Pride (Living In Sin #1)

Chapter 18

Alec

Chef was truly a lifesaver. I couldn't bring myself to tell him I didn't have any food, but he somehow knew. Every day there was something warm and waiting for me for a late breakfast at my desk. At lunchtime he'd come by and stand with his hands on his hips till I stopped what I was doing and ate whatever he'd brought by. Then, at the end of the day, he'd have something packed away for me to take home for dinner.

"What do I owe for this?" I'd asked the first lunch as I scoffed down the best club sandwich I'd ever had.

"I'll make you a tab." Chef had laughed, waving off my question. I got the feeling he cared little about the costs, but I would keep a tally and deduct from my pay as needed. At least until I had a real handle on how the club functioned. I wasn't going to complain if employees got a few meals as an added perk.

Today was no exception. I looked up as there was a knock on the door and Chef's grin looked down at me.

"Lunchtime, little man." The declaration was followed by him sauntering in. "Gotta keep fattening you up."

I wasn't really going to argue as the scent of what seemed to be soup followed him in. Currently, my work was mostly just sorting through what turned out to be years of paperwork. It was easy enough to pause for what promised to be another fantastic meal. And amazing company.

Chef was not as tall or ripped as his older brother, but he was still as enticing. All of them were, really. I'd only met the three of them, but Pry, Envy, and Chef were definitely the best looking set of brothers I'd ever seen. And they were all so different. It was a little off-putting to think of them all as my bosses. And to think there were four more I hadn't met yet.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were some wicked witch going to put me in your pot." I reached for the soup, looking forward to the break. Chef laughed as he handed it over, a little more uproariously than I thought was necessary for such a silly joke.

"I'd only eat you if you asked nicely." Chef winked, and I had to fight the instant embarrassment. Not to mention the hardening in my pants. It didn't help that the whole family was one big hot mess that apparently I was incredibly attracted to.

Instead of answering, I just started eating. It was even better than it smelt. I groaned, unable to help the sound as the taste exploded on my tongue. Chef made a noise above me, but I was too busy eating to check on him. Every meal Chef had made me so far had been magical. I'd stumbled on a job with the best perks on the planet. A little flirting would not throw me off.

"If you two have finished having sex over soup," Envy drawled from the doorway. He always seemed pissed about something. It was frustrating, but I'd dealt with worse. So far, I seemed to get by as long as I didn't back down from him everything was fine. "Pry left a message before he headed out."

At that, I looked up in surprise. Pry rarely went anywhere during the day. I wasn't entirely sure what Pry did exactly, but the place seemed to run smoothly with him at the helm. Even with mountains of paperwork that never seemed to get done.

I didn't like the idea that he'd left without telling me. But I tried not to dwell on the strange thought. Or that Envy breathed deeply and stood straighter when I looked at him. Sometimes the family had a weird sniffing thing going on, but I would not worry about it right now. Right now, I wanted to know why Pry had left during the middle of the day and decided not to tell me.

"Not that I enjoy being his messenger boy." I was sure Envy just enjoyed being contrary. "But he said he's expecting to collect on his dance tonight."

Chef didn't quite realise the subtext. "Pry knows I'm always happy to dance with him. Why would that be his message?"

"It's not a message for you." Envy seemed to swell with each breath he took. He was enjoying this. The awkwardness his words were causing his brother. Awkwardness, and something else. I knew there was something I was missing. Probably something big if Chef's response was anything to go by.

"Pry said he's going to collect on his dance with Alec tonight. Not that I care."

Envy did seem to care and Chef was already gone.

Well, fuck.