The Very Naughty List

28. Hailey

28

HAILEY

After a change of clothes and a hot cup of cocoa, I sit all curled up on the couch beneath a blanket that Nick pulled out of the closet for me. It’s extra thick and warm and feels homemade. I wonder if it’s something that perhaps Mrs. Cooper made for her kids years ago.

Bruno is curled up on the couch beside me, openly snoring with one paw on my lap as if we’ve suddenly become best friends.

“Jesus, they really do make ’em different in Montana,” Lorelai says, her voice coming through the speaker on my phone. “Butt ass naked? All three of them? And you too?”

I chuckle. “Yup.”

“Yeah, there’s no fucking way you could pay me to run around in the snow naked like that. I get cold when it drops into the fifties here.” She snorts. “Not even the promise of three dicks could get me to willingly go streaking in a frozen tundra, no matter how good the sex was.”

Leaning deeper into the couch cushions, I adjust the phone at my ear. Bruno gives me a slightly put out look as I disturb his slumber, then rests his head on my lap alongside his paw.

I smile down at him, scratching his ear as I say, “Well, the sex is really good, so that helps. But that’s not why I did it. It was just… fun.”

“ Just fun?” Lorelai’s voice shifts a little, and I hear the unspoken question in her words.

“Yes, just fun.” I nod firmly, trying to cut her off before she can get started. “I told you, I can do this without getting too attached. Yes, I like them a lot. Yes, it’s been amazing getting to see all these new sides of them.”

And I’m going to miss them so much when I leave again that I don’t know how I’m going to breathe.

That thought hits me hard, nearly knocking the wind out of me, and I take a second to recover my voice before I speak.

“I’m not gonna lie and pretend these guys don’t mean something to me,” I tell my best friend. “But they’ve always meant something to me. Nothing has changed, and nothing has to change. We’ve still got the rules in place.”

“Right.” She laughs softly. “The rules .”

“What?” I ask, because I know there’s something else she wants to say.

I can almost hear her shrug over the phone. “I’m just saying, not everything in life fits into a neat little box. Not everything follows the rules.”

I pick at a loose thread on the blanket, biting my lip. “I know. But this has to. It’s the only way to make sure no one gets hurt.”

“Okay.” Lorelai hesitates, and I wish she was here with me right now so we could be having this conversation face to face. When she speaks again, her voice is a little quieter. “I just want to make sure you don’t let the past hold you back from what you want in the present, or even the future. You ran from your past once, but you don’t always have to keep running.”

“I know,” I whisper, thinking back to the bar the other night, and how amazing it felt to sing in front of people, despite the utter terror of it too. It felt like shedding a piece of that past I’ve been running away from, but I know that parts of it are still clinging to me, weighing me down like anchors.

“Shit, I’ve gotta go.” Lorelai makes an annoyed noise. “Derek just sent me an SOS message, he needs me to run to West Hollywood to pick something up for him. Sorry!”

“That’s okay.” I roll my eyes, knowing what a nightmare her boss can be. “Tell him I said ‘fuck you.’”

“Oh, I will. And I’ll throw in one from myself while I’m at it.” She makes a kissing noise through the phone. “Love you! Talk soon, okay? Bye!”

“Bye.”

I hang up, grinning at the way I can already hear her rushing out the door. She has a sort of love/hate relationship with her boss, with maybe a tiny bit of lust thrown in there too. I’m honestly waiting for the two of them to just hate fuck once to get it out of their systems.

When my phone rings again a second later, I figure that Lorelai forgot to tell me something. But as I swipe across the screen to answer, I realize it’s my mom calling instead.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. I have a favor to ask you. Any chance that you can cover a shift at the diner this evening? Your father and I have to get some paperwork done, and Pippa can’t work tonight. We’re applying for a grant, although it feels like a bit of a long shot. But it’s worth trying, I guess. Anyway, I know you’ve been helping out a lot, but this would be a full shift, with closing duties and everything. Would you feel comfortable?—”

“Of course,” I say immediately. “Yeah, I can do that. No problem.”

