The Promise (The 'Burg #5)(169)

He did all this asking, “Fubarred?”

“Fucked up beyond recognition,” I explained.

“I know what it means, honey,” he replied. “I just didn’t know anyone outside Tango and Cash said it.”

I felt my eyes get squinty. “Don’t make fun of me when I’m post-orgasm. I’m happy-drained when I’m post-orgasm and I don’t have any good fight in me.”

Ben grinned. “You should never have given me that, baby. Knowin’ that shit, from now on, I’m totally f**kin’ with you post-orgasm.”

My eyes got squintier before I informed him of something he should know by now, “I recover quickly.”

His hand glided over my hip, back, and in to cup my ass as his face got closer to mine. “Bet I can set you back.”

He so totally could.

“Gus? Donuts?” I prompted.

“Is your detail on which donuts you want me to buy your order?” he asked.

“Yep,” I answered.

“They run out of those quick, Frankie.”

“Wait for them to make more.”

He didn’t grin that time. He smiled.

Then he said, “I might be pu**y-whipped, honey, but I’m not that far gone.”

I felt my brows shoot up. “You’re pu**y-whipped?”

“Babe, I’m makin’ deals with Sal, away from my home, my restaurant, watchin’ your ass while you go about something undoubtedly worthwhile but makes me all kinds of uneasy, and you’re surprised I’m pu**y-whipped?”

He had a point, and although his words gave me a heady feeling of power, they also bothered me.

So I wrapped my arms around him and reminded him, “We’re doin’ this with Wyler because it’s the right thing to do.”

“We are. We’re also doin’ it because I like to f**k you, eat you, and watch you ride me, and I can get all that, and often, I keep you happy.”

Suddenly, I didn’t feel bothered.

I felt annoyed.

“That’s it?”

“There’s also the fact I like lookin’ at you, seein’ you smile, and doin’ what I can to make you happy. It’s insane, but I’ve learned to own the insanity because you’re you. You’re crazy. Fearless. Willin’ to put yourself out there doin’ something you know is dangerous because it’s the right thing to do. And I love all of you. The insane part is that I love all of you, including that.”

I screwed up my face and declared, “You’re being sweet again when I’m annoyed.”

He lowered his lips to mine, eyes still smiling. “You gotta learn to get over it, baby. It’s gonna happen a lot.”

I got over it right then because I had the happy feeling he was going to kiss me again, but he didn’t because my phone rang.

This time, we both turned our heads to it.

“Fuck,” Ben muttered, reaching across the bed and tagging it. He looked to the display, then to me, his face unreadable when he said, “Cat.”

That could mean anything from the happy news she was carrying Art’s baby to the news that she fell off the wagon, got arrested for doing something stupid, and needed someone to bail her out.

Ben knew this and that was why his face was unreadable.

I slid my phone from his hand and took the call.

When I had the cell at my ear, I said, “Love you, but you’re delaying donuts.”

“Frankie,” she whispered.

Oh God.

At the tone of her voice, my eyes flew to Benny as I pushed up to sitting. He rolled off to let me do that, and I didn’t tear my eyes away from him as I sat on a hip, pulling the covers to my chest and holding the phone tight to my ear.

“What?” I asked.

There was a moment of silence before she said, “Okay, last night was a bad night.”

Hoping her bad night did not include downing shots of vodka and committing felonies, my hand snaked out and pressed into Ben’s chest. The second it did, he sat up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his warmth, trapping my hand between us.

“What?” I whispered, my eyes now to Ben’s throat.

“Okay, the, um…slightly-better-but-still-bad news first.”

Slightly better but still bad?

“Cat…”

“Davey found out that Nat was cheating on him again. They fought…really bad, Frankie. Really bad. He said he was done, and I guess he did it in a way where he meant it this time because she lost it. Started beating on him. He hit her back. She called the cops. He’s all messed up. Even has a concussion ’cause she hit him in the head with a plate or something. He took a lot from her, Frankie, before he lost it. He hit her once to get her off him, but he’s the one in jail.”

I closed my eyes.

“He didn’t press charges,” she continued, “but she did. His mom called me. That’s how I know all this. She’s pissed, Frankie. She knows Davey’s been eatin’ shit for years and she’s seriously pissed. And making matters worse, Ma’s there.”

Oh no.

I opened my eyes, saw Benny’s face, and for the first time in a long time, seeing it didn’t soothe me.

“She was out carousin’, not there for the fight, got there after the police got there. She texted me a few days ago, said I was dead to her because I wasn’t pickin’ up her calls to help her in her hour of need. Guess that’s why she’s with Nat and Davey. But according to Davey’s mom, she’s all up in his and Nat’s shit, talkin’ smack about Davey. Davey’s mom wants the charges dropped and Nat and Ninette outta the house, and she wants that yesterday.”