Adult Supervision Required: A romantic comedy Read online

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Sarah Peis Booklist

  Where you can find me

  Excerpt of Some Call it Love

  Copyright Adult Supervision Required

  © 2021 Sarah Peis

  Published by Hexatorial

  Editing: Natasha Orme

  Editing: Hot Tree Editing

  Cover Art: Tall Story Design

  ISBN: 978-0-6489757-4-8

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s wild imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  www.sarahpeis.com

  To all the moms out there. You got this. Just don’t forget where you hid the chocolate.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Note: Sötnos = Sweetheart

  “I want cockporn,” Lena wailed.

  “Don’t we all,” I muttered under my breath, then looked around the crowded supermarket, hoping nobody had heard her. “Not today, Sötnos. We still have some at home.”

  “But I want—”

  I clamped my hand over her mouth and speed-walked my way to the checkout, hoping Luca wouldn’t join her out of sympathy. He was two years older, but hadn’t outgrown the tantrums yet.

  She didn’t like having her shriek interrupted and her little face went red with anger. But I’d rather deal with my daughter’s wrath than once again be the talk of the town. We made it outside in record time, Lena wailing the whole way, Luca holding his hands over his ears.

  I was running late, my shift starting in less than twenty minutes, and I still had to drop my kids home and drive to work. After wrestling them into their seats and dumping my bags in the trunk I hightailed it back to the house.

  Lena made sure we knew her displeasure at not getting any popcorn for the duration of the drive. My friend Stella was sitting on the front steps waiting when we pulled up.

  “Sorry we’re late,” I greeted her, unbuckling the little hellions. She watched my kids for me on the nights I had to work.

  I couldn’t really afford a babysitter, so when she offered, I had to put my pride aside and let her help. She was my friend—one of the few I had—and I just couldn’t do it on my own anymore. I worked two jobs, barely keeping my head above water, and needed any break I could get.

  My day job was a virtual assistant, something I could do from home while watching the kids. Luca had recently started preschool, so I only had Lena most of the time. My second job was waitressing at Pepper’s, a strip club. It paid well, but the hours sucked. I never thought I’d end up where I was.

  “Don’t worry, I only just got here. Mason dropped me off,” Stella said, cuddling Lena to her and holding Luca’s hand. “But aren’t you going to be late for work?”

  I checked the time on my phone and sprinted up the steps. Definitely going to be late if I wasn’t ready in the next three minutes.

  I dropped the bags in the kitchen and raced to my room. My clothes were at work, so I would change there, and I’d ask the girls at work to help me with my hair and makeup since they could accomplish more in two minutes than I could in an hour.

  Stella was getting the kids dinner when I came back out.

  “Thank you so much. I’m sorry to run out like this. It’s been one of those days.”

  She pulled the pasta out of the microwave and snickered at me. “As long as you don’t make me cook, we’re good. And it’s good to see you’ve been making sure the kids eat balanced meals.”

  “Shut up. They’re on a pasta bender by choice. I didn’t make them.”

  “Go, or you’ll be late,” Stella said, waving a spoon at me.

  I kissed Luca and Lena goodbye and drove to work. Thankfully the roads were empty at this time of night since everything closed around five.

  Even though I had less than ten minutes, I stayed in my car once I’d parked. My hands were clammy, my throat dry, and I had to take a few breaths to calm myself down. It was the same overwhelming emotions I had every time I got here.

  I hated my job. I hated what I was forced to do. But most of all, I hated that I hadn’t been stronger and cut ties with my ex sooner. Because without him, I wouldn’t be in this situation.

  I grabbed my bag and dragged my ass out of the car. It was just another job. No big deal. Anyone could do this. After all, I’d been doing it for over a year.

  I made it to the back door and stopped again. Maybe today I only had to count to three hundred rather than the usual five hundred before I could force myself to go inside. But no such luck; not even being late could push my brain to count faster. When I reached five hundred, I forced a deep breath into my lungs and went inside.

  Hastening my steps, I rushed through the hallway, clutching my bag to my chest.

  “You’re late,” Smitty yelled at me as I rushed past his office.

  “I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I called back, stopping in the doorway.

  He didn’t look up from the papers on his desk. “It better not. I have a business to run.”

  I kept walking and burst into the dressing room a few seconds later. Most of the girls were in there getting ready, looking up when I stumbled inside.

  “What happened to you?” Elle asked, watching me in the mirror.

  Tia’s eyes widened at my disheveled appearance. “You didn’t use the conditioner I told you about.”

  Star eyed me with raised brows. “What did you do to your eyelashes?”

  They sat me down and fixed me up in ten minutes. I was so grateful I nearly burst into tears.

  “Thank you so much,” I said and hugged them when they declared me ready.

