“Who hit you?” In the space of a second, I’m burning with unquenched rage. Who the fuck put their hands on this girl?
“She’s not fat. She’s pregnant.” She bends down and scoops up the gray cat. “That’s why I named her Mama.”
“I asked you a question.” I don’t let her slide. Not with something like this.
She sighs and buries her face in the cat’s scruff. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” I see this isn’t going to be an easy conversation with her. But I suppose I can’t blame her. She doesn’t know me, doesn’t know my intentions. Hell, I don’t even know what they are. I just couldn’t let her fall. Everything in me called out to her, and I simply acted on instinct.
Malone gestures toward his face with a I can’t fucking believe she hit me expression that threatens to make me laugh again.
“You’ll live.” I gesture toward the door. “Go inform Alonzo he’s no longer welcome at my club.”
His eyes widen.
“You heard me.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He reaches for the door.
“If he causes trouble, come get me.”
Malone glances at the girl, then me, before leaving. He’s probably just as confused as I am. Fuck, it’s not like me to act rashly. Never has been. But this girl is different. She doesn’t belong here, not in this pit of beautiful women, horny men, and dirty money.
“How’d you end up here?” I tilt her chin up so she’s looking in my eyes.
“I needed a job.”
“You dance?”
She actually starts to smile, the look on her face one of youth and sweetness. It’s like a sunrise or some poetic bullshit like that. I call it bullshit, but when I look at her, I know why men wrote sonnets and odes to the women they adored. This girl right here—she’s the kind of woman who needs to be worshiped.
“I love to dance. It’s my only talent.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“You don’t?” She reaches down and unstraps her shoes so she’s standing barefoot.
“I’m certain you’re a great dancer. I’d very much like to see you dance for me.”
Her cheeks turn bright scarlet. “But you said I’m not going to dance on stage for—”
“No.” I can’t describe the abhorrence that rises inside me at the thought of other men looking at her, wanting her, desiring her the way I do. “You only dance for me.”
“That’s how I’m going to assist you?” She asks it breathlessly, but I don’t miss the suspicion in her tone.
“I’m not going to force you to dance for me, if that’s what you mean.” I back away from her, giving her space even though it’s the last thing I want to do.
“You don’t want other people to see me.” She reaches up and swipes at her eyes. “I get it. That guy—”
“Is a fucking swine. A piece of shit stuck to the bottom of my shoe. That’s all he is and all he’ll ever be.” I didn’t intend to sound so ferocious, but she doesn’t back away from my ire. She just looks up at me with those deep brown eyes, the ones that snagged me from the moment I looked into them. “What he said was crass, stupid, and so fucking wrong I don’t know where to begin.”
“So you … you don’t think I’m too fa—”
“Don’t.” I want to kill Alonzo for saying it. But her saying it—it’s different. I don’t want her to feel that kind of hurt, not from her own lips. Not when I can sense the tears just under the surface, the pain that fool inflicted on her. “You will dance for me. As I said. No one else.”
“Okay. I mean. I think that’s okay.” She seems a little confused, but she gives me a nod and places the cat back into her bag. “So what should I do?” She looks around my office.
“You’ve done enough for the night. I’ll drive you home.”
“No,” she says quickly.
“No?”
“I mean, um… I mean. No, sir.”
Aww, fuck. Her calling me sir makes my cock jump. It was already at attention, but that word on her lips sends me right up to the fucking edge. Does she have any idea the power she wields over me right now? I’m hanging on by a thread.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude.” She clears her throat. “It’s just that I don’t want to lose my pay for the night.”
“You won’t.” I move to the door. “Let’s go. Tell me your address.”
“I can get home by myself.”
“I’m sure you can.” I open the door for her and pick up the bag with her cat inside. “Did you drive here tonight?”
“No, I took the bus.”
“From where?”
She hesitates then steps out of my office. “I’ll just catch it back. No worries.”
Oh, there are plenty of worries. Especially when she’s dressed like this, especially when my cock is so hard it fucking hurts. “I’m afraid that now you’re my personal assistant, I’ll need to be able to reach you at all hours.”