Seven Roses (Haremworld)

“Samantha...” Axe walked towards me with a smile on his face and knelt down beside my chair. “I saw how special you were when I met you. I wanted you all to myself and I’ll admit it was a bit greedy considering how things are in Granite Falls, but what Mayor Danvers is proposing could be a wonderful arrangement for you. Imagine—you’ll never wake up wondering if you’re loved—never have to worry about the complexities of life. Everything will be provided for you and we will shower you with love and affection.”

“This seems really strange.” I looked at Axe and tilted my head. “Is this because I didn’t sleep with you? I’m a virgin, Axe. I can’t climb into bed with someone I just met...”

“Wow...” Sheriff James whistled through his teeth. “You really are special.”

“Something brought you to Granite Falls.” Axe took my hand rubbed my knuckles. “There is a reason you’re here. Let us show you how amazing life could be for you.”

“I can’t do this.” I pulled my hand away. “I need to go.”

“Here.” Mayor Danvers quickly wrote something on a piece of paper. “Come have dinner with us tonight. No strings attached—just a meal.”

“I don’t know.” I sighed heavily, but took the paper.

MY MIND WAS RATTLED with confusion when I left City Hall. I couldn’t believe they had actually asked me to remain in Granite Falls and partake in their strange arrangement. I felt like I needed a drink, but I didn’t want to go to The Water Barn so I just stopped at the gas station and got a cheap bottle of wine. I got back to my hotel room and locked the door, drinking from it as soon as my butt was on the bed.

My life hadn’t exactly gone as I had planned. I dreamed of growing up, finding a nice man, getting married, and raising a tribe of our babies. I was content with the idea of being a soccer mom. I met a man online while I was still in college and I thought he was the one—even if he was nothing but an image on the computer screen. I later found out he was just a guy I went to school with who was obsessed with me and he didn’t look anything like his profile picture. I didn’t believe anyone should be judged for their looks, but the deceit was too much for me to handle. I didn’t feel like I could trust him when I realized I had been lied to for over a year. After that, I had a series of bad dates—some of which could have been better if I wasn’t scared of losing my virginity to someone who would end up hurting me.

Drink. Forget this and just drink.

The wine kept flowing into my stomach, a bigger gulp going down each time I turned the bottle up, and before long it was empty. I couldn’t deny being a bit infatuated with the idea of Axe liking me. He was incredibly delicious, even if he did venture on the wrong side of the law. Mayor Danvers looked like he was a cardboard cutout of the perfect clean-cut man and if I met him first, I would have probably considered a date with him if he asked. Sheriff James was a bit older than the two of them, but age hadn’t done anything to distract from his appearance. I wasn’t even sure if the mayor was suggesting they would be the only ones to take care of me or if he was looping in others I had met. Steve, the sheriff’s brother, was hot—so was his friend Major, but both of them seemed a bit damaged. None of it made sense. I put the wine bottle on the table and saw the piece of paper with the address Mayor Danvers gave me.

Would it hurt to have dinner with them? Am I actually considering this crazy proposal?

I stood up and found my knees wobbly as I opened my suitcase. It was like someone else picking out my clothes and leading me towards the mirror to get dressed. In my head, I rationalized what I was doing. If I had dinner with them, I could show them I was nothing more than a timid virgin who couldn’t possibly fulfill their fantasies. I could put all of the craziness behind me and leave Granite Falls once my tire was fixed. Once I was dressed in the only decent thing I brought, a black dress with matching heels, I started towards the door. I felt a bit buzzed, but after clacking down the stairs in heels, it had started to wear off.

I walked outside and started to look around for my car—it was gone! Panic quickly rose up in my throat. Had it been stolen? Was this more of their game—to make sure I came to dinner? I turned to go back into the lobby when I saw a car pull up. The window rolled down and saw the face of Luther Madison peering out of it.

“Do you need a ride?” He flashed a smile and pushed open the passenger door.

“What? Where is my car?” I took a step back.

“Steve had it towed. It’ll be fixed tomorrow. Come to dinner, Samantha. If you don’t like what we have to say, you can leave Granite Falls tomorrow.” He gave me a hopeful stare.

“You’re in on this too?” I felt my mouth fall open in shock.

“Just give it a chance—one meal.” He smiled again.

I can’t believe I’m doing this.

Chapter 6: Mayor Joe Danvers

Being the youngest mayor of Granite Falls wasn’t easy. When my predecessor retired, I was left with mismanaged budgets and taxes that were rarely collected. Putting things back together had taken a toll on me. I just accepted that I would never find love, settle down, or have a family. It wasn’t like there were any candidates on the love ballot. Granite Falls was the kind of place where people just forgot about love, affection, and even their lust. I felt a change in the atmosphere when Samantha Grant rolled into town. It was more than Axe’s ego or Sheriff James’ desire to put him away for good. It transcended Steve’s thin line where he tried to balance being Axe’s friend and Jesse’s brother. It even seemed to calm the turmoil inside Major. Very few of them spent any time with Samantha, yet she was all they were talking about when we had gathered at City Hall to discuss what was on our mind. Blue’s arrival with interest on his breath stronger than the alcohol he normally put away by the gallon wasn’t nearly as surprising as watching our preacher, Luther Madison come through the door. It was clear that all seven of us only had one thought on our mind—Samantha. Our interactions were limited, but all of us craved her.

“Is she even coming?” Blue poured a shot and downed it which caused Axe to push his glass towards the bottle.

“She’ll come.” Axe tipped his glass back once Blue filled it.

“We’re all clear on what we’re offering here?” I walked to the middle of the room and looked around the group.

The collective nod combined with a few verbal confirmations echoed through the room. I knew it was an odd request but if the seven of them had been willing to consider it, then I hoped Samantha would as well. Luther agreed to go get her while the rest of us worked on making dinner. The old house at the edge of town was the perfect place for her to live and big enough for all of us to stay there. Very few people came out that way except for Sheriff James when he was checking in on the place. That would help quell the gossip some, although I wasn’t concerned about it as much as I should have been as an elected official. I felt like Samantha was worth that risk. When I heard Luther’s car in the driveway, I got everyone in position around the dinner table and waited for them to enter the house. Samantha had a stare of uncertainty on her face when she walked in and I understood it, but I hoped we could give her some semblance of peace about the situation. Luther led her to the chair at the opposite end of the table from me and took a seat. She looked around the room for a moment.

“Thank you for joining us.” I raised my glass to her and all of the others did as well. “To Samantha.”

“To Samantha.” The reply was almost unison, but it wasn’t perfect.

“Samantha, I’d like to start with having the group talk a little bit about their experience in Granite Falls, why they’re interested in this arrangement, and then allow you to ask any questions you may have.” I sipped my drink and put it down.

“Okay...” She seemed nervous, but agreed.