Page 48 of Good Girls Beg

I glared at the door for a moment longer before I headed into the kitchen for a drink of water. It might help to cool my temper.

I pulled a glass out of the cabinet, filled it almost to the brim, and leaned against the counter to drink it.

"What did they do this time?" A voice spoke out of the darkness, making me jump and almost spill water all over myself.

Shannon stepped out of the pantry, a glass of wine in her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare the shit out of you."

She turned the oven hood light on, giving enough illumination to see her as she slid into a stool behind the island and regarded me.

"I didn't think anyone was in here. I didn't mean to disturb you,” I said quickly. This was out of her work hours. She was entitled to her privacy. As much as she could get, living where she worked. She had a small room in the very back of the house, beside the kitchen. I’d caught a glimpse of it while searching for the basement.

"If it wasn't you, it would have been one of them," she said. She waved her hand toward the door. "There's always someone coming in or out of here."

"Let me guess, Oak keeps a stash of donuts in the corner of the pantry," I asked dryly.

She snorted loudly. "Not likely. If he did, the others would clear him out. Or I would." She nodded and took a sip of her wine.

"Shame, I was hoping someone left one for me." I stepped over to the island and leaned a hip against it.

"If you want, I can make you some pancakes," she offered. She looked as though she was ready to get up and make good on that right now.

"No, that's okay," I said quickly. It had to be close to one in the morning by then. I should really be heading to bed. I downed the rest of my water and placed the glass in the dishwasher.

"They're not all bad, you know," she said, before I could leave the kitchen. "They're assholes, but they have some redeeming qualities."

"Even Fade?" I asked.

"Even Faden, believe it or not," she agreed. "He can be sweet when he wants to."

"I'm guessing he doesn't want to very often," I said bitterly. "Is he always a manipulative prick?"

She considered the question for a moment. "Pretty much. Don't let him get to you. That's what he wants. Give him an inch and he'll take the whole fucking mile. That one…" She waggled a finger at me. "You have to make him work for it."

“I’m not sure I want to make him work for it,” I said. How much did she know about the proposal? The whole reason I was here. Had they explained or merely told her I'd be living here for a while?

"This situation is temporary," I said carefully.

"Life is temporary," she said. "It's too short not to enjoy every minute of it, if you ask me."

"Do you like working for them?” I leaned forward, my elbows on the island. They didn't seem like easy men to work for.

"They pay well," Shannon said.

I cocked my head. “That wasn't a yes."

"It wasn't a no either," she pointed out. "They have their moments. Mostly they put the toilet seats back down. They don't expect me to tidy their bedrooms, except change their sheets once in a while. They usually eat what I put in front of them. My kids were a lot worse."

"I'd hope grown men behave better than children," I said dryly. Although I'd met plenty of children who behaved better than Fade. He seemed to fit neatly into the expression, ‘old enough to know better, too young to give a shit.’

“You might be exactly what they need," she said, turning the stem of the wine glass between her fingers. "A woman who won't put up with their crap. My bet is you'll knee one of them in the groin before the year is over." One side of her mouth tugged up in a smile.

So she knew something about the situation.

“Can I ask what they told you about why I'm living here?” I straightened up and crossed my arms.

“Helmut spun me some tale about you needing somewhere to live and him being nice enough to offer you a year-long lease.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “After all the years of me working here, he still thinks I was born yesterday. I know there's something else going on here. I don't know what,” she added before I could question her further. "I know it's something. Whatever it is, it's your business and theirs, not mine. I won't go poking my nose in where it doesn't belong and isn't welcome."

"I wouldn't say it isn't welcome," I said. I could use an ally in this house. I liked Shannon. She didn't pull any punches. If anyone other than me was going to knee the guys in the groin, it would be her. I hoped I'd be there to see it.