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I thought we already established boundaries aren’t my thing. “That’s a no then, on letting them watch the first time I fuck you that way?”

Her blush makes me smile.

“I need you to leave me alone for a while.”

No way.“You can have ten minutes while I check some email. Then you’ll see me in the kitchen for pancakes and eggs.”

“Maybe I’ll go to my parents’ place and—”

“Yeah, we can do that, but not today. Today we’re busy here.”

She looks at me, and I wait for her to argue. She’s smart enough not to. Good. The part where I leave her alone or offer to give her up is over. And she’s not going to bounce from Boston to her parents’ to my place and C’s, all while waffling about what she’s gonna do next.

I’ve flipped my cards over for her to see. Now it’s time for her to fold or go all in.

* * *

Laurel

After I dress, I head toward the kitchen, but then I realize that Trick, Zoe, and Connor are in the living room. C’s sitting on the couch. Zoe, who’s dressed in a salmon pink and charcoal mini dress, is lying on her side with her head on a pillow that’s resting on C’s thigh. She’s looking at her phone, and his hand is under her curls, massaging her neck.

“Laurelyn, come over,” C says.

My steps falter for a second, but then I walk to them. It’s hard to make eye contact, but I do because I’m doing all I can to at least give Trick’s bizarre lifestyle a try.

Trick’s standing, but when I get there, he grabs a fancy chair with a burgundy leather seat cover and sets it next to him. Tapping the armrest, he beckons me into it.

It seems a shame to waste it, so I sit. “Your side hustle could be furniture mover.”

He glances at the chair and smirks, then turns his head to glance at nothing and laughs. “Old habit.”

C smiles, watching him. “We’re curious.”

Trick rolls his eyes. “If there was no chair when my ma came into a room, my dad gave her mine or his. And he thought something next to her chair for her dish or drink ought to be there too. So over comes a side table or footrest or whatever. When he was really drunk he could bring the house down around us, but the rest of the time, he was as good as gold, especially to her.”

Suddenly a lot of things make sense.

“Hmm.” C looks at his phone. “Trick, ING has new human capital. Revenue’s up, but doesn’t look like it matches the graph you projected. You hear about anyone not working?”

Trick shakes his head.

“Ready for numbers?”

Trick nods.

C looks down at his phone and begins rattling things off that I don’t understand. “The standard stuff, plus four online. Seven parties times six. No Sunday work. Two high-roller nights times three. Two out-of-towns times four.” C pauses. “Got it?”

“Yeah.”

C turns his phone around, and there’s a seven-figure number.

Trick leans forward. “No. Phone’s low.”

C frowns. “You look at the ING sheets the past couple months?”

Trick flashes a smile. “You mean after you told me not to, C?”

“I know you and spreadsheets. Even when I tell you to delegate something so you can concentrate on higher level stuff, sometimes you’re up at three in the morning looking at data.”