Cookout Surprises

EMMA

The barbecue is in full swing, but Stephanie’s presence is a real buzzkill. She can’t seem to keep her hands off Dean. The nerve of her to even show up.

I’m in a whirlwind of emotions. I’m in love with Diablo, but he’s broken my heart more times than I can count.

And the truth is, he doesn’t see me as anything more than a possession—a sex toy, to be blunt. He’s made that painfully clear.

I can’t figure out why it bothers me so much to see Dean with Stephanie. He’s sweet, he’s kind, and I’ll admit, I still have a bit of a crush on him, nothing major.

Levi is keeping to himself, sitting in a corner nursing a beer and watching everyone.

He’s made it his job to hand me my whiskey, neat. The bottle is right by his side in an ice bucket. It’s like he already knows me—I like my whiskey cold but without ice.

By serving me my drink, he’s already acting like my bodyguard, making sure I don’t get poisoned—which is absurd considering we’re at Dean’s place.

Not that any of Dean’s friends would do such a thing, but I need to make sure Levi is the bodyguard I need. This is one of the requirements; don’t let me get poisoned.

I stroll over to where Dean and Stephanie are standing. Dean had already introduced everyone when they arrived. Everyone, except Stephanie, is super nice to me.

“Hey Deany, when’s the food going to be ready? I’m starving,” I say in a sweet tone.

“It’ll be ready when it’s ready,” Stephanie snaps back, looping her arm around Dean’s waist. I shoot her a glare. This seems like a good time to ruffle her feathers a bit.

“Well, Sarah, I’m hungry and my Deany always takes care of all my needs, and right now, I need food.”

“It’s Stephanie, you idiot. And it’s not ‘Deany,’ it’s Dean.”

Dean chuckles, clearly catching on to the little game I’m playing.

“What needs is she talking about, Dean? I thought you two were just friends.”

Before Dean can answer, I cut in with a seductive voice, “Well, Stephanie—it is Stephanie, right?”

“Well, as I said, Dean likes to take care of ~all~ my needs, just like last night. Isn’t that right, Dean?”

“Yes, it is,” he purrs, flashing me a wide smile before turning his attention back to the grill. Stephanie is fuming.

She unhooks her arm from Dean’s waist and storms off to chat with some of her other friends. Dean and I burst out laughing. It’s kind of fun being the bad girl for once.

“Listen, Dean, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed her that far. I’m sorry if I ruined your chances of getting lucky tonight.”

“You can make up with her after we eat, and I’ll make myself scarce for a few hours if you want.”

Dean looks at me like I’ve dumped a bucket of ice water on him.

“No, Ems, I’m not interested in her like that. That ship sailed the day I broke up with her. She just can’t take a hint.”

“Well… we can make it clear to her that you’re off-limits if you want to keep playing our little game,” I suggest.

“What do you have in mind, Ems?”

“Well, you’ll need to let me know when things get too uncomfortable for you, like a safe word, but we can do a few things to get your point across. I’m game if you are, Dean.”

“Sure, let’s play.”

“Ok, but what’s your safe word, Dean?”

“What do you mean, Ems?”

“What I mean is, what’s the word you’ll use when I push too far? I know we’re friends, but I’m willing to help you out here, but only if you’ll tell me when to stop before it goes too far.”

“Let’s use ‘purple’ as a safe word. If either one of us says ‘purple,’ we stop.”

Dean calls Levi over to the grill. Levi brings the ice bucket with my whiskey and walks over to where we’re standing.

“Levi, can you finish up the grilling? Ems and I need a quiet moment alone.”

Levi nods, refills my glass, and takes over grilling the meat. Dean takes his beer in one hand and my hand in the other, and we walk over to where Levi was sitting before.

Dean sits down on the cocktail chair, pulling me between his legs. He takes the whiskey from my hands and sets it on the table with his beer, then wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

Our bodies are so close it feels like we’re one. My breasts are pressed hard against his chest; I’m sure he can feel how hard my nipples are.

He looks into my eyes, bending his head slightly down, his lips stopping inches from mine.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he whispers so softly I can barely hear him before his lips touch mine.

