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My rationalizations suddenly feel empty.
Get a hold of yourself. Of all times for my father’s voice to ring out in my head. She’s a woman. There’s plenty of women in the world, especially for guys like you. Don’t trick yourself into believing there’s anything special about any of them. This is a man who spent thirty years married to and adoring my mother, but I suppose that was another story.
“What would you have me do?” I ask while cutting more asparagus. I keep my eyes lowered, my gaze trained on the plate.
“You mean, besides letting me go?”
“Yes. Besides that. I know you can’t understand this, but I can’t afford—”
“You can afford to live in this palace.”
“Let me finish,” I snap, pleased when she flinches. “I can’t afford having word spread that I’m a soft touch. You think anybody would bother paying back their debt if they knew I let your ex-boyfriend off?”
“They don’t need to know.”
“Believe me. Word travels.”
“That sounds more like a you problem than anything else.”
It’s better that I lower the silverware to the plate than risk stabbing her. The food’s nearly gone, anyway. “Pardon me?”
“I’m just saying, if you can’t trust your men to keep their mouths shut, you have bigger problems on your hands.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you’re lucky I’m not the kind of man who’d backhand you for smarting off.”
“I’ve known plenty of men like that.” She’s unflinching when our eyes meet. “So you’ll have to try harder if you want to scare me. Like I already told you.”
She’s fucking infuriating. A woman in her position, thinking she calls the shots. Refusing to back down when she’s pitifully outmatched. Maybe I should let her go and wash my hands of her. I’ll tell Harmon she wasn’t worth it. He’ll have to find some other way to make good on his debt.
But damn it, that would mean backing down. Giving her what she wants. I won’t do that.
“I’m not an unreasonable man.” I sit back in the chair, hands folded. “We might be able to compromise for now.”
She arches an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”
Right now? With her wearing that sexy little smirk, hands tied, her long legs begging to be touched? I have a great many things in mind. I need to focus up before I make a fool of myself. “You don’t have to stay locked in here. You can move freely in the house, so long as you don’t bother me or my men. We have jobs to do. You will submit to regular frisking to make sure you didn’t develop sticky fingers and free a knife from the kitchen.”
“What about the grounds outside?”
She asked too quickly, no hesitation. So she was already hoping for this, planning it in that clever little brain. “You could at least pretend to be surprised I’m giving you this bit of freedom. Or grateful. Gratitude would be nice.”
“Uh, thanks,” she deadpans. “But for real. Can I go outside, get some sunshine and fresh air? Or am I limited to hanging out indoors?”
No way would she be able to escape, not with security cameras everywhere and guards posted at intervals along the perimeter. “Fine. You can walk outside—but again, no interfering, no distracting. And don’t waste your time trying to get away, unless you’re craving hot lead in your back. Or your skull. Because as far as my men are concerned, they shoot to kill. Got it?”
“Got it,” she whispers. So it’s possible to shake her up, after all.
I get the sense of having won this round as I stand and pick up the tray. “Good. I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”
“Uh, hey. Excuse me.” I hear her struggling once my back is turned. “You’re leaving me like this? I thought we had an agreement. You just said we did.”
“If someone has time, they’ll come in and untie you.” I look back over my shoulder. “You already distracted everyone today and upset the household. There are still repercussions for bad behavior.”
“Unbelievable.” Anything else she has to say is muffled by the closed door. Only now can I let myself laugh. She’s feisty, and I’ve always had a soft spot for that.
Jock was waiting in the hall, just as I knew he would be. “Let her sweat it out for another ten minutes or so,” I murmur. “Then let her loose.”
I don’t trust myself to get close enough to do it. The temptation would be too great, and I’ve already spent enough of my day on her.
