Yes, Masters (Book 2 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 28 - Emma

"Emma...What's going on with you?" His voice was hesitant, but I could hear the underlying suspicion that something wasn't quite right.

"What do you mean? There's nothing going on with me. I'm fine. I just have a lot of homework to catch up on. You know how it is." I was rambling, my mouth spitting out words all too fast. One thing I knew about the art of lying, never say too much or overexplain, and I just went ahead and threw the knowledge out the window.

"It doesn't sound like that to me. Whatever it is, you can tell me; I'll drop everything I have for you. You know that, right?"

I forced out a laugh, as if his notion that I wasn't okay was ridiculous. "Seriously, you're making a big deal out of nothing. I'm overworked, Kev. I'm tired and overworked. There's nothing more to it than that."

He huffed, not believing me. "Is it the guys? Do I need to beat them again?"

"No, that's not...wait, again? When have you ever beaten them?"

"Oh, I, eh...I kind of hit Callan and Mateo in face when I went to pick up your stuff that time. I don't think I broke their nose. But, don't you change the subject, girly. Something is off with you, I can tell."

Huffing, I stared at the wall in front of me, praying for some semblance of calm. I struggled keeping in the words that wanted to come out, but I managed. "And I told you the truth. It's not my fault that you won't listen," I said too harshly, almost angrily.

"Okay... well, you know I'm here though. If there's anything you want to talk about, or just have someone to be with you, I'm here."

My heart softened and broke at the same time. There was a lot of love between us, and I hated the distance I'd created by the force of someone else. Granted, he hadn't specifically said I couldn't hang out with Kevin, but... at the chance that Kevin would find out, I'd rather him be safe than I be sorry. I had to keep him far away from him , and that meant far away from me.

I felt heavy and sad as I went to work. The phone call with Kevin was in the forefront of my mind. We'd continued to talk for a while. He was worried, and I had to give him no reason to be, which meant I had to talk to him. I asked him about how things were with Thomas, and it was bittersweet to find out they'd gone official with their relationship; I couldn't believe I'd missed the news about my best friend having an official boyfriend.

As I entered Euphoria, I was too busy grumbling about my life that I hadn't blinked at the sight of Callan and Gideon sitting in the VIP section. Callan had given me a smile, while I'd gotten a nod from Gideon. I didn't even know if I greeted them back. It wasn't until I was at the changing room that I finally registered that Callan was here, at the club with Gideon. It had been...a while—too long—since I'd seen them both. Though, for some reason, I had expected that I would see Gideon tonight. Gideon usually never hung out in the bar area, but that was apparently starting to change. Callan, though, I had not expected seeing.

My feet felt unsteady when I got to the bar, both desperate to see them again and scared about my own weakness to these men, which both Gideon and Mateo had proven was a real problem. My will to keep myself away from them was crumbling day by day, and I had a feeling it was because of my weakening mentality.

I tried to make myself busy, checking that the bar was in order and clean before we opened the doors, but it was impossible to ignore the feeling of their eyes on me; my skin warmed underneath their gaze and made it difficult to concentrate on anything else. I meant to only sneak tiny little a look, but once I saw them, I couldn't for the life of me look away. I drank in the sight of them.

Callan was leaning back in his seat, and at first glance he seemed calm and collected, but a second look betrayed the tension in his body hinted that he was anything but. His jaw was clenched, making his sharp jaw even more prominent. He'd abandoned his jacket somewhere, and he wore his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, displaying his tan forearms and corded muscles.

When I caught his green eyes, my breath practically emptied out of me. Even from several feet away, I noticed the struggle in them, and I couldn't help but wonder what the struggle was about. A part of me wondered if it was because of me.

Gideon sat with his arms resting heavily on the tabletop, swirling the glass of what I presumed was whiskey in his hand. He looked bored, and—surprise, surprise—angry. It was almost comforting to see that somethings hadn't changed. His face was hard-set, and my fingers itched to stroke his skin, something I've never been allowed to do, and see if I'd get his expression to soften. He wore all black, and with his dark eyes and hair, he embraced the dangerous vibe that he always had going on. While he usually went for something more formal, leaning more towards suits like Callan, he now had on a form-fitting t-shirt on instead. I didn't think the t-shirt was actually meant to be tight, but with his large frame and thick muscles he was definitely filling it in, and damn did he fill it in well.

A cough startled me, and my eyes snapped to the one who'd made it.

Mark was standing on the customers side of the bar with an inscrutable expression on his face. His gaze went from me, to my men, and back.

"Shouldn't you be working?" he asked. His voice wasn't harsh, but there was something there that made my teeth clench.

Mark was the manager of Euphoria, which meant that he was my boss. He was also my ex-friend. The last part still stung. Before he found out about Gideon and me, he'd used to follow me to the bus stop to make sure I got home safely, and now...now he hardly talked to me at all.

Steeling my spine, I said, "Everything's in order here. There's not much I can do without customers." My tone was clipped, because yeah, I was angry at him. Sure, I'd sensed that he'd been interested in me before Gideon, but I never encouraged it. That he cut me off right after he saw me with Gideon only showed that he wanted in my pants and not actually a friendship with me.

He sighed as if I were being difficult, but finally gave me a nod and left me.

Friday nights at Euphoria were crazy hectic. The first round of order was always stressing, but with the added weight of my men's gaze, it was stressing and grueling. I stumbled over orders and were making much more mistakes than I normally did. I was self-conscious, which in turn made it hard to focus. It was the only excuse I had to why I hadn't noticed the guy standing by the bar, watching me work.

Since my stalker entered my life, I'd been observant and was aware of my surroundings. But only when I needed it, did it failed me.

My head was pounding by the time Joseph came to replace me so I could take my break. I was grateful as I started walking to the lunchroom, needing something to take the edge off my headache. Not once did I notice the guy following closely behind.