Page 25 of Knot My Boss

My eyes fall onto Mitzi, and I almost choke on my cookie as I take in her appearance. She is wearing a Christmas sweater that says “Jingle My Bells” with large jingle bells over her nipples. Well, where her nipples should be as her boobs are hanging down. On top of her head, Mitzi sports a red cowboy hat trimmed in white fur with a replica of Santa’s belt separating the top section and the brim. To top it off, she is wearing leggings that resemble those of a stripper elf. The top section is green with glitter, trimmed in fur, and features lights strung around the thigh. It is paired with thigh-high green and white striped socks topped with bells at the top.

“Here, drink this, it will help warm you up,” she says, interrupting my perusal of her attire. She steps out of the room, and I start to choke on my first sip of tea. At some point, she added whiskey. Staring down into the liquid, it’s difficult to tell how much is tea and how much is booze.

“Would you sign this petition for us?” Mitzi says, sauntering back into the small kitchen. She sits in the chair opposite me, while sliding a sheet of paper toward me across the table.

“What is it for?” I ask, noticing only women have signed this paper.

“We, the ladies of the book club, want Simmer Down to change the uniforms to kilts,” she says proudly, sitting back in her chair. My eyes widen in surprise as I blink at her, shocked into silence.

Scribbling my name on an empty line, I push it back toward her. Mitzi helped me, so the least I can do is help her. We chat at length about her family, the book club, Padston, and what it means to be a mate. The eccentric woman puts me at ease, answering any questions I might have.

After two hours of talking, I help Mitzi clean up and she shows me to a spare bedroom to sleep. It’s not three in the morning, Christmas Day, and I still haven’t seen my sister or her kids. I guess that’s a problem for tomorrow.

Chapter 16 - Fiora

My eyes bulge as Darby is tossed over Arek’s shoulder and he storms off. Brady chuckles from where he sits next to me, among a room full of strangers. I’m still in shock at his declaration of being his mate.

“Are you okay?” Brady asks, placing a hand on my thigh, causing me to jump.

“It depends on your definition of okay,” I answer cryptically.

Brady plays on his phone for a few minutes before returning it to his pocket. He takes my hand in his, helping me to control biting my nails from anxiety. It’s a bad habit that I thought I had gotten rid of.

“Okay, everyone,” a guy calls out from the hallway. “Everyone is hea—” He stops speaking in the middle of the word before focusing his attention on me. Brady rises to his feet, blocking me from view.

“Tavan, is there a problem?” Brady asks, his voice dropping an octave in resonance.

“Brady, step aside so I can introduce myself to my mate,” Tavan, the doctor, says, and the room goes deadly quiet.

“We need some popcorn for this shit,” a female voice says, breaking the growing tension in the room.

“She ismymate,” Brady volleys to Tavan. Tavan steps around Brady as Brady looks over his shoulder to where I am sitting.

Words fail to form under the heavy gaze of these two gorgeous men. Both men are tall—Brady is at least six feet four inches tall. Tavan is at least two inches taller than Brady. Tavan has a fit but slender build, whereas Brady, while also slender, has more muscle definition, to the point where the sleeves of his uniform shirt fit tightly around his biceps.

Resuming his seat, Brady retakes my hand, earning a glare from Tavan as he sits in the seat to my left. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, he leans forward, sniffing me. Stiffening, unsure what to do, my eyes move to the triplets. Giving them an almost pleading “what do I do look” one of them has mercy on me, sort of.

“For fucks sake!” she exclaims, accompanied by an eye roll. “It’s inevitable, just say yes, and fuck their brains out. The rest will fall into place.” The other two women who make up the trio nod in affirmation before all three rise to their feet.

“It’s been fun, but I need some sleep,” she says around a jaw-cracking yawn.

With that, everyone leaves Tavan’s clinic one by one until only the three of us remain.

“What is your name, love?” Tavan asks, speaking softly as if trying to soothe a frightened animal.

“F-Fiora Valenhart,” I answer, stuttering slightly as nerves try to take hold.

“Can you tell us where you are from? Something about you?” Brady asks this time.

“You won’t want me,” I blurt, the weight of what happened at home weighing heavily on my shoulders.

“Don’t you think that’s for us to decide?” Tavan asks.

“Fine, but you asked for it.” I caution them, my tone taking a more antagonistic tone than intended. Rising to my feet, because there is no way I will be able to sit still during this story, both men reluctantly release their hold on me.

“I am from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After I caught my boyfriend and ex-best friend in a compromising position, I applied and was accepted at Stanford, in California.” Telling the story of how I met Darby is the easy part, having glossed over the betrayal. Worrying my hands together, I reach current events.

“A few days ago, I was helping my mom wrap some last-minute gifts. I stumbled upon my birth certificate and adoption papers.” Both men inhale sharply. “Not sure what to do, I ran. Somehow, I ended up at Dylan’s, my ex’s, house. Turns out I had arrived immediately after he proposed to Sally Jo. She was flaunting her ring in my hand, boasting about what I lost. To me, I didn’t lose anything since he couldn’t be faithful. But, I digress,” I mutter before continuing. “I remember storming off…” My words trail off, and my hands begin to shake. Tavan and Brady rise to their feet, but I hold my hand up to stop them. They both sink back down into their seats, and I continue my story.

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