Steel Hearts: Amazing Grace

"So, fucking beautiful," he held her naked body to him before drawing a breath and stepping back. "You should get dressed. Sax and Boyd will be here any minute."

"I'm here, thank for the audio," Boyd chuckled and threw a package of wet wipes over the top of the door that didn't reach the ceiling in the big warehouse.

"Thanks, man," Beau said gruffly.

"I wish you didn't feel the need to hide from me," Grace said quietly as Beau used the wet wipes to help her clean up properly. "You are a beautiful fucking soul, and I am glad you stumbled into my shit show of a life. You and Saxon make my life magical, and I hate that you hide such an important part of yourself from me and probably from him."

"I've never let anyone touch me the way you just did. Give me time, beautiful. I'm trying," he smiled sadly, kissed her and stepped out of the dressing room to let her dress.

Saxon arrived not long after to find her looking like the angel he knew her to be. She was in the Kevlar pants and wore a silver vest style shirt which was his preference. Not so much the colour, which he would have preferred to be more of a steel grey, but how the style highlighted the curves of her body. She was hot, and no one could doubt that.

"You look completely edible," Saxon said, moving toward Grace in quick steps. He wrapped one arm around her middle, pulling her close while the other guided her face to his for a slow sensual kiss. As he kissed her, his arms moved to drape a leather jacket over her shoulders before asking huskily, "Ready to go?"

"Go where?" she asked, letting him help her push her arms into the sleeves of the jacket.

"Lunch, I'm starving," Beau said. "I'll meet you there," he grinned and jingling her keys to Ladybird, he swaggered out the door.

"He's taking my car?" she blinked, unsure whether to be upset by that or happy that she would be on the back of Saxon's bike again. Of course, she'd prefer a bike of her own, but she didn't see that happening anytime soon with these overprotective arseholes scrutinising everything she did.

"He is, but he will look after it. He knows how much it means to you," Saxon smiled. "Thanks, Boyd," he said as they were leaving.

"Always a joy to see your Ladybird," Boyd chuckled.

******

Part 6

Saxon took Grace back to the exclusive shopping precinct that he had on their first day out together, only this time, he didn't let her stray far from his side. He ensured every woman there knew that he was enamoured with his partner as he had dubbed her. He didn't think the term girlfriend encompassed what he felt for her, but he wasn't ready to have her refuse his proposal after only knowing each other for a few weeks. Not that he would blame her for refusing.

It wasn't until she took her jacket off that she understood why Boyd had called her a ladybird. Her jacket had the same circular decal embroidered onto the back. She ran her fingers over the delicate pattern and smiled softly.

"This is so beautiful," she whispered. She found both men were smiling back at her when she looked up.

"Just like you," Beau whispered back.

The trio lunched at the same restaurant they had gone to on their first day out together and ordered the same seafood platter. However, the hostess was deferential to Grace this time, and Grace's head spun that he had purposely revisited this place to make everything he had done that upset her last time right for her. It was like a first date do-over.

"The last time we were here, I was delayed getting to lunch because I was ordering your uniform for the club, remember?" Saxon asked.

"I think so," she frowned, not following his meaning. "I have a uniform? Will I be waitressing as well?"

"No," Both men said abruptly, but it was Saxon who explained further. "Even back then, I knew you were special, and I wanted you to have a certain look for the club as its headliner."

"Okay, so why am I getting the feeling you are nervous about telling me or showing me this uniform?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not that I'm nervous. Excited might be a better word. We're here to pick up the dresses," Saxon said. "I had them rush the order once we decided on the speakeasy as your platform."

"Oh, so that's good. I can see them then," she smiled.

"Think Art deco, Gatsby," he said, suddenly unsure of himself. She wasn't a girly girl. She was a jeans and Keds girl who liked rock music and fast cars. She was a walking contradiction, and it seemed he never knew how she would react to any given situation. She had taken all the trouble with the Elite in her stride. Even losing her home and moving in with a man who immediately manoeuvred her into a relationship didn't seem to phase her overly. Yet she balked over simple things like sharing the chores or allowing her friends access to their home. She'd argued with him over the suspicions they initially had about Teddy because of Eli and Joey.