Gently at first, his tongue requests access to my mouth, which I grant eagerly. His lips are soft but demanding.

He pulls me closer to him, if that’s even possible, deepening the kiss, making me moan into his mouth. Our lips move in sync as if we’re made for each other.

I pull back slightly, nibbling at his bottom lip before kissing him again passionately. I try telling myself that this is just to make Stephanie jealous and to stop her advances toward Dean... but it’s more than that.

I want Dean.

His hands move slowly down my back, stopping at my waist. He respects me too much to go further than that with everyone watching, even Levi.

We break the kiss, resting our foreheads together. We’re both panting. It’s crazy how two men can make me feel like this. Dean is gentler than Diablo but he still has the same effect on my body.

I’m a hot wet mess, my panties soaked. I’m still clinging to Dean’s body and I realize his erection is pressing against my stomach. Damn, it feels good to be wanted by Dean.

I hadn’t realized we could have this kind of impact on each other. We’re so caught up in each other’s gaze that we don’t even notice Stephanie’s approach.

Levi is by my side in an instant, blocking Stephanie’s attempt to sucker-punch me. He catches her fist just inches from my face.

Both Dean and I whip around to face her, stunned. I pull away from Dean.

“Stephanie, what’s your deal?” I ask. “You and Dean aren’t together anymore. We were just kissing. And for the record, trying to sucker punch someone isn’t something to be proud of. It’s cowardly.”

Dean rises from his chair, his fists balled at his sides, nostrils flaring. “What the fuck, Stephanie?” he bellows.

All eyes are on the unfolding drama. Stephanie lunges at me again, but before Dean or Levi can react, I land a kick to her stomach.

She skids a few feet across the floor before coming to a stop, clearly winded. Dean and Levi stare at me, dumbfounded. I slowly approach Stephanie as she struggles to get up.

“What the fuck, Emma. I thought you were just a prissy little virgin who needed everyone else to fight her battles,” she spits out.

“Surprise, Stephanie,” I retort, smirking. “It’s because of people like you that I decided I needed to, let’s say, learn a few tricks.

“So, what’s next, Stephanie? You’ve already made a fool of yourself. Want to keep going?”

She assumes a fighting stance, fists raised, legs spread, her eyes wild. Everyone is watching us. I stand my ground, giving nothing away.

Dean breaks the silence.

“Leave, Stephanie. We’ll discuss this tomorrow at work.”

“No, Dean. She started this. You’re mine and I won’t let her take you without a fight.”

“Stephanie, we broke up months ago. I was never yours and I’m not now.”

Dean’s words seem to send Stephanie into a frenzy. She lunges at me again. I quickly signal to Levi to stay out of it and to keep Dean back.

When I turn back to Stephanie, she lands a punch on my cheek. I recover quickly, landing a left to her nose and a right to her stomach, causing her to double over.

Then I kick her in the stomach with all my might, sending her sprawling backward onto the concrete. I walk over to her, looking down into her shocked eyes.

“See, Stephanie? I don’t need anyone to protect me. I can handle myself. Now be a good girl and fuck off before I toss you off this roof.”

Dean and Levi, finally snapping out of their shock, rush over to where I’m standing over Stephanie. Dean takes in the sight of her broken nose and possibly a couple of cracked ribs.

To say he’s shocked by the damage I’ve inflicted would be an understatement. He’s not angry, just stunned. He lifts Stephanie off the floor and announces that the cookout is canceled.

He turns to Levi and me, asking us to clear everyone out and clean up while he takes Stephanie to the hospital. Everyone leaves, murmuring their goodbyes, leaving Levi and me alone.

I feel terrible. This isn’t how I wanted today to go.

“Well, at least I know you can hold your own against a woman. Whether you can do the same with a man, that remains to be seen,” Levi teases.

“Levi.”

He turns to look at me.

“Never underestimate me. It would be the biggest mistake of your life. You have a flight to catch, so I suggest you get going.

“I’ll clean up this mess. It’ll help me clear my head. I left a new phone in your bag. The only numbers programmed in it are mine and Dean’s. Don’t use any other phone to contact me.

