Page 17 of Second Chances with my Billionaire Bosses

The three of them had looked up at me and I could see how haunted they were in the reflection of the fire in their eyes. Older than me by around fourteen years, I had no business sneaking out to see them. Once I was there, though, I knew I wasn’t leaving until I made sure they were okay. I fed them from my basket and hurried around them, cleaning up the empty cans and bottles, along with the cigarette butts they’d smoked. I’d never seen them smoke before so that had shocked me. They’d stretched out by the fire, seemingly content to watch me. Until watching wasn’t enough.

It was Arlo who moved first. Arlo, the most stoic out of the three of them, had cracked before his best friends and he’d done it by catching my hand when I moved past him and tugging me into his lap. I’d fallen with all the grace of a foal just out of the womb but then I was in his lap, his hands on my waist, the waist that was supposedly too big to catch a husband, according to my mom. He’d stared into my eyes for what felt like an eternity, his eyes so dark and with my body blocking the fire, they appeared black.

I should’ve gotten up. That’s what a good girl would’ve done. For just five seconds, I didn’t want to be a good girl, though. I wanted to be the fire that burned in his eyes. Instead of scrambling out of his lap, I moved my hands from his shoulders to his neck and leaned forward, offering myself to him. I didn’t know what I was doing but I wanted a kiss. When Arlo groanedand closed the gap between our mouths, I’d whimpered. I’d never felt anything like it. His rough beard around my mouth, his tight grip on my waist, the hardness I was sitting on, it was explosive.

I struggled to keep up with his mouth, trying to mimic what he was doing to me, but he growled and nipped my bottom lip, forcing me to hesitate. Then he absolutely plundered my mouth. I was floating into the clouds overhead, my heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. They moved almost as one as Shep and Rhett moved closer and Shep pulled my mouth from Arlo’s to kiss me himself. I had my first kiss on the laps of three grown men who tasted like tobacco, whiskey, and the chocolate muffins I’d brought over.

Shep’s kisses had been playful but when Rhett pulled me into his lap, the play was gone. He pulled me over his lap so I was straddling him and he held my head in his hands while he kissed me out of this world and back again. He bent me backwards and I’d rocked against the hardness under me, seeking relief for the ache between my thighs, when Arlo snapped out of whatever daze he’d been in.

That quickly, the kisses were finished. I hadn’t worried, though. I’d been kissed by my crushes and I was floating with the clouds. They’d gone quiet but that hadn’t worried me, either. I was too young and dumb to read the meaning behind the campfire so they’d sat there, getting drunker and drunker, while I imagined what life with the three of them would be like. I wasn’t even giving the dream space for my parents’ disapproval. That was how much I wanted them.

When the three of them were hammered enough to pass out that night, I’d used all of my strength to get them inside their small guest cabin. I struggled with each of their massive bodies and then silently pulled their shoes off and tucked them into their beds. I’d even left glasses of water on the nightstands nextto the bed, worried about how they’d feel when they woke up. I’d pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads and I’d snuck back home with the childish notion that the next morning would be the start of the rest of my life, a life I’d planned instead of dreaming that night.

They didn’t come to breakfast the next morning, though. With a growing sense of worry, I’d packed another basket of goodies and rushed to their cabin in time to find them loading up the jeep they’d arrived in. The back gate was rusty and it screamed when Arlo slammed it shut, having just loaded the last of their bags. They’d been surprised to see me. Then, they’d been quiet. Quiet was bad, I quickly learned. Then came the hit. They barely remembered the night before but whatever they’d done, they were too drunk to know any better and it would never, ever,everhappen again. They’d emphasized just how thoroughly it would never happen again until it was almost cruel and I had to bite a chunk out of my tongue to keep from sobbing. All my dreams and heart filled doodles crashed and burned.

They’d shown me once that taking risks with your heart was stupid. It ended in pain. I learned that breaking the rules and daring to dream bigger than my parents wanted me to was a bad idea. That was a lesson I learned time and time again towards the end of my mom’s life. It was better to follow the rules and stay small, invisible. Do for everyone else and never complain. Veering from that meant pain. They’d shown me emotional pain but later I’d learned a different, physical pain. One that cemented the conclusion I’d come to that morning after our kiss. It was better to stay in line and do what I was supposed to.