"Let's go take a look," he stood, helping her to her feet and letting Beau lead the way from the restaurant. They had agreed that he would take the boyfriend role in a public place like this to avoid speculation about her honour or what she meant to either of them.

The dresses were fabulous. Far too gorgeous for her, she thought. They were Gatsby-inspired with the luxurious materials being beaded with Art Deco patterns, particularly one shimmering design based around a butterfly.

"Do you think I could wear the butterfly dress tonight?" she asked.

"Butterfly dress?" Saxon raised an eyebrow.

"This one," she held up the soft aquamarine fabric.

"I don't see why not, but I had thought you might prefer the silver heart motif for Valentine's Day," he shrugged.

"Oh, I forgot about that, maybe your right," she looked between the two dresses.

"Try them both on tonight when you have the makeup and shoes to go with them and then make a decision," the saleswoman suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Beau agreed, looking pointedly at his watch. "I'll get this. You go do your thing," he offered and with a nod of his head Saxon guided Grace from the store.

"That was a bit abrupt," Grace said. I didn't even get to thank the woman.

"Places to go and things to do," Saxon said unrepentantly. "Don't worry about Beau. He'll catch up," he reassured her as she turned her head to look behind her.

They rode back into the city, and as they went through the nicer areas to the more run-down suburbs where she had lived and worked before the past couple of weeks, she became confused. All her friends now worked at the Doss House, and she had no desire to visit the café Carol ruled over with an iron fist. As far as bosses went, she was one of the worst. There was no nostalgia attached to her old flat either. She was more than happy not living there any longer.

"Why are we here?" Grace asked as soon as she took off her helmet once he had pulled up in front of the café where she had worked before all of the drama.

"We're meeting a friend of mine," he smiled.

"Here of all places?" she asked.

"Here, specifically," he chuckled. "Come in with me, and I will explain." He guided her through the door and into the familiar space. A man looking totally out of place in a three-piece suit and his long dark hair tied back in a ponytail looked up at their arrival, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a semblance of a smile, but Grace couldn't be sure.

"Elliot, tell me the good news," Saxon said.

"You sure about this? It's run down and in debt, and this chick couldn't get her lawyer here fast enough when I made the initial offer," he said.

"Perfectly. Elliot Pettifer, this is Grace Freeman. It will be her name on the documents, so I hope you got the bitch's intent to sell locked in because she may not be happy with who the buyer is," Saxon said.

"Trust me, with the Covid lockdowns and drain on staff and supplies, she wouldn't have been able to keep the doors open much longer. So she would have to be certifiable to back out of this deal," Elliot reassured his friend and then turned to Grace. "Hello Grace, I thought you might have been a myth with the way the six talks about you," he smiled and held out his hand toward her. "I'm glad you're not."

"Um, me too," she answered, sounding uncertain as she took his hand.

"Hi Grace, I didn't expect to see you back here again," a smiling waitress came to offer service. "Can I get you anything while you're here?"

A harried-looking man hustled into the café and went straight to the back room where Grace presumed Carol was, stopping Grace from answering as she followed the man's path.

"Oh, sorry Tracy, sure, just some water would be great," she smiled back. "How's she been since I left?"

"Worse than usual because three other girls all left at the same time. You probably knew that, though," she said. "Lucky bitches all got job offers somewhere better," she shrugged. "I heard Drew even got an apprenticeship with a chef in some fancy new club."

"It's true," Grace nodded. "She's really happy about it too, even though I hardly see her anymore or any of the girls for that matter."

"I'm happy for her. I'll get you that water. Would you men like anything?" she looked at the men.

"Water's fine for me. But, I imagine we won't be sitting here very much longer," Saxon said.

"I'm good," Eliot waved the offer away.

"What the hell is happening," Grace exploded once Tracey had walked away. Why are you using my name for anything to do with this place? You may not have noticed, but I can barely make rent every week, and I don't even have a real job anymore. I sing with a band my boyfriend had to convince to let me." She blew out a breath.