“Get rid of your old phone and forget your past. From now on, I’m your future. I’m the only person you should think about. If you betray me, I’ll kill you. Got it?”

He walks over to me, stopping just inches away, and looks down at me. For the second time since we met, I see a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

He leans in, his lips close to my ear.

“Yes, boss. I’m yours forever, till death do us part.”

With that, he turns and leaves. I watch his back until he disappears through the door that leads to Dean’s apartment.

All that’s left to do is clean up the remnants of a cookout that was ruined by petty jealousy. At least I know I have an effect on Dean.

The problem is, Diablo will kill both of us if he finds out about the kiss. That thought is quickly replaced with memories of Dean’s lips on mine. I’m totally and utterly fucked.

DIABLO

I’m going out of my mind. Lauren is driving me nuts. Ever since Emma left, she’s either at the penthouse or the club, doing everything she can to get me to fuck her.

I’ll admit, I gave in a few times in my office, but never at the penthouse. That’s for me and Emma.

I changed the security codes at the penthouse and doubled the security to keep her out, but she always manages to get into my office at the club.

This morning when Emma called, we were at the club, not the penthouse. I’d agreed to accompany Lauren to a business breakfast that could potentially lead to an alliance with another Mafia boss, a meeting that Lauren had arranged.

Against my better judgment, I didn’t tell Emma the real reason why Lauren was with me and I didn’t correct her when she assumed we were at the penthouse.

Honestly, I need Emma to review the contracts that were presented to me to seal the alliance. I told the other Mafia boss that I wanted my partner and attorney to look over the paperwork.

This pissed off Lauren. She knew exactly who I was talking about, and she hated it.

Emma is in charge of my operations, and I need her here to finalize this deal, but my pride and love for her clouded my judgment this morning on the phone.

I didn’t want to admit to her that I need her with me all the time. I’m not operating at full capacity without her. I miss her terribly. She’s become my whole world.

Emma is all I can think about, awake or asleep. Why the hell did she have to spend this week in California with some guy friend of hers? A friend whose name I don’t even know.

Jealousy is eating me alive. What are they up to? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he into Emma? Does he yearn for her touch the way I’m yearning for her right now—her scent, her taste, her curves?

Damn, I miss her. Why did I say what I did this morning? Oh, right, because I’m an ass who’s supposed to play the unloving boyfriend.

I’m in the penthouse, nursing a hefty glass of whiskey when my phone buzzes. It’s a text from an unknown number.

Unknown

Send over the contracts you took this morning so that I can look through them before you sign. Reply to the email I sent you. It is an email address I have secured.

Diablo

how did you know about the contract and why do you have a new number?

Emma

It is my job to know, Diablo. Send the fucking document. PS: security purposes dickhead.

Diablo

I am warning you Emma.

Emma

you are minimizing your fucking time with Lauren with these useless threats D, send the document, you will have it back in thirty minutes.

Diablo

Emma I am going to fucking kill you.

Emma

29 minutes….

Diablo

Fuck you Emma.

Emma

You already did D. Am I so forgettable?

Emma

28 minutes……

Emma

D? 27 minutes

Emma

if you sign the contract without me looking at it you are in breach of our contract, which makes me free from you. Stop being a fucking asshole and send it.

Diablo

sent

Emma

Good boy. You will have it back in 20.

She drives me crazy. All I want is to have her under me, whimpering and moaning.

She’s getting under my skin, and the worst part is she knows exactly what I’m doing today. How she knows, I have no clue.

Emma

sent back with amendments. Don’t pull a stunt like this again D. I have eyes everywhere.

Diablo

fuck off Emma. I will do as I please with my business.

Emma

not your business anymore – remember……… OURS!

Diablo

then come back and run OUR business Emma, now!

Emma

No.

Diablo

I am warning you Emma.

Diablo

Emma?

Diablo

Emma, why the fuck are you not answering.

Diablo

Emma!!!!!!!!!!!

^TWO HOURS LATER^

Emma

business is concluded. Stop texting me. I am working. See you when I see you.