Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“Come here, baby girl. You’re upsetting Grady.” Steele reached down for her.
She was upsetting Grady? She didn’t want to do that. Also, Grady got upset? She knew he got angry which was a scary sight. But upset?
“Watch your head.” Steele put one hand on top of her head to protect her as he drew her up into the booth.
“Perhaps we need to look into some sort of restraint when she is sitting,” Grady suggested.
“I don’t need to be restrained!”
Of course she said this just as the server returned with their food. He paused and looked at them all.
“Um. Uh.”
She attempted to slide down off the seat again. She was just going to hide down here forever.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Steele said, placing a large arm firmly over her stomach. “And you can put the food down.”
“I, um, ah, are you all right, ma’am?” the young guy asked.
“No,” she cried.
He gaped at her as he set the food down.
“You just ma’amed me. That means I’m old. I’m officially old.”
“I, uh, it . . .”
“We’re fine,” Grady said firmly. “So is Effie. Effie, you want to put this guy at ease before he calls the cops on us?”
Which they definitely wouldn’t like. Since they didn’t like gossip. She was also guessing they wouldn’t want the attention of the police.
“Sorry,” she said, smiling brightly at the server, who continued to blink down at her. “I haven’t had any coffee. I’m loopy without my coffee.”
The server glanced down at her mug. She looked to see it was half empty. Shoot. There went that excuse. But she just widened her smile. “So nice of you to be concerned. I really am okay. Do you like working here? Seems like a nice diner.”
“Um, yeah. It’s fine. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“I feel like he didn’t believe me,” she muttered as Grady placed her small plate of pancakes in front of her. As well as her big bowl of fruit.
She liked some fruit. But she liked pancakes more. She dug into the pancakes, taking a bite. “Yummy.”
Steele used another fork to pick up some berries and held them to her mouth. “For each mouthful of pancake, I want you to eat some fruit as well.”
So not cool. But she took the fruit. Then had a sip of coffee.
“So good.”
When she was finished, she sat back and rubbed her tummy.
“Feeling good, baby girl?” Steele asked.
“Uh-huh. I love pancakes.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t mean that stuff I said earlier about Lucy. I was being mean.”
You need to do better, Effie. People don’t like it when you’re angry or sad or grumpy. They want happy Effie.
She sucked in a breath, feeling herself growing tense.
“No, you weren’t,” Grady countered. “Lucy was nuts. And she was definitely the sort to have a masturbation shrine in her bedroom to Steele.”
She groaned. “Can we please stop saying the word masturbate?”
“You don’t like the word masturbate either? No porn. No masturbation.” Steele shook his head. “I don’t know. Seems boring, taking those words out of the English language.”
“You don’t have to take them out of the English language. Just out of my language and any language around me.” And she was acting like a crazy person.
“You’re a bit nutty,” Steele told her.
“Um, yeah.” She winced. Nan would not be happy with her.
“I like that.”
He . . . he what?
“We’re all a bit crazy here,” Grady murmured.
She wasn’t sure she believed him. They seemed pretty normal to her. She was the loopy one.
And while she thought Lucy was a total bitch, she also couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.
Because becoming infatuated with Damon Steele wasn’t a hard thing to do.
And when you added Grady to that . . .
Irresistible.
“Effie? What are you thinking?” Grady asked.
Yeah, there was no way she was telling him what she was thinking. Her brain scrambled.
“Um, I was thinking that it’s my turn to pay since you guys paid last time.”
Instantly, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. They both stiffened. Then Steele turned to her. She swallowed heavily.
“Would you like to make that five, ten?” he asked.
Uh. What?
“The five spanks you’re owed,” Grady said almost casually. “Would you like it to be ten?”
“No.” What kind of question was that?
“Then you won’t mention paying for anything, but especially anything for us, ever again,” Steele told her darkly.
Definitely in trouble.
32
Effie, you aren’t in your crummy apartment anymore.
She looked around Grady and Steele’s house. Only, it wasn’t a house.
It was a freaking mansion.
She’d guessed they had money. They dressed nicely, had a driver, and an expensive-looking truck. Plus, they owned several businesses.
But this was still next-level. This place was immense. There were security gates at the front and a long, tree-lined cobblestone driveway that led to the most stunning house she’d ever seen.
It was enormous with two floors. A wide porch wrapped around three sides and on both levels. The bottom half was stone, while the top was timber boards. It looked like the most luxurious ski chalet she’d ever seen.