Owned: A Mafia Menage Romance(114)
She blew out a long breath.
“Yeah, well, about that…”
I said nothing. Let her suffer.
“I may have been harsh.”
Silence.
“But you still love me,” she insisted. “That’s the beauty of you.”
“I do?” I asked. “Because I also remember asking you for some help saving my fucking house, and you told me I was too risky a bet.”
“Did I do that?”
“Oh yeah, you did.”
“I don’t think I meant it like that.”
More silence.
“OK, I’m sorry,” she finally whined. “I’m sorry! I was 200% cooze and I apologize. You’re the tops. You’re the coliseum. I am dogmeat.”
“That’s better.”
“And you didn’t lose your house anyway.”
“No thanks to you.”
I listened to her smoking like it was a commercial break.
“How, uh, did you manage to swing that anyhow?”
I shrugged. A million Margots shrugged back at me.
“I pulled some things together. I’m resourceful.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the Burke situation would it?”
“Nope,” I lied, easily.
She wouldn’t understand, I counselled myself.
“Well, then this is a congratulatory dinner. Let’s celebrate you not being homeless.”
I chuckled and shook my head, watching my reflection.
“Yeah. OK. Well, I guess I’m going to the store. You wanna come?”
“No fucking way. So! What do I need to wear to get some of your sloppy seconds?”
“Um, what?”
“The man-meat you’re hiding up there in shangri-la.”
“Oh… about that…”
I heard her suck her teeth and I swear I heard her roll her eyes.
“Bridge, I’m just going to tell you straight out.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “The Burkes are… staying.”
“What does that mean?”
I blew my breath through puffed out cheeks. “We are, like, together.”
“OK,” she said definitively, but then there was a pause. “OK,” she said again. While she mulled this over I turned around, trying to see myself from every direction. The paint I had managed to splatter on myself was distracting, but I looked to be love-bite free. Declan’s enthusiasm had me a little worried.
“Since when?”
“Since… uh…” I searched my memory. The weeks had flown by in a flurry of work and Burkes, rolling together into one long day of food, sex, painting, more sex, and then some sex. “I don’t know. We were just… at some point it was easier for them just to stay here.”
“They’re not living with you,” she said briskly.
I didn’t answer.
“Wait, are they living with you?”
“Not exactly? I mean, I guess they don’t really ‘live’ anywhere. They’re, uh… staying with me.”
“Where are they right at this moment?”
“Um,” I whispered, “asleep. In bed.”
“In your bed? Like… together?”
I stifled a giggle. Though Declan had bought a new larger bed weeks ago to replace my old queen-size, the novelty of all sleeping in one bed still hadn’t worn off. I loved being pressed between their bodies all night long.
“I’m getting a lot of work done,” I offered.
“Don’t change the subject,” she snipped.
“Well, that’s all you really need to know. Like, a lot of work. Really good stuff I think.”
“Do they pay you for sex?”
“Fuck you,” I hissed, harsher than I meant too.
“It’s just that sometimes girls who are into the freaky shit get paid for it, you know. As your business manager I think it’s my duty--”
“Seriously, shut up.”
“Fine, whatever you say. Margot...” she said, her voice softening. “You know, I think I need to come over. Nowish.”
“No, you can’t. I have to go and shop for my foodie friend and like fourteen more people or something.”
Another long pause. I really wanted to get away from this conversation. Everything was going fine and I didn’t need her monkeywrench. “Bridge, what. Spit it out.”
“I’m starting to think this is a bad idea,” she rushed out.
“Oh it’s a little late for that,” I chuckled.
“No, seriously, babe. Something doesn’t feel right about this. And you know if I think it’s funny business--”
“Since you have the morals of an alley cat?” I interrupted helpfully.
“Precisely,” she agreed. “If your ethical limbo bar has somehow sunk below mine, I just think you should maybe check yourself.”