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The nights I worked alone were usually quiet, but there was always some residual noise in the background - the hum of electricity, the traffic from the street outside, a song playing on the radio. Most of my nights were spent just like this - alone, left to my thoughts as I arranged clothing, dressed mannequins, and organized the jewelry spinners. The music kept me company, giving me a bit of peace in what had been a whirlwind three months since I’d last seenhim, the man now waving a gun in my direction as if he were only a common, suburban mugger and I was the victimized housewife caught off guard.
“This is a joke, right, Sebastian? You’d better be freaking kidding with me,” I seethed through clenched teeth.
His eyes narrowed, and I flinched.
“I don’t have that kind of sense of humor, and this is far from fucking funny. Get your stuff, Princess. Turn out the lights and lock up. Do it exactly the way you do it every night.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re here. Now, if you go away, I can lock up and leave... alone... just like I do every night.” I was stalling, desperately trying to think of a way out of this.
“That’s not going to happen.” He heaved a deep sigh of irritation, turning him back into the moody man I’d first met months ago. He took a step away from me. “Where’s your handbag?”
“In the office. I’ll just go–”
He cut me off before I could turn fully around. “Not a chance. Not by yourself. I’ll get it. I don’t need that glittered Glock aimed at me again. It might force me to do something I’ll regret. Where’s your cell phone? Is it in your purse?”
“Am I supposed to make thisthateasy on you? You’re the one waving a gun around and I’m just supposed to tell you where to find my stuff?”
“Never mind. I thought you could make this easy on me, though why the hell that thought crossed my mind? I have no fucking clue. You haven’t made anything easy on me since the night we met.”
I thought I heard a hint of laughter in his tone.
“So, youarekidnapping me?”
“I never denied it. Where’s your coat?”
“With my purse.” I sneered.
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. “You actually wore a coat tonight? I’m impressed.”
“Yeah, well, you probably won’t be when you see it.”
I could have kicked myself. Why was talking with him so natural, so easy? He was pointing a gun at me, intending to force me to leave with him against my will, and I was chatting with him, alluding to previous conversations when he’d scolded me for not wearing appropriate clothing for the weather.
I still wasn’t convinced this was real, that it wasn’t some twisted joke. Sebastian had played the same game all the others had who had gone before him. He’d gone radio silent for three months and now he wanted to force his way back into my life or force me back into his from the way he brandished his gun at me.
But just like before, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, just like I knew I’d be going with him. His hawkish stare, his confident tone... I’d learned a few things about Sebastian St. Valentine since our last night together, and none of them suggested he kidnapped women on a whim. He was here for a reason, and my lack of understanding why was déjà vu.
I straightened my back, anger and frustration fueling me.
“This is how you want to do this?” I asked.
He said nothing, nor did his expression change.
I sighed loudly, wanting him to know how irritated I was with him. I had things to do. A shop to open! I didn’t have time to be used as a pawn again in his stupid plans to piss off my brother.
“My purse and coat are in the office. I’ll go get them.”
“No, Princess,we’llgo get them.”
The boutique was small. Walking to the “office” was only a few steps behind the counter into a room that was large enough for a desk, a filing cabinet, the computer, and a small refrigerator.
Sebastian followed me, so close I could smell the woodsy scent of his aftershave. We entered the room, and I grabbed my purse and coat from the top of the desk where I had hastily tossed them that morning in my eagerness to get back to work.
I put my kimono style silk jacket on while Sebastian watched. He rolled his eyes at its flimsiness, and I shrugged. It was too late for him to act like the caring boyfriend type.
