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“I mean, the best way to know if you’re really clean is to keep the temptation around. You can do this, Zander. You’re stronger than you know. And if, by some chance, you find you can’t help yourself, then perhaps we can schedule more sessions?”
I nodded, feeling a sense of helplessness I wasn’t accustomed to.
I was control.
Domineering was my middle name.
And to have something take away my sense of leverage on life was suffocating.
“Okay,” I agreed.
Maybe Dr. Dempson was right.
Maybe I was stronger than I was giving myself credit for.
I just needed to stay away from the new girl named Eden, and considering Empire Sevens was a massive casino and resort, I didn’t think that would be too hard.
A WEEK LATER, I was eating those words and cursing Dr. Dempson. Thinking I could stay away from Eden or casually avoid her was a fucking joke. It wasn’t like she was just another employee.
She wasn’t.
She was Kennedy’s niece, which meant she spent too much fucking time in the back rooms of Empire Sevens. It seemed every time I turned around, she was there peering up at me with those innocent baby blue eyes.
It was frustrating as fuck, and I planned to tell Kennedy precisely that.
As I stomped down the hall toward her office, I planned to let her know that I no longer wanted floor employees hanging out in her office. I didn’t care if she was her niece, I was the fucking boss and what I say went.
Bursting through Kennedy’s door, I startled her, and she looked up at me with wide eyes. My chest heaved heavily after getting myself worked up to demand she keep her tempting niece away from me.
“What’s wrong?”
I stood there, hands on my hips, ready to lay down my demands, but when I opened my mouth, my words didn’t match my thoughts.
“What time are you expecting the package from California?” I asked, referring to the new security monitors being specially made for my office.
Kennedy looked from me to her computer with a confused look on her face. “You busted in here like a madman to ask me that? A simple phone call would have saved you the trip.”
“The dates, Kennedy.”
Her frown deepened. “We think they should be here by Friday. Did you want me to put a rush on the delivery?”
I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary.”
I had come to Kennedy’s office for a reason, but when I walked into her office, I had completely lost my nerve. Not many people intimidated me, but on the list of those who did, Kennedy was at the top.
“Everything okay, Zander?” she asked when I stood there staring down at her.
No.
Everything was not fucking okay.
Her beautiful niece was making my life a living hell just by existing in my casino.
“Everything’s good,” I lied. “Let me know when the package arrives. I have the contractors ready to install.”
“Got it,” Kennedy said before turning her attention back to her computer screen.
Back in my office, I felt like an idiot for storming into Kennedy’s office the way I had and then demanding nothing. This girl was making me crazy, and I was slowly going mad.
