Page 73 of Ruthless Beasts

“Belle, this is Genie. She puts together all our clothing for events.”

I reached out, shaking her hand. “Thank you for waiting. It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I promise you.” She smiled widely, friendly. “Mr. Ferrari informed me he would like you in something yellow and that he, Mr. Barrett, and Mr. Alexander are to be fitted in something to match. Are you in agreement?”

It took me a moment to realize she meant Ace and Mercer. I’d never put much thought into their last names since that first week in the house. I nodded, “If it’s as he wishes.”

“Ashewishes?” She laughed. “You and I both know that the men rarely have a choice in these things. You have the final say. He may pay the bill, but your happiness matters.”

“This is why Genie is irreplaceable,” Adam pointed out.

“Well…” I bit my lip, not wanting to go against what he said, but I was nervous. “Yellow wasn’t a color I would have thought of.”

“I hear you.” She smiled. “Except, with a beauty like yours, I would hate for it to get lost in the sea of blues, blacks, and reds that consume these events. I think yellow will go beautifully with your skin tone.”

She had a point. If Adam’s purpose was to show me off, yellow would surely grab the attention he sought. I didn’t like to be the center of attention, but clearly, I had no choice when I was with these men. “Can we have a backup option? Just in case?”

She threw her head back in a laugh. “Like you’ll need one.”

Well, at least she was confident in her work. There was that. I guess she would have to be to be on Adam’s payroll. He only seemed to hire the best. After all, he hired my best friend.

“I’ll leave you two to it, then.” He put his hand in his pocket. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. I’ll call in dinner. You’re welcome to do the fitting here, or in our bedroom. I have Hannah coming for her dress fitting as well.”

“Hannah?” My heart picked up. I had just been thinking of her.

“Max will let her in,” he confirmed. “I can’t have my lead bartender not dressed for the occasion, and if I remember correctly, her previous employer was subpar.”

I didn’t know what to say. I knew he was only including her for me, and I appreciated it. I also knew he wouldn’t admit to such consideration. These men were such softies, all while wielding weapons. Such a contradiction, but at least they were my contradiction.

“Thank you.” I closed the distance between us and stood on my toes. He automatically leaned down, offering me a quick kiss, and when I pulled away, I repeated, “Thank you.”

“I promise, little Belle, it’s for selfish reasons.”

Except, the look in Genie’s eyes only confirmed that he spoke the lies that I suspected. My smile was faint, not letting on that I was onto him. “Still. Thanks.”

Before he could say more, I turned to Genie, stretching my arms out. “Where do you want me?”

“Here is fine. Unless you want more privacy. But I could measure with what you have on.”

“Perfect.”

Adam disappeared as the doorbell rang, and a few minutes later, my best friend was escorted to the living room, a sulky Max trailing behind her. Hannah had no trouble being added to the mix, and the flurry of measuring began. While I opted for the yellow dress, designed with Adam’s insistence to be fit for a queen with sparkly rhinestones and lace, Hannah opted fora form-fitting pearl white silk number that I knew would look fantastic against her skin.

“Girl, you’re going to look so hot!” I promised Hannah as Genie cleaned up her supplies.

Ignoring the snort from Max, Hannah smiled widely. “I can’t wait. I’ve had nothing custom made before. Girl, your man is so fucking generous. You should see the place he set me up in. We can literally hang out every day once I’m fully moved in.”

Another huff from Max earned him a glare from us. He held his hands up like he was innocent, when we could all read the passive aggression coming from him. I turned back to Hannah. “Have you put in your notice for the other job?”

“Instantly. Adam – I mean, Mr. Ferrari has had me working my tail off training my crew and making sure everyone is compliant.” She sighed dreamily. “And Mr. Barrett has been training me.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Don’t get too dreamy.”

“Possessive much?” she teased.

When it came to those three men, yeah, I was. It was new to me. But I was willing to embrace it. “I just don’t want you to get attached, is all.”

“Attached to what?” Ace asked as he strolled into the room. He instantly went to me like a beacon, his hand wrapping around my hip as he leaned in to kiss my forehead. “Need help with your bags, Genie?”

---