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“Shakarri.”

His deep voice arrested her, and she couldn’t move. She refused to turn around. He wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Before she could move more than a few steps away from him, he grasped her arm and turned her to face him. She refused to meet his gaze. Shock rolled off him.

“Why are you crying?” There was some deep emotion in his voice, and she assumed it was anger. She was messing up his plans.

Shakarri raised her chin. “I’m not giving my body away so you can make more money!”

He blinked. “Explain.”

“You know where to go.”

He lowered his voice. “Shakarri, I’m asking you to explain to me why you left the table and why I find you here in the hall in this state.”

“This state?” She shook her head. The panic and hurt turned to anger. “I don’t care if you drag me through court and I’m left with nothing but the clothes on my back. I don’t care if I have to eat out of Dumpsters.” She was so exaggerating. She’d rather die of starvation than eat out of the garbage. “I won’t let him touch me!”

“At what time,” he said softly with a simmering anger in his tone, “did I ask you to sleep with another man?”

“When you saw him practically on top of me at the table and did nothing. Johntey even told me himself you don’t mind as long as we don’t embarrass you in public. He said that’s how the game is played.”

To her shame, she hiccupped at the end of this tirade, and she pressed the backs of her fingers to her mouth. She wanted to tell him more about what a sorry lousy no good man he was, but she had to use all of her energy to hold the tide of emotions back.

Ezio released her arms and folded both of his over his barrel chest. His eyebrows bunched above eyes that had turned almost as dark as the ocean. “You listened to him and not to me.”

“I did listen to you! You said—”

“I never asked you to give your body to him. I said he enjoys looking and being around a beautiful woman. He crossed the line when he tried to get you to agree to an affair. I’ll deal with that.”

She studied him. “You’re changing your tune now that I’ve refused. You just sat there!”

His hand shot out, and he dragged her to his chest. She fought to get away, but he was too strong. His lips brushed her cheek. She turned her head, but he turned it back, forcing her to look at him.

“Make no mistake about it, Shakarri. You belong to me, and I won’t share your body with another man. I don’t mind another man looking at you or even flirting, but if any man touches you, I will rip his arm off. Are my intentions clear now?”

She shivered in his hold and gazed at the top button on his shirt. “Yeah.”

“Good.” He kissed her lips. “Now, go and fix your face and come back. As I said, I’ll deal with Johntey.”

“What are you going to say?” she asked out of curiosity.

He ignored the question and walked off. She made a face behind his head and went on to the bathroom. When she returned, everyone at the table was silent. Johntey looked furious. His manager’s head threatened to explode it was so red, and Ezio calmly sipped a glass of wine.

Shakarri took her seat, and Johntey scooted away as if she had the plague. The excruciating lunch meeting soon ended, but she wasn’t sure later if Ezio had made his business deal.

Chapter 4

“I’m telling you it was crazy,” Shakarri told Nay over the phone. She glanced at the pantyhose Ezio had left on the chair next to her bed. They were so silky and sheer they were almost invisible, but he must be crazy if he thought she would wear them in the middle of summer.

“I don’t know, girl. Maybe you should get out of there. He’s too controlling. Money’s not worth all that.”

“Eating is worth all that.”

“You can come live with me. He’s disgusting, Sha. Don’t put up with it.”

Shakarri recalled the day before when she argued with Ezio in the hallway at the restaurant. “It was actually kind of hot.”

“Sha! Is he brainwashing you?”

“No, hear me out. Think about it. He held me in his arms and told me in this deep angry voice that if any man puts his hands on me, he’ll rip his arms off. You can’t tell me you don’t think that’s hot.”

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