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Dane: ?
Tituss to Harpy: Nothing. I was thinking about food.
Tituss to Dane: Typical thoughts about the siren
He nodded. No need to respond to what he understood clearly.
Once at the restaurant, we were seated in a private space. This was really Godfather-type feel eating when the hostess left and closed the sliding doors so people couldn’t see into our area.
Dane said, “Nice. Al Pacino coming to eat with us?”
“Robert DeNiro,” I corrected as I picked up a breadstick. Drinks were already waiting for us too, so I said, “This is luxury right here. Bread on the table when I sit down. I mean, what else does a man need?”
Dane was breaking his breadstick in half to dip in the sauce Apollo just pushed his way. Apollo surprised me by saying, “Lots of things. This is why I wanted to have this meeting tonight. With you three.”
Fuck. It wasn’t a movie. I didn’t think there were enough breadsticks in these baskets to make this conversation feel better. If she was leaving us for him…it made sense why we would be in a public place. Dane might fight him here anyway, but I wouldn’t. I just sat there, looking at Harpy. Praying, he said anything other than that.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Harpy
As Apollo told a tale as old as crime, I realized to the two men that had eaten most of the breadsticks, thought I was an accomplice to this meeting. I was the opposite. I had no idea we were coming here for this. Had no idea we were going out for dinner. I thought it would be a romantic night when I saw the dress, the bag on the doorknob with sexy underwear, and these shoes. I stupidly thought it would end with me being fucked to bliss by the three of them.
It might end with me signing more NDA agreements and them…I wasn’t sure what they were thinking. I was quite horrified by the details that both Tituss and Dane belonged to a long line of relatives that had worked with and for Apollo’s family for centuries, it seemed. All the way back to the forming of this frat.
He didn’t admit to anything illegal or outright say anything that would be incriminating. Still, it was evident to everyone that he wanted to know if they would be loyal to him or his family the way their families had in the past.
Dane shook his head no and said, “I have Rip. He’s all that matters when it comes to my future. I didn’t want him growing up thinking he had to be a lawyer just because that was our family trade. If you are indicating the way I think you are, hell no. I will not tie my son to that rope when I’m actively trying to find a way out of the current noose. No way.”
I didn’t think it was possible to love Ripley more, but I did at that moment. He was an amazing dad. He would never do the things my mom did to me. He would never let me do the things my mom did to my dad. I blinked. Cleared my throat, and that got all of their attention. I picked up the water and took a sip. “Sorry. Just…nothing. I’m not a part of this. I’m just…here for the food.”
I focused on the neglected spaghetti before me.
Tituss said, “That’s what this is all about? I…they…” He looked over at me and asked, “If I had nothing, would you still want me?”
The thought startled me, so I accidentally choked. That was not the response I meant to have, but also…I needed the moment to think about it. I never thought about him with nothing or what that would look like.
When I met his eyes, their eyes, it looked like I broke his heart and Dane’s too because he said, “Really?”
“How did this become about me?” I asked. I was so on the spot and now nervous, embarrassed, and ashamed of myself for not responding fast enough.
Apollo was absolutely the devil. He wanted me to himself, and this is how he was going to get it. They were still upset with me, so this was perfect timing for making things worse. I looked at him and said, “This is your fault. You did this. You…turned them against me.”
He went from pleased to confused. “What?”
I stood up. “I…I don’t need this shit. I didn’t get dressed up to come to dinner, so you can judge me because I don’t have rich boy problems like the three of you. I don’t have an empire to manage, a kid to think of, a fiancé to be to worry about. I only have me. I always only have me.” I looked accusingly at Apollo and said, “Even when I thought I had so much more. I thought this was…but it turns out…” I was about to cry, and they were not going to see me do that. Fuck no. I looked at all three of their handsome and confused faces and said, “I have no one. It’s still just me.”
I went to the sliding door and headed through it. I hated that I was in heels. Not some kind of heels, killer fucking heels. I was in a nice dress. The one that was hanging on my door for me when we got to our rooms. I shook my head and pulled my phone up. I was walking away from the restaurant and calling for a ride when I heard someone say, “Get in.”
I looked and saw Kipper. “Fuck you, too.”
“Hoppy!” I heard a voice from the back seat, and that stopped me. “Hoppy, help me!”
I blinked at Kipper and moved closer to the car. Helen was in the back seat with Rip. I looked back at the restaurant, and Kipper said, “Don’t even think about it. Drop your phone, Harper. Get in.”
I leaned over and put my arms, folded on the door, and asked with a smile, “Where are we going, and why do I have to drop my phone? You see me walking, right? You know they are in there. Do I look like I give a fuck what they want right now?”
“Get in,” Helen shouted.
