Page 8 of His Ruthless Obsession

"Under control?" Skye sets her phone down. "That's all you're giving us? Come on, spill the real tea."

I stir cream into my coffee, buying time. A part of me is annoyed when they gang up on me, giving I introduced them all. What a freaking great idea that was.

I've known Kendra since high school, having grown up in the same neighborhood. But I met Skye in a college internship, and when Kendra came to visit, having decided to leave Chicago for school, she and Skye instantly hit it off.

Mikayla, on the other hand, grew up in the quiet, softer town just outside the city. But she came to school here in Chicago and we met two years ago when she moved into my building after getting a job in the city. Surprisingly, she fits in well with the trio I had before.

But right now. I'm not loving the tight knit group.

I sigh. "What do you want me to say? Some people had too much to drink, things got heated."

"Mhmm." Kendra crosses her arms. "And I'm sure your fine-ass boss had nothing to do with it?"

"Can we talk about something else?" I take a long sip of coffee. "Like how amazing these new menu items look?"

"Oh no you don't." Skye reaches across the table, snatching my menu. "You got that look."

"What look?"

"That 'I'm hiding something juicy' look," Mikayla chimes in. "Your nose does this little scrunch thing when you're keeping secrets."

I manage to at least put my order in, trying to ignore my nosy friends as I do. Maybe I should get it to go.

"My nose does not scrunch." I touch my face self-consciously.

"There it is!" They all laugh in unison.

"You guys are impossible." I grab a piece of bacon from Kendra's plate. "Nothing happened. Just some business drama that got resolved."

"Business drama that had half the club ducking for cover?" Kendra snatches her plate back. "Get your own bacon, and stop playing. We know there's more to this story."

I shift in my seat, uncomfortable with how close they're getting to the truth. "The club's still standing, nobody got hurt, and that's what matters."

"You are not holding out on us like that!" Sky snaps, ripping the bacon from my hand. "Tell us now."

"Skye-"

She holds my bacon hostage just out of reach, and I look to Kendra, who just shrugs, and Mikayla, who gives me a shy smile. No one is on my side here.

I drop my head into my hands. "Fine. You want the truth? There was a bit of a territory problem between two crime families and Nerio dealt with it. By beating the shit out of the guys."

They all stared at me wide-eyed, and I nod. "Yeah. And I know the man is hot. Like, illegally attractive. And maybe it shouldn't be hot, but seeing him handle the club was. And yeah, maybe I've noticed the way he looks at me sometimes."

"Girl, no." Kendra slams her mimosa down. "Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking anything!" My voice rises defensively. "Having eyes isn't a crime. And it's not like I'm going to do anything about it. He's my boss, and that's where it stays."

Skye leans back, a calculating gleam in her eye. "Why not have some fun with it? Men like that, they're good for a good time. Just don't catch feelings."

"Are you insane?" Kendra whips around. "Did you miss the part where his 'business meeting' ended with someone going through a door?"

Mikayla touches my arm. "Maybe there's more to him than that. You say he's nice and cares about his staff, right? That can't mean he's all bad."

"Being polite doesn't cancel out dangerous." Kendra points her fork at me. "Jazz, baby girl, I've known you since we were kids. You deserve better than getting mixed up with someone like that."

"Mixed up with what? I told you, nothing's happening." I stab at my waffle. "Can't a woman appreciate a fine specimen without everyone acting like I'm planning our wedding?"

"A fine specimen who probably has bodies buried somewhere," Kendra mutters.

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