When I clear my throat, she shifts on her feet. “There’s a bar around the corner. That’s where we usually hang out to blow off some steam. Why don’t you head over there while I get this place closed up? We’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Sure, okay.”
I direct Kyla to The Red Devil, which is primarily a hang-out place for the college kids in town. We know the manager, which is why we hang out there. It’s probably not the kind of place that Kyla would expect us to go to. It’s not really a place I can see Kyla fitting into either. Maybe a few years ago.
They serve an awesome cocktail there, which most of the girls drink. It’s what the bar is named after.
When I show Kyla to the door, she seems nervous. I guess it’s to be expected. I hope she’ll have more confidence once she starts, or the men in the place are going to eat her alive.
“She’s cute,” Noah says, emerging from his station and wiping his freshly washed hands on a towel.
“She is,” I agree. “Something fascinatingly awkward about her.”
“She was just nervous,” Noah says, but the smile in his eyes tells me he knows what I’m thinking. Inappropriate thoughts. Fantasies of ordering Kyla to her knees with her hands behind her back, telling her to open her mouth for me, and forcing it open when she hesitates. Kyla would be perfectly submissive for me, at least in my dreams. You never can tell in real life. “Did you hire her?”
“If her resume it up to scratch, then yes. And we’re meeting her at The Red Devil to make sure you guys think she’ll fit.”
“Oh, she’ll fit alright. There’s not a man in this place who wouldn’t love a pretty girl to work here. Plus, you’ve been walking around like a bear with a sore head for weeks. We need the help.”
“Get the rest of these reprobates to hurry up so we can go and meet her. I don’t want to keep her waiting too long.”
The Red Devil isn’t as busy as usual, but I guess it’s still early. I spot Kyla easily, sitting in a booth that’s side on to the door. She’s on the phone and not aware that we’ve arrived. “You guys wait here. I’ll go see what Kyla’s drinking. As I approach, I find Noah, Niall, and Nash behind me. They’re all horrible at taking instructions, and I guess more than a bit nosy about our newest employee.
Kyla’s talking loudly, and I don’t want to interrupt.
“You are terrible,” she says to whoever is on the other end of the call. “They’re all strictly off-limits. This is a work arrangement, not a hookup.”
There’s a pause, and then she adds. “I’m pretty sure they’ll all be dating. I mean, the women of this town would all have to be blind to have passed over the gods of Ink Factor.”
“Gods?” Noah says. “We’ve been called many things over the years, but God’s isn’t one of them.”
Kyla swivels her head so fast it must have twinged, finding Noah grinning wickedly at her, surrounded by his carbon copies and me. Her eyes widen, flicking back and forth as though she’s worried if she’s drunk so much she’s hallucinating. I guess identical triplets aren’t the most common phenomenon. I forget that, having grown up with the Johnson brothers.
“I’ve got to go,” she whispers into the phone, lowering it before the person would have a chance to respond.
She blinks slowly again as though she’s attempting to clear her vision, but we’re all still there when her eyes open again. She must notice the differences between Noah and his brothers. Niall has tattoo sleeves, slashes through his eyebrows, and an eyebrow piercing, and Nash has tattoos peeking over the collar of his shirt and two sparkling diamond earrings.
Definitely triplets.
“Guys, this is Kyla. These two lesser versions of me are Niall and Nash,” Noah says.
“Hi,” she mumbles as they flash her with their matching smiles. Gods. Did she really just say that about us?
I shouldn’t like the thought as much as I do. People worship gods. I’d love this girl to worship at my feet. I’d treat her strictly and reward her devotion.
“Another drink, Kyla,” Noah asks, his honey eyes gleaming with mischief.
“I think I’m going to need one,” she says, knocking back the last gulp of sweet alcohol in her drink. She’s looking for some liquid confidence.
Noah nods towards the bar, a clear indication for his brothers to fetch the drink, and they leave without any objection as Noah slides into the booth opposite Kyla. I take a seat too, resting my arms on the cool table.
“So you got the job,” Noah says. “All that pep-talking outside definitely did the trick.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but I make a note to ask him later.
“I think it was more the sheer desperation of your boss,” she laughs, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes.
“Carl doesn’t do anything unless he’s absolutely certain,” Noah says. “He’s a man of clear purpose.”
“I am,” I agree.
Nodding, Noah glances to where the rest of the team are gathered at the bar. “You’ll learn that he likes things to be done a certain way.”
“Well, I’ll try and follow his orders,” she says, blushing in my direction.
Noah grins a little wider than fits with the conversation, revealing another layer that Kyla isn’t aware of.
Kyla flops back against the soft red booth. “So, how long have you been working together?”
“We’re all neighborhood friends,” I say. Beneath the table, my ankle brushes Kyla’s, and I feel the sensation in totally unrelated places. “We grew up together and decided to start a business.”
“Wow, that’s awesome.”
“It has its moments.”
I glance back to the bar, finding a wall of men walking towards us, bearing drinks. Nash is first to reach the table and tells Noah to move up. We all slide further into the booth giving the rest of the Ink Factor team space to sit down. Kyla steals furtive glances at her future workmates.
“Everyone, this is Kyla. She’s joining Ink Factor, and she’s going to drag our disorganized asses into a new era of professionalism.” I nod with purpose, as though by the very act of me speaking, I can manifest my will.
“She’s gonna need some super-strength,” Kole says. Kyla’s eyes drift over his tight black tight curls and cloud grey eyes. He has a slightly crooked nose that was broken in a fight and a faint scar that runs up his right cheek. She’d be right in thinking that he’s the brawler of the group. There’s always one who has a short fuse. When he rubs the side of his nose, his knuckles are latticed with thin white scars.
“She’s going to get our help,” I insist.
“Of course,” Noah says. Kyla jumps as though Noah touched her beneath the table. Is he seriously already handling the new recruit? Maybe hiring a woman is a mistake, but there’s no going back now.
“Right, let’s do introductions.” I nod to Dex, who’s sitting next to me.
“I’m Dex, and this is Lex.” He tips his head in his brother’s direction, and they both grin. Unlike Noah and his brothers, Dex and Lex are so identical it’s hard for even me to tell them apart.