Chapter Twenty-Five - Parmesan Problems

A MONTH AND a half flew by in a blink. My days were spent greeting customers, ringing up cheeses, and answering questions. After a few weeks, my palms stopped sweating every time I made change, and I even got a few chuckles for my cheese puns. Even though walking the floor selling off decadent and discounted cheeses wore me down by the day, my body would vibrate in anticipation of nightfall.

I'd scoop up my latest dinner, or pull the delivery from the oven, lock the front door, and wait. The closer we drew to summer, the more excruciating the waiting became. Every day it took a few more minutes until the basement door flew open and four men greeted me with smiles.

Something had changed with them too. Brie's sun paintings hung all around in the basement, lightening the dour cellar. Cheddy would drop his work—literally—to sit with me, slyly asking how I was doing. Well, as slyly as Cheddy could do anything. Okay, not much changed with Cam—who was as smooth as ever. But Roq…

Where do I even begin with Roq?

He'd eat up in the store with all of us, even telling the occasional joke over a plate of pasta. They were confusing and I needed Cam to explain later, but Roq smiled with each one. While he'd spend most of his night making more cheese, he didn't devote all of his hours to it.

In fact, Mondays became date night. A moonlit picnic in the park, a walk to the new art gallery twenty blocks over, a movie. That was an interesting experience. I hadn't thought much of suggesting we catch a show. It wasn't like they didn't have movies twenty years ago. But the moment the men sat down and the screen faded from black, they hollered, cheered, and shouted for the entire three hours. Thank god we were the only ones catching a ten p.m. showing of the latest generic action flick. Of course, when Cam wasn't cajoling the good guys with the rest of them, he'd pull me across my seat until I was nearly on his lap.

Every night I'd try to stick it out with them as long as possible. And every night but Monday, I'd crash before one a.m. That's when one of the men would ‘help me' to my room. I didn't get to sleep until two or three in the morning.

Forty days left.

I'm exhausted, I'm happy.

I need a break.

But…

I twist the chalk in my fingers, doing my best to not glare a hole through the number. I'd started counting them down from ninety as a promise to myself. Ninety days until I'm rich and back home. With fifty gone, I…I don't know what I want. Home seemed like another planet. What's back there for me anyway? Certainly not—

"Mmm." Cam draws his nose along the nape of my neck and breathes in. "New perfume?"

"No. I don't think so."

"I can't quite place it." He nuzzles my throat, his deep breaths tickling me. I giggle and brush my fingers through his hair. "Sweet, but also spicy. With a bouquet of wildflowers and…" He nips my shoulder right next to my dress' strap. "Musk."

"I'm not wearing anything," I tell him, a giggle rising.

In one fast swoop, he twists me around like a music box ballerina. The second I fear I'm going to fall, Cam drapes his hand on the small of my back, catching me. "Neither am I," he snickers and dips me with a kiss.

"Cam, how's the…?" Roq slips around the corner, catching us in a half-lewd act. With a sigh, he taps his clipboard on the counter and watches. "Are you finished?"

Jamming a hand to his hip, Cam stares Roq up and down. "I know you don't consider this finishing, For."

The tops of Roq's cheeks turn pink and he looks away. "We have a lot of work to do. The soft cheeses…"

"Are rock hard at the moment," Cam says with a cheeky grin. He bends down and pulls up his pants. "Ooh, and difficult to tuck away."

"Mind the zipper," Brie calls from his easel. He's been working on a painting to put in the window. This one's a still life of various cheeses while a huge sunset streaks across the sky behind them.

"I caught myself in one once," Cheddy says. "Every tooth bit into tender flesh. Which wasn't as unpleasant an experience as I'd expected."

"Chedward," Cam chides him. "Save your nefarious kinks for Monday when we have the time to explore them. Otherwise, you're just being a tease."

"Sorry," Cheddy calls with a wave. He drops a huge wheel of cheddar onto the counter and starts to slice it with a ten-inch knife. The blade whirls so fast, I can barely trail it before a dozen perfect wedges rest on wax paper.

"Now that I'm trussed up—" Cam draws his palm up the tent in his trousers. "—what has yours in a knot? Mice in the larder?"

"Don't joke about that." Roq shivers at the idea then he shakes it away. "I was thinking, if…a very large if here. If we can finish off the last two batches, press the cheeses and get them loaded onto the shelves." He pauses for everyone to turn to him. "Sunday night we could finally do it."

"Really?" Brie gasps.

"You're pulling my todger," Cam says.

"We're ahead of schedule, and if we stay on it then I don't see a reason why we cannot relax for a day. Night. Assuming we have the funds." One by one, all three of them look at me.

I've been balancing a lot of numbers lately. Numbers going out for milk, cultures, and Doordash. Numbers coming in for mozzarella, cheddar, brie. I was supposed to keep track of them. Easing past the watching men, I make for the cash register. Not that there's much cash in there, but it gives me a chance to try to think.

Move the one. Divide by five. Don't forget the utilities.

"What are we doing?" Cheddy asks.

With a patient sigh, Roq leans over to him. "The hotel idea you had."

"The hotel…? Oh! You mean the fancy one with the big spa tub, and the lobster, and that huge bed?" Cheddy cries out.

"The very same," Cam assures him. "Assuming our mistress has the funds to finance such luxury."

I'd looked up the price for a stay and nearly choked at the idea of spending so much for one night. But the longer I thought about it… A jet spa with four men. That huge bed. A balcony to look out at the stars. …the more I needed it.

"Five, six, seven…"

A ring cuts through my counting. I glance over to my purse where Cam pulls out my phone without answering it. "Your mother."

"Ignore it," I say. I've been doing that often. But she has a habit of calling when I'm deep in the middle of something. I can make it up to her later when I come home with five million dollars.

"Well?" Roq asks. I peer up to find not only him, but Cam, Brie, and Cheddy all standing on the other side of the counter watching me.

I have no idea, but I don't care. "Yes," I cry out. "We can."

"Hot dog," Cam exclaims.

"Ooh, hot dogs. Do we have any of those?" Cheddy asks.

"Let me just book the room for us. Monday right?" I lean toward Roq with my question. He massages his wide hand across my shoulders.

"Yes."

As I pull up the hotel's fancy app they had me download for Cheddy to ogle pictures of, Roq brushes his lips through my hair, nearly touching my skin. He whispers, "Thank you," and plants a kiss on my cheek.

No. Thank you.

I can't believe I'm booking one night in a fancy hotel just to spend it sucking and fucking four men. God, if my mother found out about any of this, it would put her straight in the ground.

"Here we go," I declare and drop my finger to the reserve button.

A loud banging breaks from the glass door.

"We're closed," Cheddy says while they peer over my shoulder at my phone announcing I've got the room for Sunday night.

The banging continues, growing louder.

"Please save your cheese requests for tomorrow," Cam calls out as he stares up at whoever's at the door. "Ma'am."

I don't know why, but my heart sinks. All feeling in my fingers and toes vanishes. Numb at my wrists and ankles, my head swivels up, dread creeping out of my lungs.

With hair wild and lips locked in a rictus scream, my mother slams both of her fists on the window. "Violette!"