Acres, Natalie - Sex Club [Cowboy Sex 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (13 page)

Deciding she should indeed fire him, she grabbed the makeup mirror off a nearby shelf and stared at her reflection. Glancing at the digital clock on her desk, she noted the ten o’clock hour, thinking she had too many hours to wait out in order to see if Tristan planned to make good on his threats.

Then again, why did she care? She could have any man she wanted. She didn’t have to put up with Tristan, or any other employee for that matter. Quickly her mind flashed with images of Bailey.

He was on her nerves, too.

To think he had a crush on her twin sister. That was one man who should’ve been destined for her bed. For some reason, she couldn’t lead Bailey anywhere outside of Clink. He’d follow her to the kitchen or office, but he wouldn’t follow her home. And she had asked before—twice. Both times, he summoned Baron to do the honors.

Patience found out and about croaked, too. Baron was good friends with Patience’s boyfriends. Ansley and Kimberly had long since predicted whose bed Baron would eventually make up as his own.

Bailey confused her. Like Baron, he kept to himself, but he was always watching, which, come to think of it, made her think Kimberly wasn’t necessarily the sister holding his attention. Bailey stood back and observed
her
. He often left his post at the main bar and lurked in the dark corners of the club loft, acting as if he thought her safety fell on his list of responsibilities. In fact, anytime she went upstairs, he was generally right behind her.

She didn’t have any claims to him, and that much was obvious. He’d remained professional since he’d started working there, and that led her back to her original belief. He’d wanted Kimberly from the beginning, and that bothered her a great deal, because Ansley wanted Bailey. She was a step or two closer to admitting it now that everything else seemed to be falling apart.

What the hell was happening to her? She frowned at her refection. Maybe after college, she’d lost her touch. Given the fact she hadn’t been laid since the summer before, perhaps she’d lost her sex appeal. She gasped. Without someone to shower her with attention and affection—as well as fabulous sex, she couldn’t forget that—then she might as well have one foot in the grave.

She gasped. Maybe she already did! Perhaps this was all there was to life now. Foreplay without the sex, minimal conversation without penetration, and men who refused to stay long enough to take care of intimate business.

Oh no! She might as well have been married!

No, she knew better. She wasn’t the marrying kind. She’d come to accept that when she realized she was falling for Elliott and Graham equally. After they left, and once Bailey began working at the club, she’d realized it was a good thing she hadn’t committed to the Killians.

They never asked, of course, but if they had wanted something more and she’d agreed, Bailey still would’ve tempted her. She believed in fidelity. So, what did that mean?

Her mind raced. Well, she could only guess. She would’ve broken vows or cursed matrimony. Either way, she would’ve admitted she made a mistake, because she wouldn’t have been loyal to them. At least, she didn’t think she could’ve been where Bailey was concerned, even though he’d yet to make his move. And Tristan? Yep, she would’ve cheated. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. Even though she and Tristan hadn’t been intimate, the day of consummating the start of what promised to be a torrid affair was near.

Oh yes, their day was coming.

Holding her breath for a minute, she thought of Tristan. If she’d been a committed woman, would Tristan have tempted her like this? About as much as mint chocolate chip ice cream, and her freezer at home was stacked with individual servings. Milk chocolate was food for the soul.

Tristan was more than snack food. He was the sugar in every form of candy, the flavored milk in frozen treats.

She clutched the mirror. Searching the looking glass for wrinkles, she quickly decided she was just overworked and tired. She was anxious, too, and no wonder. Dealing with sexual frustration wasn’t easy, particularly when there were four men holding her attention, keeping her mind preoccupied every minute of the day.

Then again, her name was Ansley Cartwell. If the men she wanted didn’t act on her interest, or theirs, she could find someone who would. In high school, the boys groveled for a date. In college, she enjoyed similar experiences. Men approached her with kid gloves. They didn’t storm into her life like a barbarian with a lack of self-restraint, never mind good manners.

God help her, she was thinking about Tristan again. She retrieved a tube of lipstick from her pocket and brought the mirror closer. After she painted her lips bright pink, she blotted the corner of her mouth with a peach-colored tissue.

Why did she give a damn about Tristan? Why did she care what he thought?

She refused to go there. “Snap damn,” she grumbled, tossing the gold tube on the nearby desk. “I care, dang it. I care a lot.”

“Hello there, sister-in-law,” Brock Sheldon said, sticking his head in the office. His large form practically took up the whole doorframe. “Is it safe to enter?”

“Of course,” she replied, forcing a smile.

“Trouble?”

“Why would you think that?”

“I saw several unhappy fellows outside. A couple of them seem downright distraught.”

She knew which two. “You shouldn’t worry about me. Trixie will kill you if she finds out you’re here. You know the club is open. Trixie has a rule. You and Rory know what it is. You can’t be here after the customers arrive unless she’s escorting you.”

“I think you have that backwards.” He released a hearty laugh. “Don’t worry. I came through the back door. Cazeron wanted to see you. He’s in the car.” A beat later, he added, “And Trixie knew I was stopping by. Why do you think I came through the emergency exit? She threatened to cut me off for a year if I walked out there without her draped around my shoulders.”

“Thata girl. I knew my sister was a smart lady.”

