“Okay.” She smiles.
“Oh and, Caitlyn, don’t listen to any bullshit my sister feeds you. She’s always been a pain in my ass, out to make my life as difficult as possible.”
Caitlyn’s smile widens. “Isn’t that what all siblings do?”
She’s an only child. I know that from the file I gathered on her.
“They do, and now you have two of the worst ones.” I laugh. “Just don’t take anything she says or does to heart. She’s a little… unhinged.” I don’t knowhowto describe my sister, but sweet and innocent are not it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Ithink we deserve a drink. Come on. I’ll take you to my husband’s bar. It’s the best. And Tommy loves when I pop in.” Mabilia smiles at me and loops herarm through mine. We’ve been shopping for two hours. I’m exhausted.
“I really should get back to the office. I’m supposed to be working.” I like Neo’s sister. She seems as though she would be a lot of fun to be friends with. She’s also scary as hell. I don’t know what it is about her, but something tells me I would not want to be on her bad side.
“First, my brother is not going to say anything about you stopping for a drink. And second, if he does, I’ll just tell him I kidnapped you and forced a drink into your hand,” she says with a single shoulder lift.
I pull the phone Neo gave me out of my pocket. “Let me just check with him.”
“Why? He doesn’t own you, Caitlyn. You are your own woman. He’s not the boss of what you do,” Mabilia tells me, and I laugh.
“Actually, he literallyismy boss. I’m supposed to be working for him.” I quickly type out a message to Neo.
Me: Mabilia wants to take me to Tommy’s bar. Your sister is a really hard person to say no to.
Neo: Go with her. I’ll meet you there.
I frown.Does he really not care what I do?
“Looks like we’re going to Tommy’s bar,” I announce.
“I told you he wouldn’t care. You could literally tell him you want to go to Paris and my brother will find a way to make that happen for you.” She smirks.
“I doubt that.”
“You’ll see,” she sings out as she leads me over to the waiting car.
I scan the interior of the bar, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Someone is watching me, but when I look around, I don’t see anyone. More importantly, I don’t seehim. Henry. If he found me, I don’t think he’d be happy to just sit back and watch. He’d more likely drag me out the door by my hair—to hell with who saw him do it.
“Tommy, this is Caitlyn, Neo’s girl!” Mabilia yells out over the bar. “Caitlyn, Tommy, my very sexy husband.” She eyes the man up and down as if she wants to eat him whole.
“Hi.” I wave at him. It’s on the tip of my tongue to correct her and say I’m not Neo’s girl… or Neo’s anything really. But it seems pointless with his family. They’ve assumed what they want, and nothing I seem to say makes a difference.
“So you’re the one I’ve been hearing about,” Tommy says, and my cheeks blush. “I can’t believe he finally got caught.”
“Can we have two cosmos?” Mabilia asks.
“Does Neo know she’s here, Mabilia? Because I really do not need your crazy-ass brother destroying my bar when he finds out I’m giving his girl alcohol,” Tommy says.
“He knows. And as if I’d let him destroy the place.” Mabilia shakes her head, leaning over the counter to then press her lips to Tommy’s. When she sits back down, she turns her attention to me. “So, you and my brother, tell me all about it but leave out any X-rated details.”
I blush, again, as thoughts of this morning run through my head. “I don’t know what to say. It’s all been very fast.”
“How do you feel when you’re with him?”
“Good,” I admit. “Safe,” I add, because there is something about being wrapped in Neo’s arms that I love.
Mabilia smiles. “You are safe with him. As much of a grouch as he is, he would never hurt a woman.”