"Miss Freeman, can I call you Grace?" Elliot asked, cutting off Saxon's reply. "Good," he said after she nodded. "It's my understanding that Saxon and the six are aware of your current circumstance. Saxon and his six did not want you to feel indebted to him or dependant on them. So he wished you and your friends to have a source of income of your own that you could rely on independent of anyone but each other. You and your friends will be given this place along with a renovating budget as a gift so that Saxon knows that if you stay with him, it will not be because you have to or have no other choice," Elliot said far more succinctly than Saxon could have managed because she would have argued with him at the end of each phrase. Elliot could tell she would have by the way she kept opening and closing her mouth as he spoke.

"If you want to fight with me about it, we can do that later, but you need to think about what this would mean to your friends even if you don't want it for yourself," Saxon said. "There is no hurry. You can take all the time you want for the refurbishment and re-opening."

"If it helps, he won't even feel the pinch to his wallet. He has a good feel for business and investments," Elliot grinned. "In addition, as Steel Heart Inc has been my only client for some time, it will be nice to deal with someone who doesn't smell like a grease monkey for a change," he gave a small laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I am just as happy in a garage s I am in a cafe," she shrugged.

"I see," Elliot raised an eyebrow at Saxon and continued his chuckle. "You truly did find a mythical unicorn."

"As you said, I have a good instinct for success," he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to him.

"What if I wanted to turn it into a sports bar?" she asked, looking around the space considering how it could be changed from the dreadful place it was now. She froze, wondering how she was even considering this. She couldn't let him do this for her. Everyone already thought she was taking advantage of his affection for her by being part of the house band and getting her friends jobs in the Doss House. What would they think if they knew she let him buy her a café business even if it was in the worse part of town.

"You can do whatever you like with it, and I will support you if you take it without arguing with me. I need this. I need to know you are independent and could leave me if you want to. I need to know you stay because you want to be with Beau and me, not because you have no other choice," Saxon said in a hushed voice.

"Doing this doesn't guarantee I won't stay for what else I can get from you," she challenged. "I could be that sugar baby who is happy to come along for the ride until I milk you for all I can get," she said. "You realise how stupid this all is." She sighed. "Besides, I'm only using you for your body at this point."

"But at least then you will have a choice. Right now, your choices are minimal, and I don't want that for you. I want you to be able to do what you want as long as it includes me and my body," he tried again.

"Then put it in both our names and do this with me, even if my friends and I run it for the most part," she partially gave in to what he wanted without too much of an argument, and she could see the momentary surprise before he agreed.

"Together then," he nodded, but he would change that to give the business to her once he helped her get it up and running.

"Their time is up. So let's go and get this done," Elliot grinned. He loved it when he knew he had his opponents backed into a corner and could negotiate for even more than he had initially asked for from the agreement.

Grace sat back, listening in awe as Elliot and Saxon argued and negotiated with the former owners. She barely registered what was happening as she signed documents that made her the new owner of the café, all its contents and debts from the moment the documents were notarised. She felt overwhelmed by the whole exchange.

Carol and her lawyer left before the justice of the peace, leaving Elliot to file all of the necessary paperwork with the council regarding the purchase not just of the business but the land it was situated on along with the adjoining businesses. She hadn't quite grasped that at first, but Saxon had plans of his own in this suburb that she would discover fully when she could process everything better.

"Complete the shutdown. Give the staff the number for our HR manager, I think they've had problems with staff and covid at Gilmore's and maybe one or two other places," Saxon said.

"Between this place and Vixen's closing, that's a lot of people to find homes for," Beau said from the doorway, startling Grace, who hadn't seen him arrive.

"I'm sure that more than a few of these guys won't want employment with us or have the experience needed but give them the info anyway. Most of them know we helped Grace and her friends and could end up coming back here once it re-opens, depending on what the girls decide," Saxon said as if it was no big deal.

