Cherry Creek by Dani Matthews

Roman asks me.
    I glance up to find both of them watching me intently. “Just a little one. I'm still adjusting to...everything.” Roman's eyes shift to Khristos, and they exchange some sort of look that I can’t help but notice. “Is something wrong?”
    “Not at all,” Khristos says smoothly. “Tell me, how do you like your job so far?”
    “I like it. A lot, actually.” It feels good to be making my own money.
    “Do you get discounts on lingerie?” Roman asks with sudden interest as his eyes lock on mine.
    For a second, I am struck speechless that he would dare ask such a bold question, especially in front of Khristos of all people. “Excuse me?”
    He grins a bit devilishly. “You heard me. I'm just curious.”
    I debate whether or not to answer the question, and when I see that Khristos doesn't seem to mind that the topic has shifted to lingerie, I figure I'd better answer or I'll look like a moron. Or I'll be on the receiving end of more of Roman’s annoying smirks. “Well, yes. Not that I've bought any.” I mentally kick myself for opening up a new can of worms. One of these days, I’m going to learn that oversharing with Roman can lead to stupid conversations like this one.
    “Why not?” Roman asks, his eyes now challenging me as if he can tell I'm uncomfortable.
    Is this the type of conversation they find appropriate? I look at Khristos, and he's once again sipping his wine, unconcerned by the odd topic of whether I've bought lingerie recently. “Because I'm fine with what I have,” I say a bit awkwardly.
    Roman shakes his head, his attention shifting to his own glass of water. “I see I have a lot of work ahead of me,” he says as he takes a drink.
    “Roman,” Khristos murmurs with a hint of disapproval in his tone.
    I look away, feeling beyond uncomfortable. What did Roman mean? Why is Khristos just now deciding to end the conversation? And what was up with that look they'd exchanged when I'd mentioned my headache? There's something going on, and I am unwittingly caught up in the middle of it somehow.

***
    I've decided I am going to hire a private investigator to find my mom. I'm not big on using Khristos's money, but I figure I'll use as much of it as I need to in order to find my mom. However, we'd gotten back late last night, and today I work a full shift at the store. I'll have to research private investigators later tonight. I’m hoping I can hire one here in Cherry Creek. It would be worth going to Minneapolis to hire one, but it would certainly make things easier if there was someone in town that I could hire.
    At the store, I decide to see if I can pump Selena for some information on Khristos. Maybe she could give me a little insight into his world.
    “Have you always lived in Cherry Creek?” I ask while Selena and I work together to set up a new display of lacy panties on a round, cloth-covered table.
    “Just for the past five years,” she says as she carefully spreads out a pair of panties on top of the one she'd just put down a second ago.
    “Oh. Do you know much about my uncle? Khristos Deveroux?”
    “He owns Bane. I love that club.” She looks up and gives me a sly look, her dark pink lips parting as she flashes perfectly, white teeth. “Maybe you could introduce us sometime.”
    Yeah, I don't think so. “Sure, if he ever stops in or something,” I say as I pull another handful of panties out of the shipment box they'd arrived in.
    Selena looks pleased as she goes back to strategically placing the scant pieces of fabric on the table. “What's he like?”
    “What do you mean?” I set the panties on the table and grab the first one off the pile to display on my side of the table.
    “You live with him. Do you spend much time with him?”
    “No, not really. He seems like he's always busy.”
    “I heard he has an on and off again girlfriend. Is that true?” Selena asks with great interest.
    I glance at her to see that she's hanging on every word I say. She knows