Risk It All (Risqué #2) (9 page)

Reaching Sunday without further altercation was a relief for Bri. The pressure of living with Erika and the mess that had come with it had been so constant for weeks that she was beginning to forget what it was like to just live her life without the threat of trouble.

Blaser had been nice to her and he had gone above and beyond what she would have expected from a regular friend, but maybe that was because Blaser wasn’t a regular friend. If he hadn’t given her a place to stay and a job, then she didn’t know what she would’ve done or where she would be now.

Settling into her new apartment was easy. Almost all of the other tenants in the apartment complex had been by to introduce themselves and they were all variations of scary. All built, mostly tattooed, but so far very friendly. Every other tenant worked for or with Blaser in some way – except Suzette – and it was awe-inspiring to see how far this one-time ruffian had come.

Closing up at Risqué was almost done, but she’d hung around because Blaser had offered her a ride home, just as he had the past two nights. Nobody else caught a ride with him, so she assumed they all had their own forms of transportation, or other places to be.

In the locker room, getting ready to leave, she put on her jacket, snatched her purse and slammed her locker door. When she turned to exit, the door opened and Mattie Warner strolled in.

At about six foot, with slicked back dark hair he carried an air of affluence, confident in his expensive suit and shiny shoes.

‘Hello,’ he said, slipping his hands into his pockets and looking her figure down. ‘I heard you were back in town.’

‘Hi Mattie,’ she said, holding the edges of her jacket together. Pre-jail, Mattie was probably the member of the Warner family that Blaser had been closest to. She might not have always appreciated what Mattie was into, but he’d never given her any direct bother. Seeing such a familiar face, one that she hadn’t seen for so long, gave her a spike of nostalgia that sent her across the room to him.

With open arms, he welcomed her embrace. The oddest thing happened next, tears pricked her eyes and she found herself not wanting to let go. ‘It’s been so long,’ she whispered.

‘I haven’t seen you since before Blaser went inside,’ he said into her hair.

Maybe that was why this was such an emotional experience for her. She’d cut herself off from everyone when she moved away. Mattie was a dream, a distant part of her past that was often painful to remember but was also filled with such happy memories. Mattie had been a crazy kid, just like Blaser and Gary, he believed himself destined for better things and he’d followed through on those dreams as the suit and shoes attested to.

From the glimmer of surprise on his face when she finally backed away, she could tell he hadn’t been expecting such a reaction. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, poking her fingers into her tear ducts to try and dam the tears. ‘I don’t know where that came from.’

‘Come here,’ he said and taking her hand he led her to the furthest away couch. ‘Gary’s in prison?’ She nodded. ‘Does he have a lawyer?’

‘Court appointed,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t even afford to bail him out.’ And that shame enhanced the tears. ‘I really can’t do anything for him.’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ he said, moving her hand onto his lap and sliding an arm around her. ‘You’ve been dealing with a lot on your own.’

‘Blaser’s been great,’ she said. ‘And Marshall, but I can’t tell him that I’m here, you know? If Gary found out that I’d come to Blaser for help—‘

‘Every guy in your life is trying to pull you in a different direction. Maybe you ought to spend more time worrying about yourself.’

That was something she’d been told after Blaser broke up with her. Eventually, she’d chosen to do just that though now she wondered if the guilt of that decision had ever left her. ‘God, I’m sorry,’ she tried to laugh. ‘I just went all female on you. Ignore me… Did you need something? If you’re looking for Blaser, he’ll be out front.’

‘I’m looking for you.’

‘For me?’

‘When I heard you were back in town I had to come over and see you. The family is worrying about you.’ Withdrawing her hand, she was annoyed that she’d shown him such vulnerability if he was about to warn her off at the request of the Warners as a whole. ‘And I’ve been hearing whispers about you from the girls. My cousin has always been strict about dallying with subordinates, so I was surprised that he would employ a woman he’s spent most of his life dallying with.’

‘We’re not dallying,’ she said. ‘He’s been a good friend to me, that’s all.’

