Chapter 5

FIVE

With a wine glass half full of the most delicious, aged port, my hips and skirt sway to the beat of “Witchy Woman” as I nibble on another piece of dark chocolate. It melts on my tongue, coating my palate. I groan at how fucking decadent it is.

The world fades as the beat flows through me.

I am it.

It is me.

My eyes slide closed as I revel in the freedom without a care in the world. Today was a good day, even after a questionable morning.

Big hands and even bigger arms envelop me from behind as the familiar scent of pine and citrus reaches my nose. A chin rests on my shoulder. Hot breath warms my ear as my hair’s tucked around the shell.

“Hello, gorgeous.” A lingering kiss rests upon the side of my neck as splayed fingers press into my belly, each one a brand upon flesh. I burn for this, for him, for his touch, for the attention. I need it.

And he knows.

He knows exactly what I need.

We sway to the song and the next, lost in time.

When I open my eyes to take another sip of port, Sunshine’s there, watching me from his stool at the bar, getting his fill of local craft beer we supply just for him.

My best friend, Till, waves from her spot behind the bar. My drunken smile lifts at the corner as I salute her and Sunshine with my glass.

Running a hand through his thick gray hair, Sunshine smiles tightly and salutes me in return as the pair of hands at my belly slide down to my hips and back to my stomach again, stoking a fire I’ll need to quench.

“I missed you,” he rasps in my ear.

“I missed you, too,” I whisper in return.

Patrons mill about the room, some drinking, some eating, and some dancing. Destiny and Beth sit at a small table in the corner with Cell, sharing a bottle of wine, immersed in what seems like a fun conversation that brings a faint smile to Beth’s lips.

The front door opens, and the air shifts.

The hair on my arms stand on end as the electricity in the room charges. Sunshine’s eyes narrow into tiny slits, glaring just past me.

Sensing him as I always do, the invisible tether draws tight—Dark. Just when I was having fun, just when I was relaxing and letting the alcohol flow, he has to show his face—the fun sucker.

The hands at my waist are replaced by a fully tattooed arm wrapped around my middle in protection. The body behind me stiffens. “That motherfucker,” my companion rumbles, and I laugh, maniacal and crazy at the absurdity of it all.

When your husband cheats on you, you take time to cry and wallow, but then you quit being a baby, and you host a party. You enjoy yourself. You appreciate what you have now and how far you’ve come. When the sadness creeps in, because it always does… You remember the times he left his dirty crew socks just outside the hamper for you to pick up. You remember the ugly fights. You remember the days he promised to mow the grass but never did, so you had to. You remember the kids’ plays he missed because he was gone. You remember the piles of Kleenex on the floor from hours of sobbing, nose raw, eyes swollen shut, skin dry and blotchy. You remember picking up the pieces of your broken life.

That’s why you party.

To celebrate yourself.

That is what we’re doing.

What I’m doing.

The first few years were tough—sitting at home with Sunshine and Till, eating popcorn, watching a movie, and sometimes getting drunk.

This was Till’s brilliant idea.

No more giving Dark power.

Now, we host a tasting night on the same date each year.

Wine and chocolate.

The perfect combination.

Here is my life’s work—a dual shop. One side is a winery that Till runs that also serves spirits. The other is a chocolate shop, where Sugar and her posse of chocolatiers and bakers whip up the highest-quality sweets.

Both women have been my sidekicks for over a decade—building our businesses and our not-so-little underground network together as partners, sisters, and friends.

Dark Delicacies is our home away from home.

Yes, I was the fool who named my shop after my now ex.

Do I regret it?

Sometimes.

Until we have days like today when our friends and community come out to celebrate with us.

At the door, Dina collects the cover charge and hands out the sip and snack tickets—three treats to pair with three wines.

The pairings are spread on circular high-top tables throughout the interconnected shops, with white, handwritten cards in the center, explaining the choice of wine, and it’s paired sweet, artfully curated by Till and Sugar for this evening.

Dark hasn’t crashed our party in ages.

