Chapter Thirty-Nine

Bryn

After I went back to work, things slowly began to change. Rio was now staying at the apartment the evenings I worked with Cullen. Coming back home after work was nice. It was better, having Rio there in my bed. I worried about the future and Cullen being so attached to Rio. However, it was three weeks after Tory’s funeral, and it was too late now. Cullen adored Rio. It was no longer only my heartbreak I would face one day.

I stood in the mirror, looking at the dress I had bought for this evening. Rio was taking us to his house. Saul and Henley had invited us for dinner and to swim. I had met his two closest friends at the funeral, and other than the night he had come into the club, that was the only time I had been around his friends. This felt like a big deal, but then it could simply be Henley making him do this.

Rio was great. Sex was great. He was what had held me together after Tory’s death. Cullen had needed me to be strong, and Rio had been there to make sure I was. I knew I was in love with him. I had been since I was a girl and he would come into that awful trailer of my aunt’s to help me clean it. He had been beautiful back then, and now, he made my heart do crazy things every time I looked at him. I often felt like that girl in the trailer still.

I wasn’t naive enough to believe he felt the same way about me. Not once had he said anything about love other than loving my body when we were having sex. He didn’t mention my job or the fact that I worked topless in front of men. It didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, he never brought it up.

Blush had started dating a guy, and just last week, he had walked into the club and made a scene, covering her up. He’d said no one was looking at what was his, and then he told her he loved her right there in front of everyone. Blush had quit her job, smiling as she left.

It wasn’t that I wanted Rio to do something like that, but deep down, I knew if he was in love with me and if he meant those words he said when we were having sex about me being his, then he would not be okay with me working at a strip club.

Frustrated with my thoughts, I scowled at myself in the mirror and turned to slip on my heels. I should be glad he wasn’t telling me what to do. Why did I want him to demand I quit? I’d already decided before all this with him that it was getting time I found another job. I didn’t enjoy what I did, and I didn’t need all that income. I had almost twenty thousand in savings and more than five in my checking account.

The bedroom door opened behind me. I turned to see Rio as he stepped inside and closed it. His gaze slid down my body, then back up slowly as an appreciative smile played on his lips.

“I like that dress,” he said.

There was no question about sexual attraction between us. We had plenty of that.

“Thank you,” I replied.

He walked over and put his hands on my waist and continued to let his gaze roam over my body. “Cullen is dressed in the outfit you laid out for him,” Rio told me as he stared at my breasts. “Can I help you with anything else?” he asked, lifting his eyes back to meet mine.

“No, I’m ready. Thank you for helping him,” I said.

When he was in front of me, looking at me that way, all my worries didn’t matter. I was just happy to be near him.

He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to my neck. Then, he let his lips move against my skin, up to my ear. He bit down on my lobe, and I shivered as his warm breath tickled the sensitive flesh.

“I’m going to be thinking about taking this dress off you all evening,” he whispered.

I grabbed his arms to steady my suddenly weak knees, wishing he could do that right now.

God, why did I have to love him? Why couldn’t this be enough? Why was I so damn needy? He was perfect.

His hand slid under my dress, and my eyes flew up to look into his face. We couldn’t do this now.

“I’m just seeing what panties you have on tonight,” he said with a crooked grin.

When he found the thin string of fabric, his eyes flared hotly.

“No panty line,” I explained.

“Fuck,” he groaned, dropping my dress back into place, then pressing a kiss to my lips before moving back. “We’d better leave this room.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Did you pack a bathing suit? I grabbed Cullen’s already,” he told me.

I walked over and picked up the tote bag where I had put two towels and my newest bikini. I’d bought it to be prepared in case he invited us to swim. Cullen had talked about the pool at his house several times since Henley and Saul had taken him swimming.

He took the tote bag from me and opened the bedroom door, then stepped back so I could exit first. Cullen was sitting in the living room, dressed in a pair of tan shorts and a navy-blue polo. His hair was even brushed and still slightly damp from his shower. His eyes were glued to the screen, and he didn’t notice us walk in.

“Ready, bud?” Rio asked him.

He jumped up immediately and nodded his head. “Yep!”

He hadn’t mentioned Tory since the funeral. I’d asked him if he wanted the picture of her that was framed in her room put by his bed. He’d nodded, and that was the last we had talked about her. I hoped in time, he would bring her up. I didn’t like the idea of him keeping his emotions locked away.

The drive to Rio’s house was short, but Cullen managed to ask at least twenty questions before we got there. Rio patiently answered every one of them. He was so good with Cullen. Most men wouldn’t be. Most wouldn’t want to include him. I knew it was one of the things that made me love him.

The massive white house sat directly on the beach. Saul owned it, Rio had explained, and he and Drake just paid rent to live here. Although Rio had said, one day soon, he expected things to change. He was expecting Saul and Henley to eventually get married.

Five other cars were parked outside.