  They all towered over me, mostly because of the sky-high heels they wore, but also because I was short, having inherited my Japanese mom’s build instead of my Swedish Viking dad’s height. I shot them a shaky smile and rushed out to the bar.

  It was still early, but the club was already filled with patrons. Business was definitely booming, and it helped that this was the only strip club around for miles.

  I pulled out my order pad and greeted the two bartenders, Martello and Stephen. They were here most nights and good guys if you didn’t try to give them a shitty tip.

  My eyes didn’t linger on them long; instead, they were drawn to the man standing next to the stage. I could find Sebastian no matter how crowded the room was. Call it my secret superpower. The most useless one at that, but I always seemed to know where he was.

  His blond curly hair was sticking up like he’d been running his hands through it. The muscles in his arms bulged when he crossed them over his chest, making me swallow. He was perfection in a six-foot-three package, and I’d felt an inexplicable attraction to him from the moment I first saw him a year ago.

  Our in
teractions were limited to the occasional nod and looks—creepy stalker stares from me and assessing gazes from him.

  Not that I’d tried to get his attention. I had no time to date. And the head of security, who was also a member of the local motorcycle club that owned the strip club, was definitely not a suitable match for a single mom.

  Word was they’d gone legit, but nobody seemed to believe it. And I didn’t really make it my business to find out more about the motorcycle club. All I knew was Sebastian moved to town about a year ago when he also started working at the strip club.

  I’d never seen him with a girl, but he might have one stashed away somewhere and didn’t bring her to the club.

  Once I finished staring at him for the five seconds I allowed myself, I got to work.

  The rest of the night kept my creep level to a minimum since I didn’t have time to do more than take a few sips of water every now and again. They really needed to hire more staff.

  After fending off another slap to the butt, I leaned against the bar, eyeing the clock. One hour to go.

  “Take a break. You look beat,” Stephen told me and nodded to the door.

  I wasn’t about to argue since my feet felt like I was walking on nails. My new shoes would find a new home tonight in the trash can. Definitely not as comfortable as they looked.

  “I’ll only be five minutes,” I called out, quickly making my way to the back.

  Once in the dressing room, I pulled out my phone to check my messages.

  Stella: Your kids are savages. They didn’t eat any of the cheese sauce, only the pasta. And who doesn’t love ice cream?

  Stella: I mean, not that I gave them any. At least not much. Sorry, but they asked so nicely.

  Stella: And they’re now sleeping like the little angels they are.

  Stella: Hope you’re not creeping on hot security guy again.

  I rolled my eyes and replied.

  Me: They’re allowed ice cream, just not too much or the sugar will keep them up. It’s really more for your benefit than mine.

  Me: And I’m not creepy. It’s only natural that my eyes would pass over him every once in a while. He’s here all the time.

  Stella: Of course…

  Me: Shut it, you’re making it sound like a bigger deal than it is. I should never have told you about him.

  Stella: You are very talkative when you’re drunk. I especially enjoyed the part about his butt. Never knew there were so many words for lickable.

  I wanted to die of mortification. This was why I never drank; I talked nonstop and had no filter.

  Me: You better not have told anyone about this.

  Stella: …

  Stella: Only Malena.

  Stella: And Willa.

  Stella: Oh, and Maisie.

  Me: You are the worst friend.

  Stella: xx

  I put my phone back and took a deep breath. I’d almost survived another night with only minor incidents. I could do this. I was a kick-ass bitch who took charge of her life. Even if that meant working at a strip club.

  I made my way back out to the floor and finished my shift, making sure to catch another glimpse of Sebastian before driving home.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “My knees are cold,” Luca complained.

  “I told you to wear long pants.”

  He was looking out the window, never once taking his eyes off the front yard. “But I want to wear shorts.”

  The small stool he was standing on provided him with just enough height to look outside so he wouldn’t miss my friend Malena pull up.

  I put the last of the clean dishes away and walked over to him. “I know. That’s why your knees are cold.”

  “Malena,” he exclaimed, cold knees forgotten. He raced to the door and opened it, disappearing outside. I followed at a slower pace, watching him come to a sliding stop in front of my best friend.

  “Hey, buddy, how’s it hanging?” she asked and fist-bumped him before ruffling his hair.

  He giggled and ran off with her son, Felix, the two disappearing inside the house. We probably wouldn’t see them again for the rest of the day.

  Lena skipped up to Malena, who picked her up and carried her to where I was waiting.

  “Thanks so much for watching him,” Malena said and hugged me, squashing Lena between us.

  “No problem at all. We were just going to hang out at the house today anyway.”