Transfixed on the swirl of red liquid in my glass, I do what I always do in Dark’s presence—pretend he’s not there. It works for half a song until my dance partner curses, and another set of feet drop into view as I stare down at the refinished hardwood floor. I know those boots—worn leather, a scuff on the right toe from a bar fight. I also know those legs, clad in dark denim, and that wide stance.

“Kali.” My name’s a prayer upon his lips.

I heave a sigh.

“Kali.” His tone sharpens.

My grip on the glass stem tightens.

The arm around my waist turns into a band of steel as it lifts all of me off the floor as if I weigh nothing and slowly backs away.

“Angel. Put my fuckin’ wife down,” Dark seethes, taking a step forward, fists clenching and unclenching down at his sides.

“Not your wife, pendejo ,” my savior grumbles.

I snicker, and Dark’s jaw ticks as he advances on us. Knowing a scene is about to go down, Sunshine’s out of his stool in a flash, inserting himself between Dark and me. Till opens the door to the hall, and Angel carries me through the back and into the office, where he sets me back on the ground. Till’s hot on our tail, shutting us inside and leaving Sunshine to handle his son.

“That selfish motherfucker.” Till paces the room, hands balled down at her sides. If this were a cartoon movie, steam would billow from her ears.

Angel, being the biggest man in a fifty-mile radius, sets up shop in front of the closed door and crosses his arms until his biceps, the size of my head, look like they might explode in repressed anger. His lip curls up in disgust as he leans all his weight against the steel. Nobody’s getting past him unless he wants them to.

Barely fazed by this entire ordeal, I hitch my ass on the edge of the basic office desk I share with Till and cross my ankles. “That’s not at all how I saw tonight going.”

Drinking my memories away and ending the night with a fat cock courtesy of Angel… Yep, that’s how I wanted things to go. It’s been months since I last got laid. If you haven’t already caught on… I don’t date much. Staying busy with the shop, Lily, or the sisters leaves me little time to do the whole get-to-know-someone, and at forty, what’s the point? I know that makes me sound like a sad sack Sally. But it’s true. So, I meet a random man off the street, date him, and then what? He finds out my invasive, far-too-hot-for-his-own-good ex and my… Sunshine, the equally sexy but less douchy of a man, are bikers. If that’s not enough to scare them off, how about the other stuff? Like… me. I’m weird enough to put average men off, or in the case of the stalkers, weird enough to find me appealing enough to stalk. Make it make sense. When you figure it out, let me know.

“What do you wanna do about this, Kali?” Till stops her pacing long enough to thumb toward the door.

Toying with my glass, I shrug and consume my last sip of port. “What’s there to do?”

“Kill him,” Angel suggests unhelpfully, his lips spreading into a cruel smile.

“I love that idea,” Till adds. Of course, she does. She’s Dark’s sworn enemy. Not that he cares all that much. Till’s all tits and spicy personality. She talks a big game, but she’s no killer.

My eyes roll so far into the back of my head that I can see what I ate yesterday for lunch. “Neither of you actually want him dead.”

Angel grumbles, knowing I’m right.

Till returns the sentiment.

See.

There’s a knock at the door. “It’s me.” Sunshine.

“He gone?” Angel asks.

“Nope.”

An entire short story of Spanish expletives flies from Angel’s mouth. Bitch and asshole are a few colorful additions I pick up, but the rest I can’t understand.

Till takes the wine glass from my hand and gestures for me to get off the desk. I swing my legs, hop down with flair, and approach the door, where Angel stands guard. If Sunshine couldn’t get Dark to leave and Dark was here for me, that means he’s got something he needs to say that can’t wait until tomorrow. Or he thinks can’t wait until tomorrow. That’s far more likely.

Knowing the dicking down isn’t gonna happen tonight, I grip what I can of Angel’s forearm in apology. “You know I gotta talk to him.”

Angel’s nostrils flare.

“Thanks for coming to see me tonight.”

