Page 70 of Safe Word

When the door burst open, we jolted like guilty teenagers caught with our hands where they shouldn’t be.

Vinnie filled the frame, eyes narrowing as he took us in. The tilt of his brow said it all.

‘What are you two doing here?’

We blinked – simultaneously.

‘Working?’ Paula offered, too brightly.

Vinnie tapped his watch dramatically. ‘It’s six. We don’t pay in noble sacrifice or in caffeine-induced delusion.’ He winked at her.

She just grinned, utterly unbothered. ‘Time flies when you’re having fun.’

The words landed in my chest like a goddamn punch. Fun. That was what she’d call it. Being held by the throat.

Fun.

Hiring her was a mistake.

‘Well,’ Vinnie said, already moving as if he’d already decided, ‘now that I’ve got you both here – celebratory drinks. Let’s go! The handcuff collection’s already selling.’ He tossed our jackets towards us, grinning. Not that we needed them considering the heat outside.

I glanced towards the window – the damn overcast made the world slightly cooler, though something was telling me the heat was coming from elsewhere.

I didn’t like this idea one bit.

Did I want to see her outside this office?

Absolutely not.

But the alternatives were worse: sitting in this chair, reading her wicked words; sweating it out in the gym while images of her or Scarlett haunted me between reps; or fielding another pity-laced call from the hospice nurse whose voice always sounded too kind.

So I closed the laptop like I was shutting down a weapon and slipped it into my bag. Quietly.

By the time I looked up, Paula was already at the door.

And Vinnie? His eyes were all over her backside as she walked out.

The flare of possessiveness was harsh and immediate. Unwelcome. A hunger I used to smother with bourbon.

I almost said something. Almost forgot where I was… Almost broke character and the leash that held my beast at bay.

What was the matter with me?

We ended up at a rooftop lounge Vinnie swore was quiet enough to talk and dark enough to hide a lie.

The place was covered in amber light and soft shadows, jazz playing through crackling speakers. It held a certain kind of hush that made laughter feel louder and eyes feel heavier.

Paula sat across from me in one of those velvet booths that swallowed you whole. Her legs were crossed, shoulders relaxed – or trying to be. She looked tired in that way a woman did when she was still expected to sparkle.

I hadn’t noticed it before, but she was smiling when she should have, tilting her head just enough to look interested. Answered Vinnie’s lazy banter with grace.

And the motherfucker was in form – all charm and old-school swagger, shirt unbuttoned just enough to remind you he could get away with it. The drinks hadn’t even arrived before he started laying it on thick.

‘She’s sharper than you deserve, Cain,’ he said, flicking his eyes between us. ‘You realise that, right?’

‘She’s efficient and talented,’ I replied flatly, sipping my wine with a pointed look at him. ‘Let’s not give HR more work than they already have.’

He laughed.