Chapter 4—Steven

“Hey, Steven, you got a minute?”

“Yeah, what’s up, Craig?” I said, sliding another table into the corner. I wiped my forehead with the back of my head and blew out a breath.

“Are you finally going to open up the balcony?”

“With as many people as we cram in here, I don’t think I have a choice,” I said with a laugh. “Besides, putting a majority of the tables up here will free up more room down there for dancing.”

“Good thinking. Look, I need to talk to you about something.”

I nodded and continued moving tables around. It took me a few moments to realize Craig wasn’t speaking. I stopped and looked at him, slightly annoyed. He saw that I was busy. What was he waiting for? “I’m listening.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “Madison came to see me today.”

My stomach clenched. “What did she want?” I knew Madison and Craig were friends, but why was she going out of her way to go see him? Especially considering the way Craig was always eyeing her. I knew damn well he liked her more than a friend. And for reasons I refused to acknowledge, that bugged the shit out of me.

“Her thirtieth birthday is tomorrow night.”

“It is?” Why hadn’t I known that?

He nodded. “She asked me for something.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What?” Whatever it was she wanted it had to be pretty bad to have Craig so nervous. Up until now I didn’t think Craig had any nerves because he was always so damn calm and cool.

“She wants to have a threesome…with me…and you.”

My ears rang, and my face burned with a myriad of emotions I couldn’t begin to name. I was speechless. My brain, despite running wild, wasn’t connecting with my mouth. Madison wanted to have me and Craig? At the same time? Absolutely not! Besides, she didn’t do that kind of thing. “What did you tell her?”

“I told her I’d talk to you.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I won’t do it.” Craig and I had shared women in the past, but… Madison? No fucking way in hell. I couldn’t do it.

He frowned, rubbed the back of his neck, and averted his gaze. “Guess I’ll have to go to plan B then,” he said.

Every muscle in my body tensed, and a slow rage built inside of me. “What?” I said, my tone clipped. “You’re going to find someone else? Wait, you’re going to do it?”

“Of course I’m gonna do it. Madison’s hot.”

I popped a butterscotch candy in my mouth and bit down on it so hard a sharp pain shot through my jaw. I contemplated punching him in his pretty boy face, causing him to stumble backwards, thereby effectively making him tumble over the railing and fall to his death. I needed to calm the fuck down. “Why?”

“Because she’s hot, and up till now she’d never seem interested. I want a shot at her.”

My nostrils flared, and my palms were sweating. Talk about a fucking nightmare. “I mean, why does she want to do this? With us?” I barely forced that last word from my mouth without choking on it.

Craig shrugged. “She said it was something she’d always fantasized about, and she figured her upcoming birthday was a good reason to finally do it. Plus, she trusts us.”

She was confiding in Craig about her sexual fantasies? I didn’t know how much more I could take. My first instinct was to demand that Craig tell her no, but I knew he wouldn’t listen. And I knew he’d demand to know why I cared so much. I popped another candy in my mouth. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“You will?” He raised a questioning brow at me.

“Yeah.” I’d let him believe that for now. But I had no intentions of going through with it. Nor was I going to let him go through with it, either. And if he tried—or worse, if he succeeded—I’d find a reason to fire his ass. Then I could beat his ass without losing my job.

* * *

I’d spent the entire night watching Craig and Madison flirt. My jaw ached from chewing on too much candy. Every muscle in my body was sore from restraining myself from beating the piss out of Craig. And I was hornier than fuck. I knew I was being a hypocrite. I wanted Madison so damn bad, but I refused to let myself have her. It really was for her own good. But that didn’t mean I wanted Craig to have her, either.

“Hey, Craig. You can take off. Thanks for your help tonight,” I said, my tone brooked no argument. He eyed me suspiciously before nodding and leaving. Good. It was just me and Madison. Time to talk some sense into her. I found her behind the bar, drying shot glasses and stacking them on the shelf. I grabbed a towel and helped her.

“Thanks,” she said with a smile.

That smile did funny things to my insides. “It’s officially your birthday,” I said, my throat thick with emotion. What if I couldn’t convince her not to go through with this threesome?

Madison glanced up at the clock. “Yup, I guess so.”

“Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

Well, this wasn’t going as easily as I’d hoped. “Don’t do it, Madison.”

“Don’t do what?”

“The threesome. Don’t do it.” My voice caught, and I cleared my throat. My heart raced, and I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin at any second.

She tossed the towel on the bar, turned, and glared at me. Her soft eyes flashed with hurt, then anger. “Why?”

“It’s not going to be what you think it is. It’s not going to be some great thing that you’ll back on with fond memories. Trust me.”

“Two men tending to my every sexual need? That sounds pretty damn great to me,” she said, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

“Madison.” I caught up to her before she could get out the door. “I just don’t want to see you do something you’ll regret.”

“I’m doing this, Steven. With or without you.”

Over my dead body. “Don’t try to play with the big boys, Madison. You’re so far out of your league on this.” Maybe if I put a hint of fear in her mind, she’d have a change of heart. But I should’ve known better.

“Does that mean I should find someone else to join me and Craig tomorrow night?” she said with a sardonic little smile.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Good,” she said, patting my chest. “Relax, Steven. You’re a pro at this. It’ll be fun.” Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

Her words landed in my chest like a wrecking ball. You’re a pro at this. That was a fact I’d been proud of for so long, too long actually, but now it didn’t seem like such a good thing. Is that why Madison had asked me? Because she thought I was a pro? I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and wondered how the hell I was going to get her out of this unscathed.