Shoulders deflating, Angel’s chin drops to his chest as he nods just once. His almost black eyes latch on to mine. “I got you, gorgeous. Anytime. Yeah?”

Lifting onto my tippy toes, I press my body against Angel’s and lean up enough to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re the best.”

An innocent smile curves at the corner of Angel’s mouth as pink suffuses his brown cheeks. Without asking him to, he slides out of the way of the door and lets me pass.

“Give him hell!” Till cheers at my retreating back as I join Sunshine in the hall.

I flash her a thumbs-up over my shoulder. “Where is he?” I address my favorite guy. “This had damn well better be important.”

Without answering my question, Sunshine’s gentle hand presses to the small of my back. Its supportive heat radiates through my cardigan as he escorts me through the bar and out front, where Dark leans against his Harley, illuminated by a streetlamp.

The air’s crisp. Steam plumes from my lips as I rub my arms up and down, wondering why in the hell we need to have this conversation outside when my nipples have already turned into painful rocks.

“Be nice,” Sunshine warns his son before he leans down, drops a simple kiss on my temple, and disappears back inside, where he can drink, stay warm, and doesn’t have to look his son in the face. Lucky him.

“What do you want, Dark?” I inquire when he doesn’t break the silence, though his eyes do. They say everything. He rakes my form from head to toe. His slow, shivery gaze drinks its fill. This is another reason I hate being around him. This is what Dark does. He gives zero fucks. He stares if he wants to stare. He shows up unannounced and unwanted and lives his life, however it works for him. Who cares how I feel… How Abby feels.

He’s an asshole.

When I open my mouth to tell him just that, a grin kicks up at the corner of his perfect lips. “I miss you.”

My expression twists into a hideous scowl. “Fuck right off.”

Dark throws his head back, and his hardy laugh booms into the night. “God, you’re fuckin’ perfect.”

Please excuse me while I roll my eyes. “What do you want?” I snip.

“Like right now? Or?—”

“You know what I mean,” I cut in. “Why are you here?”

“Ah. Yes. That.” Dark’s fingers tap a staccato beat on this thigh, like he’s nervous, or there’s a song playing in his head he can’t quite shake.

“Yes. That.” I gesture for him to get on with it. Because at this rate, I’ll turn into a popsicle in T-minus ten minutes.

His chin lifts toward the store. “Do you wanna go inside to talk?”

Hell, to the no. “I want you to tell me why you’re here so I can go back inside and you can go home, where you belong. Stop stalling.”

Dark nods once and gets on with it. “I got a call tonight from someone in the club. You know I can’t say who, but they didn’t want to run this through Cell.”

“Okay. And?” That still doesn’t explain what that has to do with me.

“They have a job.”

“ Annnd ?” Impatiently tapping my foot on the sidewalk, I rub my palms up and down my arms for warmth as my fingers prickle from the cold.

“It’s for you.”

I figured as much, or why else would he be here?

“ Annnd ?” I stare at him pointedly, needing him to reach the point now, not in fifteen years.

“It’s for three weeks, maybe longer.”

Sheesh, could he be any more evasive?

“What’s the job, Dark? Spit it out. I’m fucking freezing here.” To prove my point, I blow smoke into the cool air like a dragon.

Brow furrowing in the center, my ex stands to his full height, shrugs off his leather jacket, and hands it over for me to put on. I don’t question it because I don’t want him inside to have this chat. I also want to stop shivering. Throwing it on, it’s so damn big it almost touches my knees. My hands hide in the depths of the arms, like a small child wearing their father’s clothes. I look like an idiot, but I don’t care. Thankfully, my shaking quickly ceases because he warmed the inside, and we are not gonna discuss how much it smells like him. It’s like a Dark burrito—warm and fragrant. It’s bliss and hell in equal measure.

Dark pulls a hoodie from his saddlebag and throws it on before he retakes his bike. Probably so we’re eye-to-eye, and he appears less intimidating at this level. If that’s the case, it’s working.

