“Here’s how it woulda gone down. She’d have blown me, then gotten pissed when I didn’t give her my number. She woulda stalked me here, then followed me home one night. A fuckin’ nightmare.”
Luciano and Teddy stared at him.
“Damn, you’ve got a vivid imagination,” Teddy said. “You’ve been watching too many late-night crime shows.”
Greystone shrugged. “Instead of that sweet dopamine hit, I’m talkin’ to you two idiots.”
Luciano smiled. “Simone and friends of ours are waiting at a table. I’ll talk to you.”
“Don’t you want to introduce your renegade brother?” Greystone asked.
“Come on over.” Luciano strolled out.
“I can do payroll, if you wanna take off,” Teddy said.
“You sure?”
“Absolutely. You’ve been putting in the hours.”
“Thanks, brother. I’ll close tomorrow.”
Teddy extended his hand. Greystone clasped it and Teddy pulled him in for a bro-hug. “I’m damn glad you’re back.”
Greystone slapped his brother on the back. “Don’t get all mushy on me.”
Breaking away, Teddy grinned. “For the record, I would have taken the blowjobandthe consequences that came with it.”
On a chuckle, Greystone left the office, stopping at the entrance to the private salon. A party of twenty were toasting, their champagne flutes clinking together.
Greystone had been a lone wolf for so long, he didn’t know what it was like to run with a pack. He continued through the busy Italian restaurant, spotting Luciano in a booth with his fiancée. He’d met Simone, and he liked her. She was good for his brother.
Simone glanced up, then stood to hug him. “Good to see you, Greystone. Can you join us?”
“Bossman gave me the night off, so I’m gonna?—”
“Go after the woman from earlier?” Luciano asked.
“Not happenin’.” Greystone slid his gaze to the couple across the table, then did his damn best to conceal his reaction.
“This is my renegade brother, Greystone Santini,” Luciano said. “Grey, this is Dakota and Providence Luck.”
Dakota stood.
Greystone wanted to blurt out, “Small fuckin’ world,” but said nothing as the two men shook hands.
“Good to meet you,” Dakota said.
“Same.”
Greystone nodded at Providence. “Ma’am.”
“Do you have a military background?” Providence asked. “Or am I just old?”
The group laughed.
“I was in the Navy.”
Luciano’s eyebrows crowded his forehead. “What the hell?”
