Page 101 of Saved By My Buyers

“Ugh, you’re such an instigator,” I tease her as we leave the apartment.

Once we’re in the truck and Jack begins driving toward our next destination, I shift in my seat. The toy has weight inside of me, and every time I move, it lights up more nerve endings.

Swallowing a whimper, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when it’s on. “How do you know Sullivan?” I ask, in an effort to distract myself.

Smiling knowingly, Jack says, “l met him through a small business owners networking event downtown a few months ago. We hit it off, and he told me he needed to revamp his security procedures, because there are many times where the paparazzi will try to camp out, or infiltrate his business.”

“Really? They’re that soulless?” I ask, wide eyed. “I couldn’t imagine infringing on their privacy like that.”

“Oh yeah,” Jack grunts. “Sullivan has guard detail now and security cameras, so I feel confident that you’ll be safe there. I know you need to do your thing, but I also worry.”

“I appreciate that,” I tell him. “I could tell myself that there’s nothing to worry about or it’s all in my head, but I know it’s not.”

“I’m going to hire an investigator to look into Gareth,” Jack says suddenly. “I’ve been telling myself I’ll have Greg look into it, but he’s been really busy helping a client. Brady can also poke at his finances, maybe find a way into his computer network. I hate seeing you still jumping at shadows, especially when I know it’s for a reason.”

“I just want to know if he's still looking for me, or if he saw that ‘Dahlia’ is dead,” I say. “I don’t know how effective this will all be unless he believes it.”

“You’re right, so I’m going to start working on it from my end, until he can free up some time, and you can enjoy your new life,” Jack says, pulling into street parking.

“Okay,” I say with a deep breath. There’s so many moving parts to this, and I am grateful for all the man hours everyone is putting into helping me.

“Thank you for looking into it. I keep thinking I’m going to walk down the street and run into him.”

“You are still within the statute of limitations if you want to go to the police,” he reminds me, though his face says he knows I’ll turn it down.

“Gareth versus the street urchin whose mother he married,” I mutter with a strangled sound. “I don’t think I’ll have a chance. I’m over eighteen, he can’t force me to live with him, but I don’t doubt that he’d threaten my mother in an attempt to do what he wants. Money talks.”

“So does mine, baby,” Jack says with a smirk, getting out of the car, to run around the truck, to open the door. I leave my phone in the cup holder, knowing Bee can get ahold of Jack if she needs to.

After so long of being without a phone, it feels weird to have it attached to me.

Getting out of the vehicle, I balance well on my heels as I move out of the way, so Jack can close the door behind me. Taking my arm, he locks up, walking me into Torrento’s. It appears to be some kind of bar and restaurant that has Italian food.

I keep my hair around my face as I walk, my head held high. It’s a battle to stay anonymous, despite the knowledge that this street and buildings have various forms of surveillance.

“Breathe, baby. You’re doing great.” Jack rumbles as he opens the door for me.

The hostess gives us a smile, her eyes on Jack as she speaks to him. “Table for two?” she asks, and Jack simply pulls me closer to him as if to shield him.

Now I know why he brings a date to his work engagements.

“No, my girlfriend and I are meeting Sullivan Hayes tonight. The table should be under his name,” Jack says smoothly.

My body is against his hard chest, his hands flexing on my waist. I want to tip my head back to look at him, my eyes asking questions about his statement, but I resist. I didn’t think we were using labels, and while it gives me all the warm and fuzzies, I don’t want to give him problems with the media or his work due to my age.

My history is less of a factor now that I have my new identity, which is one of the only reasons I smile at the hostess, my body relaxed in front of Jack. It’s not her fault she misread the room, and the man behind me is absolutely gorgeous.

As her face falls and she turns to take us to our table, Jack’s lips press against the shell of my ear. “I realized as I said it that I like the way it feels to call you my girlfriend,” he murmurs. “It’s not my fault I have two beautiful women who are all mine. I hope you’re alright with this, because claiming you is becoming my new favorite addiction.”

Shivering at his words in excitement, I decide being claimed by Bee and Jack is fast becoming my new favorite pastime.

Chapter Twenty

Jack

“Hey, Sullivan,” I say easily as we slide into the booth in the corner of the restaurant. It’s not too busy for a Wednesday night. Hopefully Dolly will be able to relax a little bit while we’re here. “I brought someone for you to meet.”

To his credit, there’s curiosity in his gaze, but no more. “Are you planning on fixing my front desk staffing issue?” he asks. “I should have known when I mentioned it to Elira this morning, that you’d save me the hassle of listing the advertisement for the job opening.”

---