Page 8 of Death and Donuts

“An extremely responsible person would also know it’s smarter not to quit a stable job with a steady income to chase a job with no guarantees,” I added.

Her humor turned into suspicion. “Are you talking about hunting or the amazing opportunity Cross laid at our feet earlier?”

“Cross’ offer, actually.”

“Why are you so against it?”

“I’m not. I’m being careful. At Blur, I know what I can financially count on from my wages and tips. With the new place, who knows how long it’ll be before it takes off? We’re splitting profits, Vena. How much capital do you think Cross needs to invest? How long before that investment is paid back and we’re profiting? It could be months, if not more than a year. That’s why there are business loans, right?”

“I don’t like ‘smart and safe’ Everly. I like ‘wild and fun and goes to clubs’ Everly,” Vena muttered.

“Pfft. You love all my sides, just like I love all of yours. And speaking of sides, have you noticed that Anchor and Cross are never in our house at the same time? They always wait for the other to leave. You know that means it won’t be possible for us to live with Cross to save money on rent so you can quit Blur sooner.”

She shot me a dark look. “Did you pick up a mind-reading charm?”

“You know there’s no such thing. I just know how your crazy works.”

I pulled into the employee parking lot and waved at Boulder, who was watching the back door.

“Besides, I know you’ve grown to love slinging cocktails here. Not as much as hunting, obviously, but I think you’d miss working here if you walked away.”

She rolled her eyes before getting out. It was her way of admitting I was right without saying it. Grinning, I followed her to the door.

“Are you thinking of quitting, Vena?” Boulder asked with a hint of worry in his gaze.

“Yeah, Vena. Are you?” I asked mischievously.

“You’re both terrible people,” she said, grabbing the door and opening it.

I grinned at Boulder to let him know everything was fine and hurried after her.

“Can you imagine what your days would look like? No Anchor eye candy for eight hours, followed by snuggle time.”

She scoffed. “What snuggle time? He hasn’t spent the night in over a week.”

“Oh-oh, someone needs a hug,” I said with a grin.

“No, someone needs an orgasm from something that doesn’t vibrate.”

I cringed and held up my hands.

“You win. I’m shutting up.”

“Too late for that,” Vena said with a glance over my shoulder.

I followed her gaze and saw Anchor standing there. His expression was hard to read. Even though he was a six foot three tower of chiseled muscle and a bouncer for the VIP section, when Vena was around, he looked nervous or unsure, which was Vena’s catnip. Right now, he looked a little tense and ready to pounce.

“Are you thinking of quitting, Vena?” he asked.

“Yes, I am. Why is that such a problem? I’m a grown woman and able to make my own decisions.”

“Is it because of me?”

She opened her mouth, and I clapped my hand over it.

“Sexually frustrated Vena has nothing nice to say right now. But I promise it’s not because of you. In fact, she was just asking how she could?—”

Her hand was then on my mouth, and I was gently pinned face-first into the locker a second later. I licked her palm.

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