Cavalier (Crimson Elite 1)

“No sex?” I ask again for clarification.

He wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Well, if you want it, all you have to do is ask.” He steps forward and I have to stop him with a hand to his chest. He pauses looking down at it. “You want to play hard to get?”

I drop my hand, stepping back. “No sex with you, Falcon. You can wait outside while I get dressed.”

“You don’t want me to watch, I mean, make sure you pick the correct outfit?”

“I’ve been dressing myself for years. I think I’ll be all right.” I smirk.

“Your loss,” he says as he walks out the door, leaving it open.

I run to my room and grab clothes, not even caring what they are. Just knowing they’re black and in line with my uniform. Pulling my hair up in a high bun, I slide my high-heeled boots on and when I walk out to Falcon, he’s on his cell.

“You’re the fastest woman I’ve ever known to get ready.”

I shrug my shoulders. “You need to stop playing with high-maintenance ones then.”

He leans down close to my ear. “Is that a challenge?”

I don’t even bother answering him as I make my way out front where his Hummer is parked. He doesn’t open the door for me, just unlocks it and I climb in.

“Detour,” he says smiling. Falcon drives in the opposite direction and heads off somewhere very familiar. When he stops out front of my old work, I look at him confused. “Meeting. Just come in and sit pretty for five while I swoon.”

I roll my eyes, jumping out and following him inside. Tracey looks up the minute we walk in and her eyes narrow in on me. Falcon keeps walking to the larger group of men sitting in the corner who are talking and smoking cigars. Falcon sits down near them.

“What the hell.”

I sit down on the stool knowing what’s to come. I’ve been ignoring her calls for the last week, not wanting to deal with her questions and my life.

“Where have you been?”

“Eating ice cream,” I tell her honestly.

Her nose scrunches up as she leans forward, her hand covering mine. “Did he break your heart?”

I shake my head, because he didn’t. We aren’t at that stage, but he did hurt me. More than I care to realize.

“It just ended weirdly.” Yeah, that’s an understatement.

“Well, at least you got to keep your job.” She smiles trying to make lemonade out of lemons. If she only knew how awful those lemons are. She wouldn’t have said that if she knew, she’d encourage me to quit.

Billy walks out calling for Tracey, his eyes find mine, and I smile at him. Getting up, I walk over, and he easily lets me into the kitchen. I take my usual position on the bench. I used to enjoy coming in here when nights were crazy, he’d whip me something to calm my nerves so I could go back out.

“How’s work?” He starts fidgeting as he plays with pastry, his eyes looking over me but the door’s shut.

“Billy?” I ask him confused.

He looks up to me, and then his mouth opens. “It was only once, maybe twice.”

I look at him confused. That’s when I realize Tracey—who blushed when he opened the door, and it wasn’t because she was flustered—and Billy got together. I start laughing, tears stream down my cheeks and the door is pushed open. Tracey looks at me confused.

“You and Billy?”

She looks to him glaring before she walks back out the door, slamming it behind her.

“Do you think it’s funny she would want me?” That makes me stop straight away. “I’m not that bad, El.”

I shake my head, wiping the tears in my eyes. “You aren’t. I’m sorry. It was just—unexpected is all.” I smile up at him.

“It wasn’t meant to happen, I don’t even know how it did happen.”

“Well, usually your dick goes into her—”

He holds up a hand. “I know what to do in that department, believe it or not.”

I nod, I don’t need the details. “So, is it serious?”

He shrugs. “It happened the other night, she won’t even look at me now.” He seems hurt.

“Tracey is—well, Tracey needs—um, just give her time.” I don’t even know what to say to that. “I hope it works out, Billy. Really I do.”

He smiles before he goes back to his pastry, turning and kneading it. He lifts up a Danish and hands it to me before I walk out.

Tracey’s standing behind the bar with a faraway look on her face like she’s in a daze. Not caring that I don’t work here anymore, I walk up behind her making her jump as I touch her.

“Seems you’ve been keeping something from me.”

Her cheeks go bright red. “You didn’t answer, I told you I was trying to call you,” she says quickly, releasing a hefty breath at the end. She looks behind me to make sure he isn’t there before she speaks. “He was good, El. Like, oh my God, good. I don’t even know how it happened. It just kind of did. He’s too young, right? I shouldn’t want to, right?” She looks at me for all the answers.