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“Will you grab me a water too, sweetheart?” He crossed his legs as he watched me, his gaze slimy. Where the hell was Aiden?
“Of course,” I gritted out. Slowly, I stood and grabbed a glass from the center of the table. I kept my back as straight as I could, not wanting my shirt to fall open and give him more of a show. I softly cleared my throat as I poured the water. “Where did Mr. Rhodes run off to?”
“He went to meet with the others,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
Rounding the table, I set the glass beside his mug. Suddenly, a meaty hand landed on my ass and squeezed. Hard. I yelped and my spine went rigid, but I couldn’t move.
“He sure knows how to pick ‘em, doesn’t he?” I was so stunned, I didn’t know what to do. I froze, completely helpless to do anything other than feel his hand on my ass, groping me, touching me.
Finally, I pulled myself together enough to shove his hand away and step back. “Do not touch me,” I snarled. He laughed again, the sound mocking. It grated on my nerves, and my body began to shake. Whether from anger, disgust, or fear, I didn’t know. All I knew was that I wanted to slam his face into the table until it was unrecognizable.
The door opened and Aiden strode in, a few men trailing behind him. He paused, his eyes shifting between us. He was probably wondering why I was glaring at his investor, but I just lifted my chin and met his gaze. He gave me a questioning look and I barely shook my head.
This was a big deal for him, and I didn’t want to ruin it by telling on Jon. Everyone already thought Aiden was giving me special treatment. I didn’t want to add this to the list of reasons people shouldn’t like me. I was new. I was nothing to Aiden. He would have no reason to believe me and would definitely choose his investor over me.
Silently, I moved back to my spot, smiling softly at the newcomers as they gathered around the table. Aiden stopped beside me, his eyes clashing with mine.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“Fine.” I smiled up at him, but he didn’t look convinced.
He rested his hand on my shoulder and gently stroked his thumb back and forth. It was a soft, reassuring caress, and I found myself leaning into his touch. It reminded me he was there. Unlike Jon’s touch, Aiden’s was welcomed, and sorely missed when he pulled his hand away.
3
DANI
I stared at the red light, my eyelids heavy. Closing them, I let out a long, tired sigh as I rested my head back against the headrest. I’d been working for Aiden for a week. I was exhausted.
David invited me for drinks with some co-workers, but I declined. I could barely drive home without passing out. If I added alcohol to the mix, I wouldn’t have made it out of the bar.
A car honked behind me, and my eyes snapped open. I eased my foot off the brake and rolled forward. My chest was tight, and it was a chore just to breathe. There was a stack of files on my passenger seat to go over, and I was still trying to teach myself the software Aiden used. With the amount of coffee I’d been living off of, no matter how tired I was, I knew sleep was far, far away.
My eyes grew heavier as I drove down the dark street, and slowly, I began drifting to the side. The road bumps on the shoulder jolted me awake, and I swerved back into my lane. I needed to wake the fuck up. I still had another ten minutes before I was home.
Well, to the motel.
But every time I refocused on the road, my eyes crossed, and my car drifted again. This time, when I ran over the bumps, I didn’t wake up. My tires slid over the icy road, and I skidded toward the ditch on the side.
Heart pounding as I jolted awake, I slammed on the brakes. They squealed as I fishtailed and skidded further along the road. Finally, I came to a stop. I re-gripped the steering wheel, my eyes wide as I stared straight ahead, my breathing ragged in the quiet, dark car.
I leaned back and rested my head against the seat again. There was no way to breathe through the exhaustion. Each breath weighed my body down more, sinking me into the seat. It took all I had not to crawl into the backseat and sleep for a while. I pried my eyelids open and stared at the dark road ahead.
My phone rang, and I gasped at the sudden, deafening sound. My foot slid off the brake and my car flew forward.
“Shit. Shit, shit.” I pressed my foot back down as I reached for my phone in the seat beside me. “Hey.” I didn’t check to see who was calling, but Bridget’s voice didn’t surprise me.
“Hey, little sis,” she laughed. “Am I catching you at a bad time?” I sighed as I shifted the car to park and rested my forehead against the steering wheel.
“No,” I groaned. “I’m just on my way home from work.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said, as if she just remembered my new job. “How’s that going?” My throat muscles were too tired to push any words out. “Dani?”
“Good,” I finally mumbled. “Why didn’t you tell me I applied to Aiden’s company?” There was a beat of silence, then she primly cleared her throat.
“You wouldn’t have taken the job if you knew,” she admitted. “Plus, you danced with the guy for like five seconds. I didn’t think you’d even remember him.” She was lying. I could feel it, but I just rolled my closed eyes, too tired to argue. “So, how are things?”
“Fine,” I said.
