But maybe it wasn’t.
Calloway pulled me into his side and pressed his lips against my temple. “You’re my whole world, Rome.” He left his mouth in place as he held me, the scent of his natural, masculine fragrance washing over me. “The way you make me feel… Sometimes it scares me.”
“It scares me too.”
He kissed my temple again. “I guess we can be scared together.”
8
Calloway
I was at Ruin doing the books that night because I hadn’t made an appearance in over a week. Rome was the center of my universe, and naturally, I let my other responsibilities slip away. Jackson was too much of an idiot to be of much help, so everything fell on my shoulders. Thankfully, he wasn’t there that night. If he were, he would have given me shit about Rome for an hour straight.
Christopher texted me, my phone lighting up with his name.
What did he want?
I swiped the screen and saw his message.
I need to call in a bro-code favor.
I’d never heard of such a thing. I’m listening.
I’m at the bar right now. I’ve got two women on the hook who want to see my pad. This is my first threesome, and I CAN’T fuck it up.
You need me to teach you how to be with two women? I smiled just before I sent the message. My affection for Rome only grew the more I got to know her adoptive brother. I liked him a great deal, and he made my life so much easier.
Fuck you, asshole. I need you to get Rome out of the apartment. She said she was staying in tonight.
He’d never had a problem telling his sister to take a hike before. Why don’t you just tell her?
Because she’s my roommate. It’s her home too. I can’t kick her out whenever I want. It would be different if she was just crashing on my couch. And you owe me a favor, man. Whatever plans you have, cancel them.
Whoa, what? I don’t owe you shit. Last time I checked, I hooked him up with a great apartment in a prime location. You have a sweet apartment because of me.
That I can’t keep until she decides to move out. And it doesn’t seem like she’s leaving anytime soon. So, back to the original subject, can you take her out to dinner or something? Just get her out of my hair, alright?
I had no problem spending time with Rome. I was just caught up in a few things at Ruin. I’ll ask her to sleep over.
Thanks. I need her out of there in thirty minutes. My ladies are ready to leave.
I’ll do my best.
You’ll get it done, man. We’re talking about a threesome here. That’s like the Nobel prize for pigs.
I rolled my eyes and shoved my phone into my pocket. I’d have to come in sometime tomorrow and finish the books. It would be easier to hire someone, but I didn’t trust anyone to handle my finances. That was something my father taught me. I hated to admit it, but he was right.
I left the office and came face-to-face with Isabella. Thin, with a slender neck and a petite waistline, she looked like she was wasting away. She had lost more weight than she could afford, but her hair was just as silky and her features just as beautiful. The only reason she would be back here was if she was heading to my office. “Good evening, Isabella.” I locked the door behind me so she wouldn’t be tempted to fuck up my office. Breakups always led to bitter people. We had ended our arrangement nearly six months ago, but she still hadn’t gotten over it. When I compared my thoughts and feelings for Rome to how I acted toward Isabella, I wasn’t sure how Isabella got so attached to me. I wasn’t even that nice to her—not like I was to Rome.
“Good evening, Calloway.” In a black cocktail dress that hugged her tits together and showed her cleavage line, she looked stunning. Every man in that club wanted to get her on her knees, her ass in the air.
But I couldn’t care less. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Still seeing that little whore?”
My eyes narrowed in offense, and I had the urge to grab her by the throat—but not because I was aroused. “Talk about her like that again, and I’ll ban you from Ruin. You’re lucky I haven’t done it already.”
She pouted her lips in mock apology. “I thought being a whore was a good thing?”
It was hard to believe I ever cared about Isabella. Now, she just annoyed the shit out of me. “What do you want, Isabella? I’m very busy.”
“Just wanted to see if you’re still happy being her boyfriend.” She emphasized the final word like it was an insult. “Wanted to check to see if you were tired of the same flavor every single night—vanilla.”