CHAPTER 13

Maxie

I slept like crap and then woke up extra early to cook two different breakfasts. It was the morning I took breakfast to one of the local groups who’d asked me for the donation. I laid breakfast out for the Hellstone Ranch and packed up enough to carry to the new ranch for the guys. Then I loaded up the things I’d made to carry to Samantha Drury’s Baptist Women morning meeting. It was too much to carry on Bob so I took my old car and drove into town. It felt like no one else in the world was awake yet and I rolled my windows down to let the chilled morning air rush in and tangle my hair. It was a close second to how riding Bob felt.

I pulled over in front of the Third Baptist Church, named that despite there being no first or second Baptist church in town, and looked at my phone for the time. I was early by a few minutes and Samantha was typically late. Movement from across the street caught my attention and I watched Sugar Moore struggle to climb over the fence behind Steve Samson’s house. From where I was parked, I could tell that Sugar looked like she was doing a walk of shame and a giddy little part of myself, way down deep, imagined what it would be like to call Vera and gossip about it. We didn’t do that, though. I wasn’t even sure Vera liked me.

Sugar finally made it over the fence and she stopped to look around before taking off at a sprint down the street, in the opposite direction to me. I’d heard Vera talking about Sugar and Steve and it seemed like she was right. That, or Sugar had just murdered Steve and was sneaking away after getting it done. Shewasa dentist, after all.

Before I could condemn the older woman as a murderer, Samantha’s face appeared in my window, causing me to jump. I swallowed down a scream and got out to help carry in the food.

“Thanks, Maxie. You’re a real doll.” Samantha carried one box while I carried the other four. She walked ahead of me, her big hair bouncing with every step. “Speaking of… Have you heard about that club your sister started? Doll’s something or another? Do you know anything about it? I’m trying to get enough information to shut it down. This town has enough dark influences; we shouldn’t have to worry about women going crazy and whipping off their clothes, too.”

I didn’t like lying but I wasn’t going to help Samantha take down a group that Vera and Nellie both seemed to love. They’d even invited me to join them. Not that I would ever, but still.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t heard anything.”

She shot me a look but didn’t argue.

“Oh! While I have you here, I need your help with something.”

I put all the boxes of baked goods down on the entry table and subtly rolled my sore shoulders.

“What is it?”

“It’s a petition. I know we try this every year, but I think we’re going to make it happen this year. You know why?” She held out the easily recognizable petition and grinned at me. “Because we’re going to have you!”

My face paled. The women’s group Samantha was in charge of wanted to change the name of the town and all subsequent schools and mascots. They felt Devil’s Den was sacrilege and that the school mascot, the Devils, was spitting in the face of god. Devil’s Den got its name from my family, though, and I didn’t see anything wrong with it. Changing it would be expensive and a waste of time.

“The blessing of you still being single and without kids is that you have more time to donate to good causes! I know you’ve got the time, Maxie. We just need your help making baked goodies to hand out and it would also really help if a Hellstone family member joined our forces.” She grabbed my arm and squeezed.“It’s brilliant, right? I already told the girls you’d help. Of course, you’ll help. You’re Maxie. You always help.”

“Um… How many baked goods were you thinking?” How did I get out of it? I wanted to flee but the same old anxiety that told me if I walked away, she’d hate me filled me with dread. I didn’t want anyone to hate me.

“Oh, a couple hundred a day for a week or so. Nothing crazy!”

I took a step backwards and gripped my hands together behind my back. I’d moved on from my palms to my cuticles when my palms hurt too much. Four fingers were already bloody.

“Oh, um…”

“It’s a good plan, right?! Thanks, Maxie! You’re amazing.” She patted my shoulder. “Are you staying for the meeting? It’ll probably be boring to you, since it’s just family talk. We love to complain about the husbands.”

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