“Thanks.” I press my lips together in a tight smile. “Now, about this job.” I don’t ask if this could have waited until morning because we both know it could have. My guess is he just got the call and left to see me. Not thinking is one of Dark’s strong suits.

He stuffs his hands inside the front pocket of his hoodie. “It’s in California, on the coast. We need to establish your presence there. You’ll be working on a yacht as a maid, server, or whatever they need from you.”

I nod along.

Dark continues, “At the end of the month, the yacht is set to have a party, two nights on the open seas, international waters. There will be guests. Rich pricks like you’ve dealt with before and women.”

“It’s another auction, isn’t it?” I guess, having encountered them before.

“Yes,” he confirms.

“How many?”

“Right now. Ten women, high dollar. Twelve men.”

Of course, it is.

“Let me guess. They want new hires for the yacht because, after the auction, they plan to kill the newbies and dump them overboard. Or, they plan to sell them to the other men as consolation prizes to stroke their bruised egos.” Fucking disgusting.

“Bingo.” The man winks at me. Fucking winks. “You know your shit, babe.” Dark’s sumptuous mouth splits into a blinding smile, all-white teeth, and a dimple. To make matters worse, his penetrating gaze sears into me, stripping me bare right here on the sidewalk.

I hate it.

My stomach pitches at the unwanted attention. I don’t want praise from him. I don’t want anything from him. A job is a job. That’s fine. I can do a job. This… this I can’t do.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” I grumble. It’s lame, but it’s true. I’ve been in this world so long, nothing surprises me anymore. They kidnap women, break them, and then sell them to the highest bidders across the globe as subservient pets. It’s just another cash cow for the rich fucks of the world. You would be shocked by the number of billionaires who make extra money peddling flesh.

“Well.” Dark clears his throat and schools his features. “It kinda is, ’cause I’m gonna be one of the bidders.”

Dammit.

There’s the catch.

“Is that why you’ve been gone a lot lately?” I ask.

“Oh. So, you noticed. I’m touched.” Dark grasps his heart dramatically and swoons.

“Shut it. Lily has been over more than usual. That means you’ve been gone.” Normally, she visits a few times a week. For the last couple of months, it’s been pretty much every day. An hour here. An hour there. I try not to notice anything about Dark if I can avoid it. That makes life easier.

“I’ve got three months in on this, building my relationship to get a seat at the table. Darmond Cassiano is running the show.”

Damn.

I whistle, impressed. “He’s a big fish.”

“No. Babe. He’s a goddamn whale. If we take him out, his California connections and crew will scramble to find a replacement. That’ll leave a big enough window for our guys to put a world of hurt on ‘em.”

He’s right. This is huge. If this works, more women will be saved, and another pillar will be ripped right out from under Remy’s operations. If one of his big dogs gets put down, there’s no telling how quickly his empire will crumble. After the shit this man has done to my sisters, I’m happy to knock him down as far as I can until someone puts a bullet between his eyes.

“Fine,” I yield.

“You’ll do it?” Dark’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. I don’t know why he sounds surprised. He knows me. He knows what I’ll do to save women and put assholes to ground.

“Yes, but you already knew that.”

“Not this time, I didn’t. ’Cause I’m involved. I figured you’d let someone else step in.”

“You don’t scare me, Dark. I just don’t like you.” Which is mostly true.

“No. You love me.”

I shake my head at his level of ridiculousness. “In your dreams.”

“Every night.” He winks again, and out pops those charming dimples.

Smiling, despite his arrogance, I snort. “You’re impossible.”

“Kali. For real. I’m sorry about everything. You know this. I also know me showin’ up this morning was fucked. I know you and Pops have a solid relationship. It tears me up in here sometimes.” Dark taps the center of his chest with two fingers.

“All the time,” I counter.

“Yeah. All the time,” he agrees with a nod. “I fuckin’ hate he gets to be close to you, but I can’t.”

“You made that choice. I didn’t.”

“I know.”