“Oh thank you. You’re a lifesaver! Jacob will be here too, but he’s just not fast enough to be able to work on his own yet. So I’d feel better having two people here in case it gets busy.”

“I get that. I can totally come in. Just let me know what time.”

She does, and I promise to be there before we hang up.

It’s not how I was planning on spending my evening, but I know how hard my parents have been working, and I really meant it when I said I wanted to help in any way I can. I’m still really worried about their business going under. The least I can do is pick up a few shifts as needed—especially if it gives them a chance to look for ways to save the diner.

It’s late afternoon by now, so I don’t have a ton of time before I’ll need to head out. I reluctantly peel myself off the comfy couch, earning a sad look from Bruno, which I soothe by rubbing his scruff. Then I head upstairs, singing under my breath as I put away some laundry I started earlier. It feels oddly domestic, folding up my clothes and putting them away after grabbing them from the guys’ dryer, and I try to ignore the fact that I kind of like it.

Sebastian is the first and only one of the three brothers to get home before I leave to head out to the diner. I didn’t expect any of them to be back yet and am pleasantly surprised when I walk downstairs and see him coming in through the front door.

“Hey!” I grin as he stomps a little snow off his boots on the mat. “Early day for you? Not enough broken cars to fix?”

“Nah. I got all my work done, and I could’ve stayed late to start another project but decided not to. Instead of servicing cars, I figured I’d much rather come home and spend my time servicing other things… like you .” He winks, then shrugs. “Besides, after dicking around all morning and getting a late start, I honestly just wasn’t in the mood to work.”

“Me neither.” I scrunch up my face. “But unfortunately, I won’t be able to stay here and hang out with you tonight. My mom called, and they need me to come in and help cover a shift at the diner tonight. Apparently, she and my dad are working on applying for some grant, and Pippa is unavailable to cover the shift. They have the new guy working tonight, but my mom says he needs my help.”

“New guy?”

“Yeah. You’ve probably seen him around. He’s younger, kind of tall, maybe early twenties. Blond hair, cute smile.”

Recognition flashes in Sebastian’s eyes, and then he frowns. “So it’s just going to be the two of you working at the diner tonight? Alone?”

“Yup.”

He was just starting to take off his boots, but now he bends down and laces them back up. “I’ll go with you.”

My eyebrows pop upward. “Really?”

I’m surprised he wants to come do a shift at my parents’ diner with me, especially since he just said he doesn’t really feel like working. But he nods decisively.

“Yeah, I’ll go. Actually…” A slow smile spreads across his face. “Wait here a second.”

He turns on his heel and strides out of the room, heading upstairs for a few moments. I do what he asked, waiting for him with curiosity burning in my chest.

When he returns, there’s a glint in his eye that I don’t quite recognize, and he walks toward me without breaking stride. As soon as he reaches me, Sebastian boxes me up against the wall, and a thrill races through me as the heat of his body radiates into mine. His starving eyes rake over me, and I feel like he’s already stripped me naked, even though we’re both fully clothed.

He reaches around to his back pocket and holds something up between us, and when I realize what it is, my breath catches.

“A wearable vibrator?” I arch a brow, keeping my tone teasing even though my heart is racing. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type, but if that’s what you’re into…”

Sebastian chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh no, don’t get it twisted. This is all for you, shortcake.”

Desire rushes through me at his words, my stomach fluttering at the thought of walking around with the vibrator inside me and it being our dirty little secret.

Maybe I’m reading into this all wrong, but I feel like this is his way of claiming me. Of making sure that even if I’m working with another man all night, I’ll be thinking of Sebastian every second of the evening. The possessiveness of it touches something primal inside me, making goosebumps spread over my skin as arousal floods my veins.

