4
Roman
I turn to Safi, still holding Jack against the wall. If I squeezed his windpipe just right, I’d kill him. I know that from experience. The only thing stopping me is not wanting her to see that. But I’ll do it if I have to and he’ll deserve it.
“Is this true?” I ask, fixing her with what I hope is a calm, considerate expression, but is probably more like being stared down by a Great White.
There are tears in her eyes as she shakes her head. “No. You have to believe me, I wasn’t going to steal from you, Mr. Schalk.”
What the fuck? Where’s this Mr. Schalk come from?
My hand squeezes a little tighter around Jack’s throat, hearing a satisfactory croak from his attempt to breathe. I’m pretty sure he has something to do with this new formality from her.
“She—was—man…” His voice is straining for air. “It’s—like I said, I caught—her with the envelope.”
“I just found it. I wasn’t going to take it. I—” Her mouth is quivering and I want to say something to make her happy. But what? I need to know why she was here, need to know what’s up so that I can fix it. I nod, encouraging her to continue, keeping quiet for once in my life to let her speak. “I’m sorry!”
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she turns and starts to run, and my stupid methodical brain takes a moment to catch up. It’s great when I need to make a careful calculation of risks and rewards, not so much when the fucking love of my life is running to get away from me.
“Shit,” I grunt, turning to go after her and realizing my arm is still attached to Jack’s throat.
I growl, fixing my eyes on him. She’s hurting. I have to go to her. This piece of garbage needs to be dealt with quickly.
“I told you, man, she’s a little thief. I was just checking to make sure she wasn’t FBI. I knew if I started touching her, she’d have to warn me off if she was… I was doing it for you!”
I let go and he crumples to the floor. Dealing with a dead body right now would just slow me down. “Get the fuck out of my casino. And don’t come back.”
“What?” His voice is a squeak, which suits him. Fucking vermin. “You’re firing me? I’ve worked here longer than you have! I used to work for your father, I—”
“Get out, Jack. While you still have all your limbs intact.”
I stare him down, counting down in my head. When I get to zero, all bets are off. I’ll kill him, lock my office door and deal with the body later.
Sensibly, he doesn’t say another word. I watch him scramble to his feet and head out of the door of my office, then I turn to the desk.
Opening the drawer, I find the cash out of its envelope, so it’s clear some of what Jack said was true. The thick wad of bills, payment for an outstanding debt, thumps against the side of the table distractedly while I think things through.
My eyes wander to the laptop screen, the casino spreadsheet open and soothing in its way. I like things to be ordered. Neat little boxes delineating everything that goes in and out. It’s not the only spreadsheet I have. There’s another that makes me even happier, the one for my cryptocurrency investments. Crypto may or may not be on its way out, I’ve heard a few things about its environmental costs that have me questioning its viability, but the amount I’ve made over the past two years since I started investing would make a stockbroker cry.
The way I feel about Safi doesn’t fit with my usual style. Watch. Wait. Take things carefully and build things slowly. With her, I want it all right now. Looking down at the waste paper bin, I can’t help wondering if she noticed the tissues discarded in the bottom. Evidence of exactly how much I need her. Not that I’m satisfied from jerking off, not anymore, not now that I’ve met her. It used to be enough for me, but Safi has changed that.
Every drop of cum is hers from now on. Everything of mine is hers.
That thought calms me and I nod. The way I feel about her might not fit into a neat little box on a spreadsheet, but it’s real and valid nonetheless. Crazy as I am for her, I can’t let her go, not now, not ever.
Tucking the wad of cash into the inside pocket of my sports jacket, I head out of the office, this time locking it behind me.
If only I’d been there.
I’m just hoping Safi fled to her guesthouse and not somewhere else in the city. I’d track her down either way. Fuck, I’d track her across the ocean if I had to. But I don’t want to. I want her here, with me, preferably in my arms.