“No, I met him at Bastian’s,” he continued. “It’s a sex club.”
She didn’t looked shocked at that, which irritated him.
“Joe saw that I needed control in sexual situations, but back then, I wasn’t so good at it. I fumbled a lot. Joe took me under his wing and taught me how to have that control and still make sure the woman came out as satisfied as I was.”
“So, what he and you…” She trailed off and wiggled her eyebrows at him.
“No!” he hissed. “I’m not into men. I already told you that. They don’t do a thing for me.”
“So then what did he do exactly?”
“He and I shared women,” Nikoli told her. “He showed me how to control the situation, how to be the person I am in the bedroom today. He showed me how to be dominant and gain submission. Some of the things we’ve seen at Bastian’s…” He shook his head, disgusted. “Neither Joe or I are into pain. I mean some people are, and that’s fine if that is what they need, but I would never hurt a woman. It gives me no pleasure. It’s why Joe decided to help me. He saw that I was struggling with how to be dominant without hurting someone. We’ve been friends since that first night, but we’ve been like brothers for a long time.”
“Ah, here is my beautiful girl,” Joe’s voice interrupted them. “Now, tell me, what has Nikoli done to cause my girl to cry?”
Lily looked up to see the concern and the anger in Joe’s face. She wondered what was going through his head. He seemed so upset she’d been crying. She and Nikoli had been in together several times over the last few weeks, and Joe had taken to calling her his girl. It always rankled Nikoli, and now she was beginning to see why. They’d shared women before. What did that say about his feelings for her? Did he even have any?
“Nikoli didn’t do anything,” she said. “I was upset about something, and he made it better.”
“A soul as beautiful as yours should never have cause to cry,” Joe told her, smiling. A low growl emanated from Nikoli, which he ignored. “Anyone who would hurt you will answer to me.”
“That’s my job, Joe.” Nikoli’s voice came out low, hard, and cold.
“And did whomever did this answer for it?” Joe turned his attention to Nikoli.
“Yes.”
That one simple word satisfied Joe, and his smile returned. “Bueno. Now, I have a special today, something that isn’t on the menu normally. Would you like to try it?”
“What is it?” Nikoli asked suspiciously, which caused Joe to burst out laughing.
“The last time I convinced him to try something, it burnt his mouth so badly, he drank three gallons of water,” Joe explained when he saw Lily staring at them curiously. “He doesn’t trust me now.”
“So what are you wanting us to try?” she asked, smiling at Nikoli’s disgruntled expression.
“Es estofado de carne.”
“Beef stew?” she asked.
“Well, it’s more complicated than a simple beef stew.” Joe winked. “Think beef stew, but Cuban style.”
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“Bring it on.” She laughed. “I’m willing to try it.”
“Excelente.” Joe grinned. “I’ll bring you both a bowl of it.”
Nikoli muttered something Lily didn’t quite catch, but it made her laugh, which earned her a glare. She smiled all the more at his exasperated expression. She was feeling more like herself now. Her muscles had relaxed, and she wasn’t ready to run screaming for the door. Nikoli had kept his word too. He hadn’t attempted to touch her in any way. He never lied to her. Maybe that was part of why she trusted him, part of why she never had a panic attack when he touched her. It was weird, and she didn’t really understand it, but as Adam always said, it was what it was.
“So, Luther said you guys were gonna work on the Mach 1 this week. Your race is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s about a month away. It doesn’t need much work, but we want to modify the engine just a little more than it is.”
“Do you want some help?”
Nikoli’s eyes snapped up and he saw her smiling at him. Was she serious?
“You really want to get all dirty and greasy?” he asked.
She laughed. “I’m more comfortable under the hood of a car than anywhere else. My dad taught me, and I just kept learning even after he died. Adam has had enough junkers over the years to keep me on my game.”
Nikoli grinned at the image of Lily under the hood of his car, her ass sticking out for him to admire. He started to get ideas about lessons he could teach her involving his car.