‘He’s been more than that,’ Mattie said. ‘But it’s not romantic for you anymore?’

‘I don’t see what that has to do with you,’ she said. ‘Are you worried about Blaser’s virtue?’

‘Blaser can take care of himself especially when it comes to women.’

Maybe Mattie’s warning wasn’t against her, maybe it was for her. She had no idea what Blaser had been like with women since his release from prison and it wasn’t something she discussed with Blaser himself.

‘So you’re worried about me?’ she asked. ‘I can take care of myself, Mattie. You don’t have to look out for me.’

‘I’m here to ask you to have dinner with me.’

‘Dinner?’ she said, suppressing the urge to slide away from him to the other end of the couch.

‘Yes,’ he said, lifting her hand to his lap again. ‘You’re an attractive woman and I’m curious… So you tell me the time and the place.’

Something about the invitation made her uneasy and the word curious did too. Going out with a man who was curious usually only led to one thing. ‘I’m flattered,’ she said, wondering why Mattie was suddenly showing interest. ‘But I’m not looking for romantic entanglements right now.’

‘Nothing romantic,’ he said. ‘You’re family and it’s been a long time, I want to catch up.’

‘I’m family because I work here at Risqué?’ He couldn’t possibly mean her association with Blaser unless he was trying to trick her into confessing lingering emotions for him.

‘And Blaser is looking out for you. If he cares then we all care. You work Thursday to Sunday, so you’re free tomorrow. We’ll go to Marco’s, eight o’clock. I’ll meet you there.’

‘I don’t know where—‘

‘I’ll text you the details,’ Mattie said, kissing her knuckles then rising from the couch. He knew her schedule and her phone number, Bri made a mental note to ask Blaser not to give out those details to just whoever asked. Mattie went to the door and opened it. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

After he left the room, she gave him a few seconds head start before she grabbed her purse from the couch and double-timed it out of the locker room and into the back alley where Blaser parked the truck.

The girls had informed her that Blaser didn’t usually drive to work, so Bri had a feeling the truck was for her safety, or at least to give her the illusion of it. The truck was already idling, meaning Blaser was in it, so she jumped up into the passenger side and saw Blaser was messing with the stereo.

‘Do you know where Marco’s is?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, it’s a few miles from here, toward the city.’

‘Do you want to eat dinner there tomorrow night? Eight o’clock?’ she asked.

Losing interest in the stereo, he sat back in his seat, resting a forearm on the top of the steering wheel. ‘You’re asking me out to dinner? You’re asking me out on a date?’

‘Not… no.’

Blaser frowned. ‘I don’t understand what—‘

‘Mattie just came to me. He said I was family.’

‘And asked you to dinner?’ he sighed. ‘That sonofabitch.’

‘Not asked as much as told,’ she said. ‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t give out my schedule so freely.’

‘I didn’t tell the bastard anything,’ Blaser said. ‘He knows more than a few of the Risqué girls.’

‘Oh,’ she said, wondering again if Blaser “knew” them too. To distract herself, she changed the subject. ‘I told him I had no interest in romance, but he said we were family. I don’t want to disrespect him, but I’d feel better if you were there with us. If it’s a family meal, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

The edge of his lips curled. ‘No, I guess not. I like the way you think.’

‘I don’t like to be alone with men I don’t trust,’ she admitted.

‘You don’t trust Mattie?’

‘I’ve never trusted Mattie, he’s too smooth, and I know what he’s into. I want no part of that.’

‘You’re in your own trouble,’ Blaser said. ‘And I got you into plenty of bother back in the day, yet you came to me. You still trust me.’

‘You’re different now,’ she said. ‘You’re not like you were back then and you never pretended to be something that you’re not. And, you saved me from assault in the alley.’ Displaying her own smile, she hoped to put him at ease. ‘You proved yourself. If you’re uncomfortable and don’t want to—‘

‘I’ll be there,’ he said. ‘I know my cousin. I know what he’s like.’

