Christy sits on the edge of my desk. “And where are you going?”
“Just to dinner. We’re going to try out that new Italian restaurant that opened up down the street last week.”
Christy snaps her fingers. “Antonio’s? You’ll have to let us know how the food is and we can all go to lunch there one day.”
I grab my purse out of my drawer and put it over my shoulder. I have on my black leather skirt. I hemmed it last night, and it’s now two inches shorter from the last time I wore it. My shirt is a thin material that cuts low on my chest. I’m showing way too much thigh and too much cleavage, but right now, I don’t care. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. See you in the morning.”
I wave bye to her and to a few of my other coworkers that are still here. I don’t even have to look up at the 2ndlevel; I can feel Mr. Tate’s eyes on me. But the ding of my phone in my purse is a dead giveaway. I almost reach for it, but I don’t. I step outside of the building and take a deep breath. I’m glad I told Ronald to meet me at the restaurant. I need to get myself together.
I take my time walking down the street. My phone rings, and I reach in my purse to grab it. Mr. Tate has never called me, but when I look at the caller ID, I see it’s him. I hit decline on the call and keep walking.
I figure he’ll call back, but he doesn’t.Quit thinking about him, I tell myself.
I drop my phone in my purse and cut the corner just a few feet from Antonio’s, and there stands Mr. Tate, leaning against the brick wall. He straightens as I get near. I look at him and then the door to the restaurant. I can ignore him, but I remind myself that he is still my boss.
I stop when he steps in my path. “Mr. Tate.”
His jaw is set, and I swear I can hear his heart beating in his chest. “Don’t do this, Sara.”
I look up at him innocently. “Do what?”
He points at the door of the restaurant. “This.”
I blink as if I’m clueless. “What? Go on a date?”
His jaw tightens even more, making me worried he’s going to break something in his mouth or something. “Yes. Don’t go on this date.”
I jut my chin at him. He’s mad. I can see that he’s livid, and it makes me wish I’d never made these stupid plans. But then I remember why I did it. I can’t continue on like this. If he wants me, he’s going to have to make a move. “It’s too late to cancel. I’m doing it.”
I step around him and get a foot past him when his hand goes to my wrist. He stops me and leans down to whisper into my ear, “If he touches you, I’ll kill him.”
I gasp and look up at him. I start to laugh and suck it in, slamming my mouth shut. He’s not joking. He’s completely serious. The look he’s giving me is lethal. I gulp and nod my head.
He releases me, and with one backward glance at him, I walk away.
Fuck, what have I gotten myself into?
Chapter2
Daniel
Her skirt is too short. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. She’s not comfortable in it. She yanked at it all day long. I’ve gotten nothing done today because I’ve had to give Thomas, an employee, a list of things to do to keep his eyes off Sara. It’s obvious he has a crush on her, and it will be over my dead body before he acts on it.
So I’ve kept one eye on Sara and the other on Thomas... all fuckin’ day.
I’ve tried to figure out why she would wear a short skirt like that, and now I know. As she goes in to go on a date with another man, I have it all figured out. She’s trying to make me jealous. I guess we’re past trying because I’m way past jealous. I’m ready to kill a mother fucker just for looking at her too long.
I count to ten and then walk in the door behind her. I spot her across the dining room sitting across from some schmuck I’ve never seen before.
I tip the host a twenty to get seated close to Sara and her date. As I sit down, right in her line of sight, I can’t help but think about how this is all new to me. Usually when I stalk her, I make sure she doesn’t see me. Oh, she knows I’m around; I can tell by the way she fidgets and looks around for me. But this time, I’m leaving no room for error because I’m sitting right at the table next to them. For the first time, I want her to know exactly where I’m at, and I don’t want her second-guessing if I was being honest about killing the asshole drooling over her. I’ll kill him in an instant and not even think about it.
Since the moment I laid eyes on Sara, she’s been mine. What started as texting has moved to a whole other level. I’ve stalked her. That’s the only way to put it. I’ve literally kept track of her every move, even installing listening devices at her desk so I could hear her voice during the day. The only time I can’t see her is when she’s in her apartment over her parents’ garage, but even then I sit outside, parked on the busy street and just watch, waiting for a glimpse of her.
I’m staring a hole in her, and she’s uncomfortable, but I can’t make myself care. Eventually the man that is sitting in front of her with his back to me turns to see what she’s staring at. I look at the man, or I should say boy. He looks as if he’s probably still in college. I glare at him, and his eyes get big and he turns back around.That’s right, dickhead, I’m right here. All I have to do is reach over and I could snap your skinny neck without even getting out of breath.
She’s trying to explain who I am, and I watch as she stutters over the words. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m her man. She may have thought this little game of going out with someone else was okay—well, it’s not. There’s nothing okay with another man thinking he may have a chance with what’s mine.
They don’t even order dinner. They each order dessert and coffee, and the punk eats faster than I’ve ever seen anyone eat in my life. As soon as the waitress brings the ticket, the man throws some bills on the table. They get up to leave, and the guy reaches in like he’s going to hug her. My girl freezes up just as I growl. He must hear me because he stops moving with his arms midair, and then he drops them to his sides.