in a sickly sweet tone with a chuckle.
Ignoring her, I turned around to search for who she was referencing, then went tense when my eyes landed on Lance and Decker. Rose was leaning over their table and chatting up my brother, a smirk on her face. I stood there frozen for a moment, praying the world would open up and swallow me whole. Rose must have said something funny about me, because they all laughed, chins tipped back in amusement, then turned their gazes in my direction. Fuck.
Rose lifted her hand and waved me over. Aside from a painfully awkward meditation, I’d managed to avoid my eccentric boss for the most part, and it seemed my luck had finally run out.
I cringed as I walked, dodging bussers and patrons with chagrin. Decker looked sinfully good. His hair was a mess, like he’d been running his hands through it all day. Those thick lashes of his framed dark eyes that left sweltering heat up and down my spine. He had dressed casually in a black shirt that hugged the tight muscles in his chest and those broad shoulders. I practically had to tear my eyes away.
“Blakely, dear, how are you today? Your aura is all over the place; is that a hint of sexual prowess I see? Someone got your eye?” Rose said with a kind smile before patting me on the back.
I wanted to run away and hide in the walk-in freezer until my body turned to ice. I could feel the blush rushing up my skin and turning me hot. “A couple of guys by the bar asked for my number. One of them was kind of cute.” I wasn’t necessarily lying. A hot blond did ask me for my number. But the tan line from where his wedding ring used to be was a big turn off.
“What?” Lance asked. I could practically see the invisible forcefield of overprotectiveness washing over him. Fuck. I saw the hint of his bright teeth as they gnawed on his lower lip in irritation.
“It was nothing,” I said with a wave of my hand. The only person I was even remotely interested in right now was completely off limits. Besides, I had more baggage than any man needed. You can’t love others if you don’t love yourself first, and lately I was even struggling to like myself.
“You didn’t tell me Blakely would be wearing that when you offered to hire her,” Decker finally spoke up.
“Are you sexually objectifying one of my employees, Decker? For your next session, I’m taking you to a nudist colony,” Rose said with a tsk, making Lance nearly spit out his beer in laughter.
“N-No. I’m not!” Decker stuttered, and to my enjoyment, his entire body went stiff. “I’m just saying, it’s a little revealing.”
“Are you saying this because you’re concerned for her innocence? Cause Blakely is a grown woman—I bet she’s not even a virgin,” Rose added. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Besides, she’s eighteen. I support safe sexual exploration. It’s natural.”
“Can we stop talking about my baby sister’s sex life please?” Lance choked out. He was still sputtering on his beer and had to wipe his chin.
Rose scowled in response. “I hate double standards. Men get to act like pigs, but the second a woman spreads her legs, she’s a whore. Blakely, I always keep condoms in my desk, and the back room is open if you need them. Just not on the clock, okay? Oh, and the flavored condoms are in the right drawer.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. Did she seriously just say that to me? I didn’t know how to respond. “Thanks, Rose?” I glanced at Decker and noticed that he looked pissed, and I kind of wanted to piss him off more. “And in my experience, the flavored condoms never really taste as good as they claim,” I added just for fun. He turned the brightest shade of red I’d ever seen.
“I know, right? So misleading.”
And then I couldn’t stop. I just wanted to keep going, keep pissing off Decker. “I had an ex that wanted me to put the condom on with my mouth. I didn’t know they put spermicide on the inside, and I ended up choking on the taste. Worst decision ever. I nearly puked on his dick.” Maybe not the best story to share, considering I didn’t want Decker to think of sex with me and puking went hand in hand, but the words fell out of my