Nervous Part I
Nervous didn’t begin to describe the feelings swirling in Juniper’s belly.
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They’d been in San Sebastián for nearly thirty–six hours now. After their showers, meals, and siestas, as Phineas insisted she call their nap, they spent most of the evening the day prior and this morning lazing about. There were lots of kisses, and stolen moments when one of them would whisk her away from the others and then there were times when they were all together. They’d all slept in the room which she knew was Phineas‘ room, but he was calling it their room.
She felt love, protected and safe in their attention. Yet now it was early evening, and she was in a hired car with the three men chatting happily around her seemingly oblivious to her nervousness. Meeting Beni’s grandparents was terrifying the hell out of her. They were meeting for dinner at their home and while the men were excited, she was freaking out.
“You’re quiet, sweetheart,” Phineas commented in a lull in their conversation. “All good?”
“Yes.” She nodded benignly and continued looking past him to the houses they were passing on the narrow streets.
“They won’t bite,” Beni said with a grin. “I know you’re nervous, but you don’t need to be. They’re the best.”
“You said this multiple times. I’m fine.”
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“We should distract her,” Adil commented with a wicked glint in
Nervous Part I
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“Touch me and ruin my makeup or hair I worked so hard to get perfect and I’ll be the one biting.”
The edge to her tone made all three men pull their heads back in surprise.
“Hey,” Beni grabbed her chin with his fingers and forced her to look at him, “talk to me. What is going on? Why are you so angry?”
“I’m not angry. I’m out of my element. I’m not used to anything fancy. I finally get what Mama was saying,” she whispered the last part more to herself than anyone else.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“I will get this car pulled over and we won’t move until you tell me what is going on.” Beni threatened.
“You’re right. I’m nervous. I’m not used to this at all. When I met all your parents the other day, it was impromptu, and I didn’t have time to overthink it. Now, I’ve just spent a day and a half thinking of you talking about all your grandparents and how old and bigoted they are, and I can’t help but feel I’m being led into an ambush. I don’t fit in with fancy. You’re all incredibly wealthy and I’m very comfortable with you but this is literally bringing the help to the royal dining room.”
“The help?” Phineas looked at her in disbelief.
Keep thinking of my mother telling me she was literany
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Nervous Part I
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the shit stains off your parents‘ toilets when she was dragged to lunch the other day and how uncomfortable it was. I am your employee, Phineas. Literally employed by you and –”
“Whoa!” he held his hand up to her ranting. “Is this why you were really in the bathroom with your mother?”
She looked away aware she’d just exposed her mother’s discomfort out of her own.
“Look at me.” Phineas cupped her cheeks. “You’re fired.”
“What?”
“You are fired. You don’t work for me. Not now. Not ever again.”
“You can’t fire me! I like my job!”
“My wife doesn’t need to work.”
She smacked his chest angrily. “You are not funny.”
“I am not trying to be. You are a millionaire, Juniper. There is a bank account with many zeros in your name. You don’t need to be an admin assistant in my company. You can do whatever you
want.”
Her eyes widened at his words. “What?”
“You’re independently wealthy. You earned the million, the condo and everything else before we were involved romantically or sexually. You don’t need to work. You can do whatever you Rant but if you think I’m going to let you balk on us because
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Nervous Part I
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Juniper, and I’ll be damned if you feel lesser than me because you collect a paycheck from a company which bears my name.”
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