As if he can smell it radiating off me, Sebastian reaches down and unzips my pants before working them down my hips.

“Spread your legs a little for me,” he commands.

“Fuck,” I whisper, biting my lip. But I do as I’m told, and Sebastian kneels in front of me with the vibrator already humming in one hand. He smiles up at me for a second, then teases my pussy lips with the vibration. If I wasn’t already worked up, I damn sure am now.

But he switches it off a moment later and starts pushing it into me slowly. It’s shaped in such a way that while the majority of the silicone toy is buried inside my pussy, there’s a small curved part of it that nestles right against my clit. When Sebastian is satisfied with the way it’s placed, he presses a light kiss to my lower abdomen and stands up.

“You’re going to wear that all evening at the diner. And I’m going to keep this with me while you work,” he tells me, holding up a little remote control.

Excitement and nerves tangle inside my stomach, and my tongue darts out to wet my lips. “Are you serious about this?”

“Of course. It’s on your bucket list, remember?” Sebastian grins as he pockets the remote. He gives me a kiss, then his expression turns more serious as he runs this thumb along my jaw gently. “Do you trust me, shortcake?”

“Of course,” I say instantly, echoing his words.

“Good. Because I promise I’ll always take care of you. I’ll always look out for you, and I’ll never let anything bad happen to you… even if I might tease you a bit first. So do you want to do this?”

I hesitate for only a fraction of a second before nodding. Because the truth is, even if I’m a little nervous, I do want this. And I trust him completely.

“Yes,” I breathe.

He kisses me again, his tongue sliding hungrily against mine, and it melts away any lingering nerves. “Good. Then let’s get going.”

He offers me a hand, so I take it, and he walks me to the car to drive me to the diner.

I’m hyper aware of the vibrator inside me, especially when we drive across a particularly bad pothole, making me squirm. Sebastian keeps one hand on my leg for the entire drive, his thumb stroking my knee, and I can’t stop thinking about when that same thumb is going to flip the vibrator’s switch and make me fall apart.

Or about how excited the idea makes me.

As we pull into a parking spot toward the back of the diner’s lot a few minutes later, I spot Mom and Dad emerging from the front door, so I hurry out of the car and stride over to them.

“Hey! Where are you off to in such a hurry?” I ask.

Dad smiles. “I’m taking your mother out for dinner. We both need a bit of time to de-stress with everything that’s been going on lately.”

“Oh, that’s great!” I beam at them both. “You deserve it. Have a good time!”

“Thanks, sweetie. Jacob is already inside. Go easy on him tonight. The customers seem to like him a lot, and he’s been doing well so far, but he’s still learning the ropes.”

“Okay. I’ll be nice,” I promise.

I give them both a hug, then head into the diner with Sebastian trailing behind me.

“You’re really staying?” I ask as we stomp the snow off our shoes inside The Griddle House.

He chuckles and nods, then leans closer so that only I can hear him.

“Turns out our little friend doesn’t have the greatest range,” he whispers, and his words race down my spine and right to my clit. I jolt when the vibrator briefly hums to life inside me before Sebastian quickly switches it back off. “Seems like it’s working well at this range. Guess that just means I’ll have to stay close.”

This is torture , and he knows it, I think, my heart pounding . How the hell am I going to make it through an entire shift with him sitting there watching and literally fucking with me?

“I’ll let you get to work. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” he says.

I shake my head, a breathless laugh falling from my lips. “Oh, I think you’ll be helping plenty.”

His eyes gleam with amusement, and he kisses my cheek before he strides toward a booth at the back of the diner and sinks down onto the seat. He winks at me, and I huff out a breath before I head into the back to get ready for my shift.

“Oh, hi. You’re Hailey, right?” Jacob, the new guy, greets me from the sink where he’s washing dishes as soon as he spots me. “Thanks for coming in tonight. I was a little nervous about the idea of working a shift on my own.”

