“You’re new around here.” It wasn’t a question, more a fact that he was stating, as Zayne offered him the drink he’d just ordered.
“Uh…yes. My cousin brought me. She comes here all the time.”
Ethan took a sip of his drink. “I certainly hope so, since that’s the point of the place.”
Chloé’s jaw all but dropped into her lap at the innuendo.
“So, being that it’s your first time, did you enjoy tonight’s demonstration?”
Oh God…
She knew she should say no. She should deny, deny, deny. But as she sat there staring at the two of them, all she could think about was the delicious throb between her thighs.
“I did. Very much so.”
Ethan nodded and handed the drink back to Zayne. “I could tell. You couldn’t take your eyes off us.”
Chloé’s breathing was coming faster now, and it took everything she had not to squirm in her seat.
“Tell me, Red. Do you know who we are?”
“I do. You’re Ethan and he’s Zayne. You’re the owners of this place.”
“That’s right. I assume your cousin told you that.”
“She did.”
“And what else did she tell you?”
“That I had to behave myself.”
Zayne laughed and drained the rest of his drink. “Shit. Is she a sadist or something?”
“No. Just overprotective.”
Ethan eyed her closely. “And do you need protecting?”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
Ethan ran his eyes down over her, and when he reached her lap where she held her clutch, a frustrated curse left his lips.
Chloé looked down at herself to see what the matter was, but couldn’t seem to pinpoint the problem.
Ethan shook his head. “Your cousin was very smart.”
“What do you mean?”
He pointed to the white band around her wrist. “That means you’re off-limits.”
Wait… What? “No.”
Zayne slipped off the barstool as Ethan walked away.
“It means I’m new and observing.”
“Observing and untouchable.” Zayne shrugged. “It’s one of our strictest rules. Have a good night, Red.”
Merde. She was going to kill Shayla.
CHAPTER THREE
I plan for everything.
That way, I’m in control.
~ Ethan
“YOU’RE LATE.”
“I know. I know. Désolée,” Chloé called out as she hurried through the main dining room of JULIEN and made her way to the bar where Justin was filling in that night. “Shay and I got home late last night, and then I slept in, and, well, you know how it goes.”
“I don’t, actually,” he said, as he began polishing the glassware set out in front of him. “But I’m not the one you have to worry about convincing.”
She sighed and draped her uniform over one of the barstools. “How much trouble am I in?”
“As much trouble as usual.”
“Well, in my defense, trying to get across town in peak-hour traffic to start my shift usually results in my ending up late.”
“Late and underdressed, I see.”
Chloé winced at the familiar voice behind her, then turned and spotted her boss—looking fabulous as ever in his slim-fit black pants and chartreuse shirt—and knew she’d have some explaining to do. Because Robert Thornton-Priestley wasn’t just the general manager of JULIEN—he was also her dad.
“It’s amazing how everyone else on staff somehow manages to get here on time, and yet you never do.”
“Dad…”
He held his hand up as he walked around the bar and smiled at Justin. “At least one of our children manages not to embarrass us with his tardiness.”
Yep, that was right—as if three fathers weren’t enough, she was also saddled with an older, protective brother.
Chloé rolled her eyes. “He lives two blocks over. That’s an unfair advantage.”
“You live at home,” Justin replied. “You could’ve gotten a lift to work with Dad or Père.”
“Hello, I wasn’t there.”
“Okay, okay, you two,” their dad said, patting Justin on the arm. “That’s enough squabbling. Don’t you get enough of that from your students during the week?”
Justin shrugged and threw the dishtowel at Chloé. “Keeps me on my toes to practice here.”
She poked her tongue out at him and threw the towel right back.
“You, young lady, need to go and get ready for service.” Her dad glanced at his watch. “You’re already thirty minutes late.”
“I know. I know.” Chloé picked up her uniform. “But after showering and doing my hair, I realized I needed to iron my uniform, and then I was out of time.”
Justin laughed and went back to polishing the glassware. “And that took how long?”
“No one asked you.” Chloé glared at him.
“I’m curious, did you have a different excuse worked out for whoever you ran into first?” Dad asked.
Uh, maybe?
“Mhmm. I’m onto you, angel. I know all these tricks. I’m the one who taught you, remember?”
Something she was eternally grateful for, because if anyone could work her papa and père, it was her dad. He was their princesse, and if he wanted something, he usually got it.
“But it’s the truth.”
“Truth or not, you’re lucky…” He slipped his arm through her elbow and then finally cracked a smile. “Because I know exactly how long it takes to look as good as we both do.”
Chloé let out a sigh of relief as she hugged into his side. “You’re the best.”
“I know.”
Justin started laughing and muttered, “Pourrie gâtée,” before they headed off between the elegantly set tables with their pristine linens and sparkling wine glasses.
As they walked toward the kitchens, Chloé’s eyes wandered to the wall sconces lighting the room, and she was immediately transported back to last night.
She hadn’t lied about why she’d been running late. But the truth of the matter was that she’d spent a little less time on getting ready than she had in coming up with a plan to go back to The Office later tonight.
Ever since she left the club, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the two men she’d met there. And could anyone blame her? After what she saw, it’d been damn near impossible to get to sleep last night. She’d had a million and one things running through her head, from the outlandish to the mundane, like, what did people like Ethan and Zayne do during the day?
After work, most would go home, unwind, or maybe go out for a few hours before heading to bed. But their work apparently included a bed, so—
“Did you and Miss Shay have fun at dinner last night?”
Dinner… Oh shit. Where did we say we were going again?
“Your papounet has been trying his hardest not to be offended you didn’t choose our restaurant. But I reminded him that it was your birthday, and you probably didn’t want to have it where you work.”