Just One Taste (Topped #2)(55)

“Nope, I know nothing about this,” he said quickly. His gut knotted at the thought of what he’d done to her. “I wanted it to be easy. I didn’t want to f*ck a good thing up and so I wasn’t listening to her. I was listening to my fear, and we all know where that can get us.”

Sean put a hand on his shoulder. “Go talk to her. Grovel a little, maybe.”

He could do that. Pride was important, but Deena meant more. “Thanks, and I’ll talk to the lawyer. We might need to iron a few things out.”

Sean opened the door to the kitchen. “I might need to talk to Deena about some of the things she was advising you on. Hell, maybe I’ll hire her.”

“Not on your life, Chef. That’s my queen.” And he was keeping her.

Sean smiled as Eric strode through the door. “We’re at Code Red, gentlemen.”

“Thank god.” Big Tag was leaning against the counter, his arms crossed over his massive chest. “I thought it was all going to be boring lawyer stuff.”

“Shit,” Javi said. “I knew something was wrong when Deena ran through here. What did you do?”

Eric winced. It was so great to have a damn audience. Code Red was Chef’s sarcastic way to let everyone know there was relationship drama happening. “I’ll fix it.”

He had to. He jogged through the door and prayed she hadn’t left.





Deena pushed through the locker room in a haze of tears.

Asshole. Jerk. He was exactly like every other man in her damn life. Useless and uncaring and now she’d wrecked her whole life again and over a man. It was inconceivable. What the hell had she been thinking?

“Whoa, that is a serious face.” Charlotte Taggart was sitting on the sofa, a tablet in her hands. “Sorry, the girls are with Alex and Eve for a few hours. I came with Ian to sign the paperwork for your boyfriend’s restaurant. I want to make sure Mitch doesn’t try to screw Eric. Don’t take it personally. Mitch tries to screw everyone. It’s part of what makes him an awesome lawyer. I was just catching up on some reading. I can leave if you need me to.”

Deena was fairly certain Charlotte Taggart didn’t get a ton of alone time, much less reading time. She had twins and a job and was active in club life.

So she would suck it up and get through dinner shift and then try to figure out what the hell she was going to do with the rest of her stupid life. “No problem. Read away. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute or two.”

Charlotte set down the tablet. “I think we’re going to the same place. Is it wrong to drink during negotiations? Because the bartender here makes a mean martini and I usually find these things hella boring. It was easier in the mob. Don’t like the terms of a contract? Shoot ’em between the eyes and take over their territory. Bloodier, but easier and with a lot less arguing and ten-dollar words.”

Charlotte had a colorful background. “Don’t worry about it. I happen to know that there will be no negotiations. Eric is planning on bending over and taking it any way he can get it. And I won’t be there to watch. I’ve got menus to print and my replacement to train.”

And no job since she’d called the firm earlier today and explained she’d changed her mind and was going a different direction. She’d intended to tell Eric that she was accepting his crappy, nearly no upfront pay offer because she was dumb and in love and believed in him.

What the hell had she been thinking?

“Whoa, what’s going on? Is there trouble in paradise?” Charlotte asked.

The door to the locker room swung open and Tiffany raced in. “I heard there was a Code Red. Who is it? I asked Sebastian but he said he wouldn’t lower himself to discuss gossip. Seriously? What is wrong with that man? Is it Jenni? Because I met her new guy and he had one of those weird pencil beards that takes dudes like four hours to perfect. He’s got to be a douche. Oh, hello, Mrs. Taggart.”

“Charlotte, please,” the redhead said. “And I’m fairly certain it isn’t douche beard. I think perfect Eric might have f*cked up.”

Tiffany’s jaw dropped. “No.”

This was why she didn’t get super close to people. Because it was embarrassing. It was humiliating.

Why? She stopped in the middle of buttoning up her shirt. “Why am I embarrassed?”

“I have no idea, but I’m looking forward to finding out,” Charlotte replied. “I’ve already read that book a couple of times. This is better.”

Deena’s first instinct was to push them all away and hide the pain, but why should she? She wasn’t the one at fault here. “He’s being a massive ass.”

“Eric the Gallant?” Tiffany shook her head. “Don’t tell him I called him that, but he reminds me of a knight sometimes. What did he do?”

“I tried to give him very good business advice and he basically told me to shut up. He used more polite words, but he said I didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“Rude. Does he have a degree in business?” Tiffany asked. “No. You wouldn’t tell him how to cook.”

“It’s worse.” It felt good to talk about it. “You know that job I took? The dream job with the nice salary, benefits, and paid health insurance? Yeah, I quit that to become Eric’s business manager because I am that stupid.”