Shopping Trip

SHAY

We rolled up to a massive store. Zane was the first to step out of the car. I tried to follow suit, but he was already shaking his head, making his way around the car to my side. He closed the door I’d just opened, only to open it again for me.

“Always let a gentleman open the door for you, sweetheart.” He extended his hand, and I took it.

“Sorry, force of habit. I’m used to opening my own door when I’m driving.”

He planted a quick kiss on my lips and intertwined his fingers with mine. We strolled into the store, which was a treasure trove of everything anyone could ever need: clothes, shoes, dresses, shirts…

“I filled your closet with things I thought you’d like or would want to wear, but if you see anything here that catches your eye, grab it. I want you to have whatever you want, whenever you want.”

I started browsing through the racks of clothes, while Zane, Conner, and Noah watched from a nearby bench. When I reached the bathing suits, I found quite a few that I liked.

I slipped into the changing room. The guys took up positions at the large mirrors at the entrance, acting as guards and telling anyone who tried to enter that it was occupied.

Who would dare to challenge three burly men blocking an entrance? I know I wouldn’t.

Zane had me model each bathing suit for him. Predictably, he wasn’t a fan of the one-pieces, but the bikinis were a big hit.

We took all the clothes I’d chosen to the cashier, who rang them up. Zane paid for everything in cash and handed the bags to Connor and Noah to take to the car. Then we headed to the underwear section.

“I didn’t venture into this department because I wasn’t sure what you liked. Get everything you need—including some lingerie for me, if you don’t mind.” His eyes roamed over my body as he said this.

While I was checking out some lingerie, a man accidentally bumped into me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I said, offering him a smile.

“My fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going, gorgeous. Please forgive me.

“I’m not used to shopping for my girlfriend in this department. Could you give me a few pointers?”

“What colors does she like? Does she prefer something sexy or more modest?”

“I’m not sure. Could you pick out a few things you like, and I’ll go from there?”

“I can show you what I’d wear, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be to her taste.” I picked out three items that I would wear.

He smiled and took them from me. “I think these will work perfectly. Thanks for your help.”

As he walked away, I saw Connor and Noah returning, so I finished up my selections and headed to the register.

Zane paid for my clothes again, a smile playing on his lips when he saw what I’d chosen.

“Fancy some ice cream? I could use some,” he suggested as we all headed back to the car.

“Sounds good to me,” I replied.

He opened my door and helped me into the car, and then we were off to our next destination. Soon, we arrived at an ice cream shop.

Noah and Conner both ordered massive bowls with four different flavors and a ton of toppings. I scanned the display case to decide what I wanted.

“See anything you like?” Zane asked, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder.

I pointed to the cookies and cream. “I’ll have a scoop of that with fudge topping.”

“Nothing else?” he asked, eyeing the array of toppings.

“Some cherries too, please. I don’t need to order the whole case like those guys,” I said, smirking at Noah and Conner.

“This is a treat for us too, you know. We’re going to get whatever we want.” Conner playfully tapped my nose.

Zane ordered a bowl as big as the others for himself. Then we headed over to the soda fountain to fill our cups.

The guys had each ordered the largest size, but I just got a regular one. They let me go first, then they stepped in, forming a wall of muscle. They took up the entire fountain, standing shoulder to shoulder.

I chuckled to myself at the sight and found a table for us.

When they sat down, the chairs squeaked loudly against the floor. I winced a little, but they didn’t seem to notice or care.

A waitress came over and set our orders down. “Here you go, gentlemen. If you need anything else, just let me know.” She licked her lips as she looked at Zane.

He was engrossed in his phone and didn’t pay her any attention. She shot a disappointed look over her shoulder as she walked back to the kitchen.

“Do you guys always get that kind of attention? Women practically throwing themselves at you?”

The guys chuckled and nodded.

“We usually ignore it,” Noah said. “If she’s attractive enough, one of us might strike up a conversation and maybe get her number.”

He took a bite of his ice cream. “But most of the time, we just play with our phones and pretend they don’t exist.”

Zane looked at me, his gaze piercing.

“Didn’t you get hit on all the time by men? The ones you were interested in, didn’t you stop and chat with them?”

“I haven’t been interested in a man for over a year now. The guys at the club would flirt, and I’d chat with them, but that was it.

“A lot of them tried to give me their number, but I usually tossed them in the trash can behind the bar.”

Conner’s chair creaked as he leaned forward. “Were those guys not good enough for you, Sunshine?”

“It wasn’t that. I just didn’t want to date anyone. And most of those guys were either married jerks or they just wanted to get a woman into bed after dinner.

I shrugged. “I set high standards for a man, and none of them met them.”

Noah had been kicked back in his chair, and when he set his feet back down, they hit the floor with a thud. “I’m probably going to get smacked for this, but does the boss meet your standards?”

As predicted, Zane smacked the back of his head—hard. “I told you to keep our personal stuff to yourself, man.”

“I’ll answer you though, Noah.”

Zane’s eyes snapped to me.

“At first, I thought he was a jerk, and the stories I’d heard made me never want to meet him. But when you dig deep and get under those layers—”

Zane cut me off quickly. “That’s enough about me. These guys don’t need to know all that.”

Conner sat back up and punched his arm. “Of course we do. How does the big, bad Mafia tough guy melt in a woman’s eyes?”

Zane smacked Conner hard. “Ow!” Connor cried, rubbing the back of his head. “That was uncalled for.”

I laughed at them, but the conversation was dropped. The guys finished up their mountains of ice cream, and we headed out.

There was a blue car parked off to the side, the engine still running. I could see a silhouette of a man sitting in it, and I felt like his eyes were following me as we walked to the car.

“Zane, do you recognize that car over there?” I pointed to it.

“No, why?”

“I just have this creepy feeling that whoever is in that car is watching us.”

“Here, boss, let me drive, and you can see if they tail us or not.” Conner held out his hand, and Zane dropped the keys in them.

Zane and I climbed into the back seat of the Land Rover and Connor slowly took off. When we pulled out onto the road, the blue car got in behind us a few cars down.

Zane watched closely out the back window.

He told Conner, “Take a different route home. Let’s see if he’s really following us, or just by some chance he’s going the same way.”

Conner drove for a little while down the road and then turned. The blue car also turned but still kept at a safe distance.

“Find an alley and park, and we’ll flank him. He wants something, and I want to know what.”

Zane looked back toward the front of the car and Conner sped up. He found an alley and quickly parked the car.

“Shay, get down on the floor and ~do not~ get out of this car, understand? It’s bulletproof, but we’re still going to lock you in while we see who this son-of-a-bitch is.”

I nodded and got down on the floor, while the guys stepped out and disappeared into the darkness.