips as he slowly pulls away from me, his fingers coming up to caress my cheeks.
“Rose,” he groans, sounding so pained as he looks deeply into my eyes. “We can’t do this.”
I sigh in irritation and lean back into my seat. “Got it.” I adjust my dress and take a deep breath. “Give me a minute and I’ll be down.” My tone comes out annoyed, and I do nothing to hold it back.
He looks at me with a furrowed brow and sadness in his eyes. “Okay. I’m sorry, Rose.” He stands up and walks toward the door, glancing back one more time before he begins to walk downstairs.
I’ve been sitting here for seven and a half minutes. I know this because I’ve been staring at the clock the entire time. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The sound calms me somehow, soothes my anxiety and embarrassment.
That was so fucking stupid, I think, as I lean my head back and close my eyes. I take a deep, calming breath, knowing I need to get my shit together and go downstairs to help the guys get ready. I still can’t believe I had the courage, no, the stupidity, to kiss Sebastian after they all just told me that they won’t have me. They can’t have me, is how they put it, which I feel is complete crap. I’ve never heard of any laws that strictly prohibit a boss from dating their employee. I mean, there is quid pro quo, but it’s not like they are offering a promotion or raise for sex. They aren’t even offering sex. Plus, I’m one-hundred-percent interested. I feel like this ‘against the rules’ bullshit is exactly that, bullshit. They must have found out that I like them, and this is them letting me down easy. I must have been too obvious in my desire for them.
Ugh.
Okay, time to get up and head back downstairs. We can act like this never happened. Maybe by some miracle, Sebastian won’t tell his brothers, and we can all move on like this never happened. Yeah, right.
I stand up and begin walking toward the stairs, refusing to cry or be embarrassed. I’ll act like this didn’t happen. I’ll forget this stupid crush.
When I get to the bottom of the stairs and swing the door open, all three guys are staring at me. Well, fuck, so much for that.
“What else needs to be done before we open?” I ask hurriedly, avoiding eye contact with all three of them. I walk straight over to the bar and start checking inventory around the bar area and in the fridges. Tonight is going to be a long fucking night as I continually hash over our conversation upstairs in my head. I’ll beat that dead horse until it’s nothing but dust. I’m so sucked into what I’m doing and my own thoughts, that I don’t notice someone has come up behind me before he’s breathing on my neck and whispering in my ear.
I shiver involuntarily as Finn’s sexy voice washes over my skin. “Are you going to be mad at me forever?”
My heart skips a beat. Literally. His voice is rough and sexy. I bite
my lip to keep myself from moaning as his whisper tickles my neck and ear.
“I’m sure I’ll get over it and so will you. Plenty of friends coming in tonight, I’m sure.”
He groans and leans into me, placing his hands against the bar on each side of me. Trapping me. “They are no one. I just need them because—”
“Oh, you know what? I’m good. No need to explain,” I interrupt, as I turn around in his arms so I’m facing him. I give his chest a small push.
“Stop, Rose. You don’t understand how hard this is for me. For us.” He speaks the words as if they pain him. Sadness colors his features and I feel sorry for him. For like a second.
“It’s all good, Finn. Rules, laws. Wouldn’t want to break those,” I state with an eye roll, breaking his grip on the bar and walking away from him. I catch Dean’s eye from across the bar. He looks at us with concern and sternness. I raise my brows at him, giving him a ‘what do you want from me’ look. His gaze goes back to Sebastian as they continue their conversation.
“You know what? I’m going to run and get a coffee at Jewels before my shift starts. Text me if you want anything.” I grab my purse and walk straight for the door, ignoring their objections.
Coffee, I need coffee.
Rose
I pull open the doors and walk outside, feeling the cold air attack my skin. Shit, I forgot my coat. I cross my arms over my chest and rub my hands against my skin, trying to warm myself as I walk quickly toward Jewels Café. I haven’t lived here very long, so I don’t have any friends. I moved here on a whim two years ago, mostly to get away from my parents. I figured I’m still young, so making friends would be easy. I found my beautiful apartment at a great price, and I moved in. Not long after, I found the wanted ad in the paper for a bartending job at Vee. Everything fell into place.
Rose: A Standalone Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Jewels Cafe Book 12) Page 3