“Bella,” Eli leaned across the table. “None of us want to own you. We would like you to stay, but if you changed your mind tomorrow, you could take the money I’ve given you and run. We might try to change your mind, but we wouldn’t stop you.”
“So, there’s no, like, contract between us?”
“Yeah, don’t you remember the one I made you sign in your sleep?” Doc said.
Eli ignored him. “What we’re doing here, it’s a risky investment, not a contract. We’re all taking a chance together.”
“And if it doesn’t work?”
“Then we cut our losses and walk away. That’s business.”
“But I don’t know if things will change!”
“And neither do we. That’s why I’m telling you to decide for yourself if you want to commit to us for the foreseeable future. You’re the one who knows how you feel.”
“Can’t you make all my decisions for me? Isn’t that your whole thing?”
Eli didn’t smile. “Not when it comes to this. Trust your instincts. You’re more insightful than you realize.”
“You all used to say I was stupid!”
Doc laughed. “You’re the only person who’s ever brought us to our knees, Tits. If you’re stupid, what does that make us?”
I looked at them, four strange, dangerous criminals who love each other and could love me. If I stayed, we’d be doing something that’s never been done before—at least not that I knew of. And yet how could I live with myself if I walked away? I’d see Doc in every blond, think of Bobby every time someone mentioned baseball, develop a lifelong fixation for grumpy, well-dressed businessmen because of Eli, and forever be looking in the shadows for Adriano. My chest gave a hum, and I had my answer. I’m sure there’s an alternative reality where January Whitehall has one good man, but in this reality, she has four hot, evil boyfriends.
“I want to stay,” I told them. “I want to be with you.”
There was a moment when they all looked back at me, identical expressions of hope and gratitude. Then Eli raised his wineglass. “To our risky investment. May it prove our greatest yet.”
“January?” Bobby draws me back to the present moment, to the two of us on my bed. “I was saying you don’t have to come to the contract meeting tonight.”
I give my head a small shake, trying to focus. “I still want to come. It’s my duty.”
“But it might upset you and you’re already in a… delicate place.”
I’ve been having nightmares. Nothing I remember once I wake up, but I’m screaming the house down almost every night. Doc offered sleeping pills, but Adriano taught me some breathing exercises. At first, I thought he was joking, but they work, calming me whenever I jolt awake. That and hugs, which all of the guys give me when I sleep in their beds.
“I’m doing okay,” I tell Bobby. “Besides, I’ve got plenty of time to recover after the meeting.”
‘Plenty of time’is my new favorite phrase. My whole life, I was on a clock ticking down to marrying Mr. Parker. Now I’m ticking down to weeks, months,yearsof freedom.
Bobby smiles then points to my laptop screen. “If you’re gonna go straight, you might not have the experience for a hostess role. Why don’t you aim for a bartender gig and get some service skills?”
I imagine myself working behind a busy bar, pouring beer and making cocktails like girls on TV. An immediate problem comes to mind. “Um, don’t bartenders get hit on a lot?”
“For sure,” Bobby says, tucking a hand behind his head. “Even the ones who don’t look like you.”
“Oh. So, is everyone going to be okay with me bartending?”
Bobby cracks up. “Honey, we’re gonna be there for every single shift you work.”
“What!? You just said that none of you have time for that!”
“That’s why it’s good there’s four of us.” He stretches his arms over his head, making his T-shirt ride up. I stare at his ridged abdomen, dusted with dark brown hair, and my lips tingle. Bobby pulls his shirt higher. “That’s the other thing we make time for, JJ. Working out.”
“I can see that.”
Bobby unbuckles his belt. “Why don’t you come here and see a bit more?”