“I told Caz that his Aunt Ansley was very busy tonight, but he said all he wanted to do was tell you about his new pony. Can you run out to the car for just a minute? Trixie told me you were working, but we’ve had a hell of a time with him. He misses you stopping by to read bedtime stories.”

“I miss him, too,” she admitted, rushing through the kitchen. She passed Tristan on the way and turned all the way around to glare daggers in his direction. “I hope you’re proud of yourself,” she whispered, continuing her march toward the door without so much as a change in stride.

Once she spotted Caz, she was grateful for the interruptions. How horrible it would’ve been to have the Killian brothers sexing her one way and then another while her brother-in-law and nephew waited for her to reach a climactic moment.

“
Aunt Anzzley
!” Cazeron leapt from the backseat of the car once he saw her. In a matter of seconds, the little boy was in her arms. “Where have you been, Aunt Anzzley? Why haven’t you stopped by to see my pooooony? Why don’t you come and read bedtime storrries anymore? Don’t you love me anymore, Aunt Anzzley?”

His big blue eyes held a challenge in them. She could see through his innocent façade and wondered how much Trixie coached the little boy for her own benefit.

Two children were bound to take their toll, and Trixie wasn’t exactly mother material. Trixie probably missed her visits more than Cazeron, since Ansley often kept him overnight. Prior to Winter’s birth, she’d pick up Caz so her sister could make like a seductress and play with her two handsome husbands.

She pinched Cazeron’s cheeks. “Of course I’ve missed you! How come you haven’t been over here to see me? How come you haven’t called me about your pony? Don’t you love me anymore, little Cazeron?”

“You’re so silly,
Aunt Anzzley
. You know I love you. I love you more than the moon and stars and Jupiter and Mars.”

“More than Pluto and Saturn, too?” she asked, arching a brow.

“Of course!” he assured her, laughing.

“You do, don’t ’cha?” She twirled him around and around until she was as dizzy as the child in her arms appeared to be with his bobbling head. “Where would Aunt Ansley find Jupiter or Mars?” she asked, releasing him and watching him stagger about.

Cazeron looked at her with a blank expression. “You never told me.”

“I didn’t?” she asked, dumbfounded, glancing over at Brock, who looked quite amused. “Well, I imagine there’s a good reason for that.”

“What?” the little boy asked, obviously anxious to hear her reply.

“Well, for starters, I’m not sure myself. We’ll have to look for them on the North Carolina road map.”

“Oh, Lord help us,” Brock moaned, turning to shake hands with someone. Ansley looked away from Cazeron, focusing on the handsome—not to mention irritating—man at the other end of the handshake.

“I have a globe,” Cazeron said, blinking his eyes. “We can find Jupiter and the North Carolina roads there. Maybe you can show me where I live, too!” The little boy jumped up and down.

“Did your aunt give you the globe?” Tristan inquired, squatting in front of the child.

“Aunt Kimberly did. It’s blue. Aunt Anzzley can show me where to find Jupiter and Mars, ’cause it’s a round map.”

“Good luck with that,” Tristan said, laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Cazeron asked.

Tristan shrugged. “I’m just a happy man, Caz.” He glanced at Ansley.

“Aunt Anzzley makes everyone happy,” the little guy proudly announced.

Ansley’s breath caught in her chest. Either the time in the cooler was well spent or she’d curse the manufacturer of that restaurant equipment until her dying days. In either case, she and Tristan had come a long way in a short period of time, all because of a piece of malfunctioning restaurant equipment that forced them to acknowledge their feelings and reveal twisted emotions neither of them quite understood.

Brock winked, the only warning of a jab headed her way. She was about to become the butt of his joke. “You don’t have to ask if she’s a natural blonde or just plain dumb, huh?”

“Brock, don’t piss me off tonight.” A beat later, she looked at Caz and said, “Tell your daddy that I am not—listen to me—I am a natural blonde.”

Even little Caz shook his head when the men began to laugh. She winked at her nephew. “And I’m not just plain dumb either, okay?”

“No, you’re not,” Cazeron agreed.

“It was nice meeting you,” Tristan said, addressing Brock. “I saw your wife and daughter earlier today. With this fine-looking young man here and a beautiful baby, you and your wife are a lucky couple.”

Cazeron looked up all at once. “And Daddy Rory, too? Is he a lucky couple?”

Ansley scooped Caz into her arms and tickled him. “Yes, Daddy Rory is a lucky guy, too.” After she placed him in his car seat and fastened the safety belt, she kissed Brock’s cheek and waved good-bye.

She focused on the red taillights until the SUV disappeared into the night. “Don’t ask.”

“I can only guess. So good looks and good times run in the family?”

“Something like that.”

“I can hardly wait to meet the rest of your bunch then.”

“I wouldn’t anticipate a happy union, if I were in your shoes. The remaining crew includes Daddy Kane and Braden Daddy…two of my fathers.”

“Well at least the Cartwell women like pairs.”

Ansley faced him. “Actually, I have three dads, but Kane and Braden are the two you should worry about. Trixie has two men. Patience’s mother is committed to three fellas. Oh, and Patience, in case she didn’t tell you, recently began seeing two men, who are in the process of moving here. As it happens, they also want to introduce her to a few of their buddies, five of them in fact. Yes, read into that what you will. In other words, if you’re writing a book, you’ll have plenty of stories to fill the pages.”