  It was one of those rare days that I didn’t have to work at either of my jobs. And it really didn’t make a difference to me if I watched another kid. Especially one as gentle as Felix. And he loved playing with Luca, so it was a win-win.

  “I’ll pick him up around five,” she said and handed Lena back to me before leaning her head inside the house. “See you tonight, mijo.”

  I waved her off. “No rush.”

  She left to go to work, even though it was Sunday. She was a lawyer, and her job was the second most important thing to her, right after her son. Usually her parents watched Felix, but they were on a weekend trip to celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary.

  And I was all too happy to help. Usually I needed people to do me favors, so whenever I had the chance to pay them back, I jumped at it.

  We spent the day playing in the backyard, then walked to the playground just across the street. I watched them go down the slide 2,876 times and get on and off the swing 5,409 times before I convinced them that going home was a great idea.

  It was getting dark, and I didn’t want to be outside too late, no matter how safe the neighborhood.

  The boys disappeared inside the kids’ room as soon as we got back. Lena was happy playing with her dolls, and I used the rare moment of reprieve to start dinner. It was another pasta night—no judgment required, I did enough of that myself.

  “Kidlets, dinner is ready,” I called out after dumping the sauce in a pan. The pasta was done, and the sauce would only take a minute to heat up.

  I put the plates and cutlery on the table and called out again. When there was still no movement, I walked to the room. When I opened the door, I was greeted by a toy Armageddon. The floor was covered in them, and the kids had ripped the bedding off the bed.

  I took a step inside and landed right on one of Luca’s transformers.

  “Merlin’s rabbit,” I called out, jumping back out of the room. That hurt just as much as the last twenty times it happened.

  “Mommy ouchie,” Lena said, toddling over to where I was still hopping.

  “Big mother puffin ouchie,” I said and picked her up when I was sure my foot was going to recover. “You hungry?”

  She nodded, her mind successfully redirected from my injury to eating food.

  “Luca, Felix, it’s time for dinner,” I told the boys and sat Lena in her highchair.

  The boys finally joined us after I threatened to take away their dessert if they didn’t eat a real meal first.

  Dinner was messy, but the kids ate most of it, and that’s really all I cared about. The new stains mingled with the old ones, and it would probably be another week before I cleaned them off the floor.

  When Malena came back, the kids were sitting in front of the TV in their pajamas, watching Paw Patrol.

  “Fed, cleaned, and ready for bed,” I said, beaming at her. This was one of those unicorn moments that only came around once every hundred days.

  “How did you convince them to take a bath? Felix keeps telling me that the dirt on his feet is clean dirt and he doesn’t need to wash himself.”

  “Ha, yeah, he tried that one on me as well. I told him you would go to Fun World with us if he got in the bath.”

  “I hate that place,” she groaned. “Besides, I’m working weekends for the foreseeable future. I want to make partner.”

  “Every weekend? That’s crazy.”

  “You have two jobs. Aren’t you throwing rocks out of a glass house here?”

  She had a point. We were both hopeless. The only difference was that she loved he
r job. I didn’t.

  “I know, I know,” I said, helping her collect Felix’s things that were strewn around the house.

  After we found everything, she hugged me close. “Call me if you need anything. And thanks again for today.”

  She wrestled Felix out the door, and I dropped onto the couch, ready to go to bed. And my kids looked like they were almost tired enough to nod off as well, giving me hope that they’d go to sleep for once.

  There was a knock on the door, and I reluctantly got up again.

  “Did you forget something?” I asked and opened the door, expecting Malena.

  But instead of my best friend, it was my ex standing in front of me. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in a while, his face looking gaunt, his hair greasy and longer than I’d ever seen it.

  “Jim.”

  “Sugar,” he greeted me with the nickname he knew I despised. “Can I come in?”

  “Can you come in?” I sputtered. “Are you insane?”

  He looked behind him and then squeezed past me before I could stop him.

  “Get out,” I said, finally finding my voice.

  “I came to see my kids,” he said, already walking into the living room.

  I slammed the door and sprinted after him. But my legs were too short, and when I made it to the living room, he was already talking to the kids.

  They both stared at him, trying to figure out who he was. They were too young to remember a dad who barely ever showed up.

  “Good to see you, kids,” Jim said and saluted them.

  He’d never been great with them, and they never asked for him. I always thought kids that young would love their parents no matter what. But Jim proved that if you were a big enough barnacle, you could scare off even the most devoted of children.

  “It’s bedtime,” I sang, pushing down my discomfort and concentrating on getting the kids away from him. “Who wants to read a book?”

  They grumbled when I turned their show off, but they both loved reading, so after a few more complaints, they followed me to their bedroom.

  We sat on Luca’s bed and read two books before I declared bedtime.

  When they were both settled, I took a deep breath and got ready for battle.