“Yup, that’s me. And no problem. My mom said you’ve been doing great, but it’s always nice to have a bit of backup, especially if things get busy.”

“Yeah.” He nods, the relief clear on his face. “Anyway, I think everything’s all set up and ready to go for the shift. I already filled all the condiment baskets and I’m finishing up the dishes now. Is there anything I missed?”

“Let me give the place a little once-over and I’ll let you know.”

“Roger,” he says, flashing me a grateful grin. I can see why the customers like him. He’s cute, and he’s got a friendly, golden retriever kind of energy.

I stride through the swinging doors that connect the kitchen to the dining room and breeze through the space to do a few quick checks. There are a few small things Jacob missed, but for the most part, everything looks perfect.

Not bad for a new guy . They usually start off on way worse footing than ? —

My thoughts catch in my brain when the vibrator flares to life inside me, and I have to bite my lip so hard it hurts to keep from making any noise. My head twists toward Sebastian, who’s sitting with the remote held loosely in one hand and smirking devilishly at me, as if silently daring me to say or do anything to give away our little secret.

But the bell on the front door dings as a couple walks in, and I have to pull myself back together quickly, putting on my best forced smile.

“Hi, welcome to The Griddle House. Sit anywhere you’d like.”

The vibrator turns off as the couple settles in at one of the tables near the large front windows, and I drop menus at their table before making my way to the booth where Sebastian is lounging like a predator waiting for its prey.

“Can I get you anything?” I ask, my gaze darting to the vibrator remote in his hand.

“Thanks, shortcake. Could I get a black coffee, please?”

“Coming right up.”

A slow smile spreads across his face. “Oh, I sure hope so.”

My cheeks flame at the double meaning in his words, and I walk away on wobbly legs to grab his coffee.

The diner starts to pick up for the dinner rush a short while later, and although Sebastian takes pity on me and leaves the vibrator off while I’m speaking directly to customers, he teases me relentlessly anytime I’m not taking orders or delivering food. I don’t know if it’s better or worse that he never lets the little vibe stay on long enough to make me come, but my body is flushed all over from the constant peaks and valleys of pleasure.

At one point, he turns the vibrations up so high that I have to lean against the large refrigerator in the kitchen to stay upright, and Jacob gives me a curious look.

“You okay?” he asks, his puppy dog face scrunched up a little with worry.

“Y-yes,” I say quickly, pressing away from the fridge. “I think I just got a little, um, overheated. I’m fine now.”

“All right. Let me know if you need a break,” he says, offering me a sympathetic look.

I nod, swallowing hard, then head back out onto the floor. Sebastian turns off the vibrator as I emerge from the back, an innocent, satisfied look playing across his handsome features.

“You’re going to pay for this,” I whisper when I reach his table. It’s taking everything I have not to melt, even though the vibrations are no longer teasing my clit.

“Well, of course I am. This is a diner. I’m not the dine and dash type.” Sebastian chuckles, gazing up at me with a wicked gleam in his eye.

That’s not what I mean, and he knows it, but before I can say anything in return, Jacob emerges from the kitchen. He starts to walk toward us, probably planning to try to lighten my workload by taking Sebastian’s order. I wave him off, then turn back to Sebastian, pretending that’s why I came to his table in the first place.

“Can I get you anything to eat?” I ask, my voice a bit hoarse.

“Hm, I don’t know.” He tilts his head to one side as if considering. “I’m feeling pretty full. What about you?”

“Absolutely. Stuffed.”

Sebastian chuckles. “Hm, well sometimes an appetizer is better than the full meal. Don’t you think?”

Oh my god. He’s driving me fucking crazy. And I hate how much I love it.

“I prefer both.”

Sebastian’s expression shifts, turning hungry. “That makes two of us. But I think I’ll be fine with my coffee for now, thanks.”

He lifts his mug to his lips, smirking at me over the rim, and I glare back. He’s having the time of his life edging me like this…

And I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep it together.