“I’ll go ahead and warn you. Saul texted. His dad is here. He wasn’t expecting him, but then he never is. He just shows up when he wants to. Anyway, Saul doesn’t like his dad much. However, they’ve recently been trying to get along. So, if it seems tense when we walk in there, know that’s what it is. I doubt he’ll stay long.”

I nodded and wondered if us showing up with Cullen was a good idea, but I didn’t say anything. I knew nothing about Saul’s dad but that he was very wealthy and owned a lot of buildings in The Shores. We never really talked much about Saul.

Cullen ran ahead of us up the stairs. A short time ago, he would have been locked to my side. With Rio’s reentrance into my life, Cullen had begun to change. He’d gotten braver, more adventurous. Another thing I owed to Rio.

He started to open the door.

“Cullen, wait!” I called out.

“It’s my house. He can go on in,” Rio said beside me.

Cullen looked back at me with his hand on the doorknob.

“Go on. Rio said it was fine,” I told him.

Cullen spun back around and jerked open the door, then went in without a backward glance.

“What about Saul’s dad?” I asked.

“It’s fine,” Rio repeated.

We followed Cullen inside, and I heard Henley greet him.

I had only been here twice, but it was still hard not to look at everything. I had never been in a house this nice. The staircase curved and was huge. It was set to the left of the entrance area. Rio placed his hand on my back and led me down the hallway toward an entrance where I knew there was a big two-level room that looked out over the ocean.

When we stepped inside, my gaze scanned the room for Cullen, and I found him seated beside Drake, who was playing a video game. Drake was saying something to Cullen, who nodded. I didn’t know Drake well, but it appeared Cullen had gotten to know him already.

Henley walked into the room from the kitchen. “Hey,” she said, smiling. “I’m glad you’re here. There is too much testosterone in this house.”

“You want a drink?” Rio asked me.

I nodded. “Water, please.”

He walked over to the bar and began fixing our drinks.

“I was headed outside. The sun is about to set. Come on,” Henley said, waving me toward her.

I made my way down the stairs to the second level of the large room, then followed her out the doors onto the first level of the balcony or deck. I wasn’t sure what this was exactly. I’d never seen anything like this until Rio brought me here the first time. Just like the room inside, there were two levels. The first part was for seating, and then you went down a couple of steps to the next level, where a big, fancy pool overlooked the beach below.

I started to say something about the view when my eyes locked on a familiar face. Mr. Hendrix sat in a lounge chair with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigar in the other. In his glass was two shots, neat, of The Macallan twenty-one-year-old scotch. He drank nothing else. Saint kept a bottle of it just for when he came to the club. When he turned his head in our direction, his gaze scanned me from head to toe.

I wasn’t in my work makeup, and I was clothed, but I knew when his eyes met mine and he smiled, he recognized me. That was going to happen to me eventually, but why did it have to happen here? I’d wanted to fit in with Rio’s friends. This was not going to help.

“Archer, this is Bryn, Rio’s girlfriend,” Henley said, then turned to me. “Henley, this is Saul’s father.”

Of course. Saul’s father was rich. He owned many buildings in The Shores. I hadn’t realized he owned many buildings all over the world. No one had told me Saul’s last name. Archer Hendrix was more than rich. He was on Forbes list of top 100 richest people in America.

Archer stood up, not once taking his eyes off mine. “Well, hello, Angel. How is my favorite waitress?”

Oh God, oh God, oh God , how did I handle this? I couldn’t pretend as if I didn’t know him. I was going to have to face this and deal with it. I just needed a moment, although I wasn’t going to get a moment.

“Hello, Mr. Hendrix,” I replied.

“I was disappointed last night when you weren’t working,” he said.

“I’m only working Saturday and Sunday nights now,” I told him nervously, trying to smile.

Saul came walking up from the pool then, and he looked from me to his father. “Grill is ready,” he said to Henley. “You staying to eat?” he asked his father then.

Archer shrugged, then took another drink. “I believe so.”

Saul looked at me. “You okay?” he asked me. He must have heard him.

Great. Now, Saul knew his father had seen me topless.

I nodded, although I was definitely not okay.

Saul swung his gaze back to his father. “Her name is Bryn. Use it,” he said in a hard tone, then walked past us to the house.

Archer chuckled, as if Saul had amused him.

Rio was walking out before Saul made it inside. He saw Archer and smiled. “Mr. Hendrix,” he said. “Long time.”

Archer had taken a pull from his cigar. He gave Rio a singular nod. “Indeed. I’ve been in Rome for a month,” he said.

“New hotel?” Rio asked him, handing me a glass of ice water.

“Always is,” was his reply.

There was no reason for me to have this sick knot in my stomach. This was going to be okay. Rio didn’t seem to care about my job. While that had bothered me before this moment, I was now thankful for it. There was a good chance he knew Mr. Archer came to the club. He himself had been there with friends. They had sat at our best table. Perhaps it was Mr. Archer who had suggested The Red Stiletto to them.