Bound to be Tamed: Emergence, Book 2 Read Online Free

money. No. That’s not entirely true. I do have savings, but every day I dip into that stash will make me more nervous. I need to feel financially secure by myself.”
    “She has a point,” Lori stated. “I can’t blame her for feeling that way. You’ve known each other a week. That’s a lot to ask of someone after such a short time.”
    Aiden stroked her hair. “What if we cover your rent for a few weeks, and expenses?”
    Stephanie shook her head. “I’d feel like a hooker.”
    Aiden’s brows shot up and his head bobbed back. “That’s crazy. You’re not a hooker.”
    “I know. So don’t make me feel like one. I’m not a kept woman.”
    Dane released her thigh, blessedly, and wrapped his hand around her waist. “That’s kind of the entire point here. We want you to be a kept woman.” He shook his head. “No, that didn’t come out right. It’s you who wants it. You crave the control we have over you.”
    Lori spoke. “Don’t put words in Stephanie’s mouth though, Dane. Let her speak for herself.”
    Dane kissed her forehead. “Sorry. Can you deny it?”
    He knew her so well. How had that happened so fast? She flushed deeper than she had earlier, her face burning with the heat of his stare as her blood flooded her cheeks. He pegged it. And she had to admit it out loud. “It’s true,” she whispered. “But I’m not sure I like the feeling. You have to give me a chance to consider it for more than a few days. It’s a huge step.”
    “Again, Stephanie is right. She’s not a pushover. And you wouldn’t want her to be.” Lori leaned forward onto her knees. “You just quit your job, right?”
    Stephanie nodded.
    “Are you willing to take some time off before looking for another place of employment?”
    She shook her head. “I can’t do that. It’s unsettling. I would have the weight of it niggling in my mind the entire time. I need at least a few hours every day to myself to hunt for a new job.”
    “And this is negotiation, boys.” Lori lifted her face to meet the men’s eyes. “Can you give up a few hours a day so Stephanie can relax for the other twenty?”
    Aiden squeezed her neck where his fingers lay tangled in her hair. “I have an idea. We touched on this last week. Dane and I are in need of someone with her skills at the restaurant. The website is a mess. The books are a disaster. Neither of us has the knack for that end of the job. We squeak by every month doing the bare minimum and it’s beginning to catch up with us.
    “We have to hire someone soon anyway. It would work out perfectly if Stephanie took that job for us and managed the business end.”
    Stephanie sucked in a breath. They had mentioned that last week, but she was still not convinced it was a good idea. What if things went south? It was always bad to sleep with the boss.
    On the other hand, technically, neither man had slept with her. A fact that never left her mind. She longed for them to take her pussy. Craved it with every ounce of her being. What the hell they were waiting on was beyond her.
    “Stephanie?” Lori dragged her attention back to the present.
    She cringed. “I’m not fond of the idea. If we don’t work out, what a mess.”
    Dane stepped in. “How about this? Think of it as a two-week trial period. No matter who we hire, that would be the arrangement anyway. You work for us for two weeks while we explore this relationship. That way you make money and you haven’t wasted any time when you could have been job hunting.”
    She scrunched her face. “That’s a lot of togetherness. What if we get tired of each other?”
    Aiden laughed. “I can’t picture ever being tired of you in this lifetime, but if we do, no harm, no foul. You look for a job somewhere else.”
    She stared at Dane and then Aiden. “So I would go to work with you and we’d be like normal people there?” She glanced at both men again.
    Dane lifted his chin and tilted his head. “I don’t think quite that normal.