"Alright then," Beau nodded and moved away to start the shutdown of the business. It was probably another half hour before they left, once again leaving Beau behind to handle the details as Saxon swept in and made deals that changed the trajectory of people's lives. The two men complemented each other in ways that she still couldn't fathom, but she knew she was falling for them both, and it muddled her mind.

Saxon seemed to race back to the Doss House as she clung to him on the back of his bike. He hurried her to the elevator, removing both of their jackets while travelling up to the first floor and seemed to relax slightly when no one was lingering in the common rooms that connected the six apartments, including the one they shared with each other and now Beau.

The door to their apartment slammed open with a bang! as they stumbled through into the room beyond. Saxon's hands seemed to be everywhere, and they made Grace body burn with desire. He kissed her savagely, pulling her head back by weaving a hand into her long blonde hair as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. She lost herself in that kiss, pressing her body against his, her breath stolen from her by the intensity of his need.

"I have been waiting all day for some time alone. Finding you and Beau smelling like sex and sin in Boyd's place just about drove me insane, but we had a schedule to keep. So now I find myself not caring so much," he groaned and kissed her passionately, his desire evident by the heat of his heavy material covered cock between them.

"I need you too," Grace whispered breathily as she looked up at him, her hazel eyes bright with desire, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

He kissed her again, savouring the way she moaned loudly as his hands cupped hers together over her head, pinning her against the wall. Her body heaved against his, breasts jutting out wantonly, taut nipples straining against silver silk. She was already wet with desire for him.

She'd fought the attraction between them at the beginning. Afraid for her brother and the backlash it might bring, afraid for herself and the life that had continually fucked her over time and again. He and Beau had proven themselves as loyal and loving and more than worthy of her trust. She may have carried a flame for Beau for the last few years, but now she could see that had she had known Saxon, she might have felt that way for him as well.

.

She didn't know what it was at first. She had thought he was scary for sure that first day, though she felt drawn to him at the same time for some strange reason. That first afternoon had shaken her, the way he leaned against a car and stared at her once she had retreated to the van. She'd thought he was hot and could admit that to herself now, even if she had dubbed him an arsehole at the time. But, within days, of letting him rescue her, she'd found herself in his bed, and the last layer of ice she felt towards him shattered.

His hands slid down her arms and the silk shirt, releasing her from his grip, his caress burning down her sides, then her hips, and finally her quivering thighs. She let out a long shuddering sigh, her skin electric beneath the thick material of her pants. Between the release of her button and zip that allowed him to push her pants down her legs and the knowledge that he'd soon have her, Grace could barely breathe, let alone think about what she would like to do to him.

Her pussy was throbbing and aching to be touched, to be savoured by his tongue, to be teased by his fingers as he played with her. She wanted him to kneel before her, to push her legs apart as he nibbled on her inner thighs, savouring the smell of her wet sex for long moments before finally darting forth with his tongue to drive her to frenzy. But he did none of those things. Instead, he just continued to kiss her and run his hands across her body, tormenting and teasing her. Finally, in response to his sudden lack of urgency, she purred and leaned into him, kissing him fiercely in return, determined to push him if he wouldn't push her.

Sensing her desire, he spun her about, pushing her body up against the doorframe. The heavy oak was cool against her skin, and she could hear the sounds of the rooms beyond as if from a distance; she moaned loudly as his hands brushed against the silk covering her breasts, knowing that anyone in the common rooms could hear her cries from within. He knelt behind her and swatted her legs apart. He pushed the silken fabric of her shirt high up on her hips and leaned forward to run his tongue across the breadth of one firm cheek.

She shuddered at his touch, pushing back ever so slightly, hoping that his tongue would soon be where she most desperately wanted it to be, that he would flick it across her swollen clit and drive her to frenzy.

"Be still," he murmured, lazing his tongue along the under the curve of her left buttock, stopping just at the moment she thought he'd go further. She whimpered and pressed her body against the door, hoping that the cool wood might grant her some respite from the inner heat rushing through her body. Saxon had begun to know her body, so he grazed her swollen labia with his middle finger, his light touch making her squirm back against the touch seeking more as she whimpered at his teasing.