“Then stop takin’ it out on me. I’ve accepted you’re my neighbor. I love Lily. I’ve tried time and time again to be friendly with Abby, but she hates my guts, and I don’t blame her for that. I don’t take it too personally. Showing up here to tell me this tonight, when it could have waited until morning, was low, Dark. I was in there with my friends having fun.” I point to the storefront behind me.

“You were gonna fuck Angel again,” he growls.

“Yes. I was.” There’s no use in denying it. I’m a single woman. I can have relations with whoever I want—end of story. I won’t be cowed. Not by him. Not by anyone.

Standing to his full height, Dark clenches his jaw, blows out the world's longest breath, and unfurls smoke into the sky. “Christ, Kali, I don’t want you fuckin’ Angel. He’s my goddamn brother, and you’re my wife.”

“I’m only your wife by paperwork, Dark. Stop that shit.” I’m tired of this. At some point, he has to let it go. Move on. I have.

“No. I sure as fuck won’t. I love you.” To prove his point, Dark lifts his hand to show me his wedding ring. The same ring I slid on his finger the day we married at the park. We were kids then. I was still a teenager. It was three days after I earned my GED. The rings weren’t top-of-the-line, but they were matching white-gold bands with an intricate carving—a gift from Sunshine. That was so long ago. It feels like another life.

To pound into his head that we aren’t on the same page, I raise my left arm and push down the jacket sleeve to show him what he already knows. There’s no ring on my finger. I took it off the week after he returned with Abby and Lily. It’s stored in a velvet bag in the top drawer of my dresser, with all the other keepsakes.

Needing to stay on task and away from our relationship status, I focus on why he’s interrupting my night in the first place. “Send me the details when you have them. I’ll give the sisters a heads-up that I’ll be gone a while.” To get back to the tasting, I shrug off Dark’s coat and return it to its owner.

Said owner shakes his head, pushing my hand away. “Keep it. Give it back to me in the morning when I drop by to talk about the details of our trip.”

“This isn’t our anything, Dark.” I throw the jacket onto the back of his bike seat and pivot on my heel to get the hell away from him.

“See you in the morning, wifey,” he calls to my retreating form.

Fuck him.

I flip my ex the bird as Dina opens the door from the inside to welcome me back. His responding boom of laughter sends an eerie chill down my spine.

I dunno what I just agreed to, but I sure as hell hope I don’t live to regret it.

All my family’s eyes are on me as I stroll back into my shop, checking to see if I’m okay. That’s what matters. Them. What we’ve made together. As I join Sunshine at the bar, my heart grows three whole sizes, just like the Grinch.

No words are exchanged as he draws me between his spread legs and cups my face in his hands. Our gazes meet, and he waits for me to speak. His breath is warm and soaked in rich beer as it wafts across my face. I drink him in—his kindness, the concern etched across his forehead, his… just him . It’s hard to explain, so I won’t even try.

“You ready to go home, Sweets? Or you wanna dance with me?”

The song changes to “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton.

Sunshine doesn’t await my reply when he removes his hands from my face, stands, and pulls me to the center of the room, to our makeshift dancefloor on nights like tonight. Till, being Till, lowers the overhead lights as I sway to the beat of one of my favorite songs, in the arms of the only person who makes me feel safe.

My head rests against Sunshine’s upper chest, where his heartbeat thrums in my ear. Wrapping both arms around him, I grip the bottom of his shirt, close my eyes, and expel a pent-up breath I’ve been holding onto for what feels like hours.

Fingers sift through the back of my hair, and Sunshine holds me close, humming Clapton low enough only I can hear. It’s perfection. Just what I need.

When we head home for the night, Sunshine drives with his hand in mine. We don’t speak. There’s nothing to be said.

At home, in the comfort of my bedroom, I slip on a pair of shorts and a crop top as Sunshine strips down to his boxers. Again, we say nothing as I crawl onto my side of the bed and he on his.

We meet in the middle. His warm skin envelops mine as I become the small spoon to his bigger. My ass to his crotch.

Just like that, we sleep.

And I’m safe.