‘What does that mean?’ Leaning forward he brushed his lips over hers then he retreated, leaving her stunned. ‘Why did you do that?’

‘Staking a claim,’ he said. ‘I want you to know that I do have… intentions toward you. Everyone will go nuts, but there’s no point in me denying it to myself. If I do, I might lose my chance… Mattie’s moved up my timetable.’

‘Blaser,’ she sighed.

‘No pressure and no hurry. You’re free to do what you want. If you’re not interested, then you can tell me to go to hell… But I don’t want to lose out on a chance with you through a dumb miscommunication. So there it is.’

He put the vehicle in gear and drove out the end of the alley and toward the apartments. Blaser was an attractive guy, six three with defined features and thick dirt brown hair. There probably wasn’t a female employee in Risqué who didn’t have designs on him at some point. Yet he walked through life with blinders on, oblivious to his own appeal.

Knowing what she did of him now, and his hectic schedule, she could believe what he’d said about not having had a girlfriend for six months. The man seemed to do nothing but work… and worry about her.

‘When did you decide this?’ she asked, clasping her purse in her lap. ‘I thought you were just being a friend.’

‘I was, I didn’t help you out with the idea of getting into your panties. But you’ve been driving me wild for three days, Dollface. I can’t keep walking around the club with a boner, someone’s bound to get the wrong idea.’

‘Blaser,’ she said, enjoying how his name felt on her lips, but wound tight by what he was suggesting. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her head on the backrest and tried to breathe through the tears that hadn’t fully subsided since she embraced Mattie. ‘We can’t… I mean… I can’t…’

‘I’m not asking you for sex, I’m telling you that I want to make this work.’

‘This?’ she said, allowing her eyes to open, the motion of the car rocked her head toward him. ‘You want to go back to the way things were? How do I explain that to my incarcerated brother?’

‘While he’s incarcerated it doesn’t really matter what he thinks,’ Blaser said. She sat up, but he pre-empted her imminent tirade. ‘Don’t fly off the handle at me, I’m saying it doesn’t matter what he thinks. When a guy tells you that he wants to be with you, your first thought shouldn’t be, “Oh, what would my brother think?” should it?’

‘So what should it be?’

‘You know what it should be,’ he said, when his hand touched hers she pulled it back. Odd that she should allow Mattie to touch her but recoil from Blaser.

‘You want to know if I’m still in love with you? Is that it?’ she said, realising why Blaser was more of a threat to her than Mattie. In all likelihood, Blaser would get her naked again if he put his mind to it, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that yet. ‘I do love you, Blase. A part of me will always love you; you were my first love, Love.’

‘Doesn’t mean I can’t be your last love too.’

‘You’re not ready to settle down,’ she said, but it could be that was more of her hope than her true deduction. ‘Have you told Crystal how you feel about me?’

‘Crystal?’ he frowned. ‘What does she have to do with it?’

‘She’s always wanted to be with you Blaser, since way back in high school, you know that.’

‘This isn’t a competition,’ he said. ‘You think I’m some dumb prize?’

‘If you were then, I’d have won and I wouldn’t be trying to tell you that it’s impossible.’

‘What’s impossible?’

‘I can’t be with you, Blaser. I can’t be with any man. I tried it and it didn’t work.’

‘You’re talking about the guy you were with in Jersey?’

‘Scott? No. I’m not talking about him, that didn’t work out, he was still in love with his ex. We called it quits long before I got back in touch with you.’

‘So what are you—‘

‘I’m talking about this year. I went on a few dates with a guy after… anyway, it didn’t work. I can’t do it.’

When she’d been freed from her abductors, she had spoken to the police, but had walled herself off from everyone for weeks, even telling Blaser that she’d never want anything to do with him again. But once she fathomed that isolating herself wasn’t helping and she started with her own self-help, she had forced herself to date. It hadn’t worked out, in fact, it had been a disaster. It was then that she knew being intimate with anyone wasn’t going to be an easy step for her.