She was a little sad because nothing had changed in the girl department, though. No solid relationships. His sneaky affair was still happening – lots of late nights locked in his office, some mysterious woman coming and going from his building. Tori was somewhat obsessed with finding out who the chick was, but he was keeping it way on the down low, for whatever reason. Katya hoped it was something good, that maybe he was finally finding love, but she had a bad feeling it was nowhere near close to that, which was too bad. Liam Edenhoff was a man definitely deserving of love.
“Hey, how did it go?” she asked, scratching her hands fast up and down his back.
“You, my dear, are looking at the sole owner of The Garden, night club and pleasure nook,” he informed her. She pulled away and started clapping, then stopped.
“Wait … pleasure nook?”
“Well, what would you call it?”
“Nook is good,” she laughed. “I hope you got it at a good price – I told Wulf he had to be nice to you.”
“Wulf? Nice? I don't think that adjective has ever been said with his name before,” Liam snorted. “You'll have to talk about it with him.”
“Oh god. We talked about this. I told him not to be a jackass, he can be so -” she started to complain, but Liam started glaring over her head.
“Oh jesus,” he growled.
“What?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder. He was staring at the bar.
“I'm sorry, I gotta go,” he sighed, rubbing her arm affectionately. “Great seeing you – rooftop tomorrow?”
Wulf had expressly forbid Katya from having rooftop liaisons with Liam. He'd heard all the stories about what happened on roofs with Mr. Edenhoff. However, he had offered his own roof, which also had a heated pool, as well as lounge chairs and a covered cabana with a heater. It could be snowing, and they could still hang out up on the roof and eat tacos.
“I've already got the margaritas made,” she assured him. He smiled down at her.
“Have I told you how glad I am that you stuck around?”
“Only about once a day.”
“Good. Don't want you to forget it,” he said, then he leaned down and kissed the top of her head before striding away.
She watched as he pointed a very angry finger in Brie's face. She smirked and said something back, which was immediately followed by Liam grabbing her arm and yanking her off the stool. Katya grimaced. Brie shouldn't have been in the club, period, since she was underage, but Liam had given up trying to keep her out, and just requested that she not come after ten o'clock, not order any drinks, and not sit at the bars. Clearly, she was having trouble understanding the rules. His anger turned on Tori, pointing between her and Brie.
Katya frowned as her ex-roommate leaned back, holding up her hands and snapping back at her boss. Lucky for Tori, she and her boss were very close friends outside of work, so she could pretty much speak to Liam however she wanted and get away with it. Good for her, too, because she eventually threw her cleaning towel in his face and stomped away from the bar.
Though she wanted nothing more than everyone around her to be in loving, fulfilling relationships, Katya was happy about Tori's single status. The girl was doing better than ever – her promotion to night shift manager had been a huge step up for her, and had come with a very hefty raise. She was proud of herself, had made a name for herself in that small space, and clearly was very happy without any kind of man in her life. In fact, she was doing better than she'd ever done with any of her past boyfriends.
…. yeeaaahhh, but it would still be fun to see the kind of guy that will finally tame her.
“Your friend is a bitch,” Brie snarled as she came up alongside her sister. Katya raised an eyebrow.
“I'm sure the feeling is mutual,” she replied. She'd learned over the course of her “friendship” with Brie that it was best to return her attitude with more attitude.
“Whatever. She's just pissed because Eden wouldn't fuck her if she paid him to.”
“Brighton!” Vieve almost yelled. “Just because you're a miserable little girl doesn't mean you have to make everyone around you miserable.”
Katya was ready to go into save-a-ho-mode, too, but Vieve's chastisement shockingly seemed to be enough. Brie's face turned red and she hesitated for a second before hurrying up the stairs.
“I'm sorry, but has she seemed … bitchier to you?” Katya asked.
“You have no idea. I went up to her apartment the other day – disgusting. She's stopped cleaning, there's food containers all over the kitchen, and a six inch layer of dust on everything. It's impossible to get her on the phone, she keeps missing our lunch dates. I'm tired of chasing after her,” Vieve sighed, rubbing her hand across her forehead. Katya smiled and rubbed her back.
“Well, then … maybe you should stop chasing,” she suggested. Vieve snorted.
“I can't help it, it's what I do. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go chase her down right now. We're still on for dinner?” she checked as she turned away.
“Of course. Seven o'clock. Parking is a nightmare down there, so maybe leave -”
“Early, I know. Wulfy hates when people are late,” Vieve laughed. “I'll be there at six-thirty.”
“See you!”
Katya watched as Vieve dashed up the stairs, chasing after her sister. She was right – she was always chasing after somebody. She'd become den mother to them all. Making sure Wulf wasn't being too hard on Katya, making sure Katya wasn't overreacting to Wulf's attitude. She'd taken over cooking duties for Tori and despite being as opposite as two people could be, the two girls got along well as roommates. Vieve even checked in on the Edenhoff twins, moderating fights and even separating them when necessary, allowing Landon to crash in hers and Tori's apartment occasionally.
She spent so much time taking care of everyone else, she never stopped to look after herself. Wulf had been attempting to step up, to play a more active role in his sisters' lives, but it wasn't easy. It didn't come naturally to him, being warm and inviting, and it was clear he felt awkward around them. It didn't help that Vieve automatically turned quiet and subservient around him, and Brie turned even more sullen and bratty. It would be a long road before the Stone siblings were any sort of real family unit, which was a pity because of all of them, Genevieve probably deserved it the most.
Not that there weren't other people in her life who were willing to step up and offer a shoulder to lean on. Katya knew her former neighbor Gaten Shepherd had been very interested in Vieve. They'd even gone on a couple dates. But it had never gone anywhere after that, with Vieve claiming she was too busy with work and family. After enough excuses, he'd stopped calling. It broke Katya's heart a little because she thought he'd be so good for Vieve. She needed someone to take care of her for a while.
“Stop it.”
She smiled at the low voice whispering in her ear, then leaned back as an arm wrapped around her waist. Expensive cologne enveloped her and she took a deep breath as she leaned into a strong shoulder.
“Stop what?” she asked, tilting her head back.
Wulfric wasn't looking at her, though. He was looking at the stairs, watching his sister disappear up them. Katya admired him for a moment, looked over his strong jaw and thick hair. Took in his sharp blue eyes and smooth skin. She reached up a hand and pressed it to his cheek, forcing him to look down at her.