“I think he did, but like you didn’t remember meeting Simon and me directly after your kidnapping, I think it might have been one of the other details you missed.”
I try to think back to the few days after I escaped. Rushing to the hospital, waiting while Jaxon was in surgery, sitting by his bed, waiting for him to wake up. They were the longest moments of my life, and I really don’t remember much of anything. All the voices were like a humming background sound, so I guess it’s no surprise that I did miss it.
“Are you okay?” Riku asks as he pulls the car into a space and turns it off. He turns around to look at me, his brow creased with worry.
I examine how I feel, but there’s no annoyance or anger, just a sense of relief and acceptance that I’m going to have a buffer against the world everywhere I go.
“Riku, I am better than okay. You have no idea.” I lean forward and grab his hand, squeezing it.
“And you’re okay with me and Simon? If you want someone else, you can meet any of the others on my payroll,” he offers, but I shake my head.
“No, that’s okay. You two are fine. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
He nods, relief in his eyes.
“Okay, how about we get out of here? I have a dinner date, and they aren’t going to want to wait for my late ass.” I drop his hand and hop out of the car, but I swear I hear him say something about waiting forever for an ass like that. He puts his hands on my back, escorting me to the elevator like a gentleman, and we make our way upstairs.
* * *
RIKU
Leaving Jacinta with my sister and her wife, I grab the baby monitor off the counter and head out back to make coffees for everyone. Thankfully, my sister’s machine is one of those where you put a pod in and press a button. Even the milk frother is automatic, so I fill it up and turn it on. While I’m waiting, I look around the staff room. My sister has half a dozen people working for her, but she sent the ones that were here home for the day.
The sound of her squeal when I announced we were coming was still ringing in my ears after I hung up.
Aimi is a little bit of a gossip hound—nothing malicious, she just likes to read about who’s doing who as she puts it. She’d never gossip about a client.
Speaking of clients, I’ve become increasingly worried about Jacinta over the month I’ve been working for the Summers. She was fine as long as she was at home or at Willow Castle, but the minute she was expected to appear in public, I could tell something was wrong. Simon and I had to physically help her from the awards ceremony she attended. The woman was halfway drunk before we even arrived. How she managed to walk in those heels and present an award without stumbling or giving away the amount of alcohol she had consumed is beyond me.
By the end of the night, she was a mess. Luckily, there was no press around to see the Summers’ princess completely hammered. Then there was her birthday. She and Hope stumbled out of their club early on in the evening. We had been briefed that they would be staying late, but without eyes inside, I have no idea what happened. To me, it looked like she was coming down from something other than alcohol, but I can’t know for sure.
At her birthday, she seemed perfectly happy surrounded by family and friends, so maybe I was imagining things. I was curious at the end of the night, so I discreetly followed her outside with her friends. Although it isn’t technically part of my job like I told her it was, I guess I wanted to see a little more of what their dynamic is. There had been plenty of flirty touches between the four of them, but I was also under the impression that the three men were a throuple.
To say I was a little surprised when I overheard their conversation is an understatement, but as I watched each man embrace and kiss her, I felt my cock harden. Instead of being disgusted, I was turned on and intrigued when I heard them tell her that they wanted her to turn their throuple into a quadruple.
After they left, I had scared her, and she automatically went on the offensive, accusing me of being judgy. I defended myself, but it made me think about what her life must be like, always worrying what other people think or how they perceive her. Not actually allowed to live her life as she wants without having to carefully weigh everything she does. I can understand why their family is so close. Never knowing if you can trust a person is your friend for the right reasons must be exhausting.
I can’t deny that Jacinta Summers intrigues me. She’s certainly wrapped up in a gorgeous package, all long, slender limbs with a womanly body. That long straight hair that I imagine draping across my thighs as she runs her tongue up my cock. Fuck! I can’t think like that even though I’ve seen the mutual interest in her eyes. I want to wrap her up in bubble wrap and keep her safe from the world. I see the insecurity that hides behind her bravado. The utter relief when I told her my sister was waiting with an empty store was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Knowing I could do that for her, I felt like the king of the world. I think I might be in trouble.
A noise on the baby monitor jolts me out of my thoughts. “Mama! Mama!” I leave the machine and rush into my sister’s office where she has a pack n’ play set up. My niece is leaning against the side, and when she sees me, her eyes light up.
“Ojisan!”she squeals in a high-pitched voice while holding her hands out for me. I reach in and pick her up. She’s a chubby little thing but still weighs next to nothing. I bring her against me and blow raspberries into her neck.
“Yo, chibi chan.” Hello, little one, I say to her in Japanese. She giggles and wiggles.
“Down! I need to go potty,” she tells me, so I walk toward the attached bathroom. Placing her down, I watch as she pushes a little plastic turtle step next to the toilet. She wriggles her underwear down and climbs up. “See? I a big girl now.” She grins at me while she pees, then I watch as she struggles to grab toilet paper and stay on the seat. She wobbles, so I go over and hold her in place as she wipes. “Thanks,Ojisan,” she says, giggling. She jumps down, flushes, then pushes the turtle over to the sink where she climbs up and washes her hands. She can’t turn the faucet, so she asks me to do it.
“Wow, you’re such a big girl now! You’ve grown so much since I saw you,” I tell her after I wash my hands too.
She claps her hands and jumps down from the turtle.
“I miss you,Ojisan.” She wraps her arms around my leg, and I just about melt. This little girl has my heart. I bend down and pick her up. “Come on. I’m making your mommies and my friend coffee. How about we read a story when I’m done with that?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” she cheers, so we head back out to the staff room. While I finish making coffee, she picks a book. She’s occupied, so I quickly run it out to the three of them before returning to my niece. I manage to keep her distracted for about an hour until she demands to meet my friend. I was a little unsure how she would get along with Jacinta, but to my surprise, they’re drawn to each other. Not only did the heiress pick my niece up, she carried her around and let her “help” pick things out.
I watched on with amusement as Jacinta carried her around, taking all of her suggestions very seriously.
When Aimi tried to stop her, Jacinta insisted, “What better way to get the right things for a baby’s nursery than having an expert pick?”
