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“I don’t get you,” he murmured. It was probably the most honest and least hostile thing he’d ever said to me.
“Come back and let me show you. You’d be doing me the favor, after all.”
I could sense a fissure beginning to form in the wall between us. The fact he didn’t spit out an immediate “No” or a slew of curses meant the seduction was working. He was actually considering it. Relieved as I was, I silently reminded myself to stay the course and not rush him. It had to be his choice or my new strategy was never going to work.
“No strings? None? Whatsoever?” he clarified after a moment.
“No strings.”
“You’re not going to corner me in the bathroom one day and fuck me against a wall? Or call in a ‘favor’ six months down the road and shove your dick down my throat?”
“Only if you ask me to.” And thanks to his question, I had a vividly inappropriate mental picture of doing just that.
He cracked a small smile, rolling his beautiful eyes. “Touché.”
“Is that a yes? You’ll come back?”
“Fine,” he conceded with a sigh. “But I expect that raise.”
“Of course. I keep my promises.”Even if they killed me…
“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
9
MAREK
True to his word,Misha doubled my salary the day I returned to the club with the warning not to tell anyone else. Nor had he sexually assaulted me or given any indication he was going to.
In fact, he was a complete gentleman, which made me even more suspicious after the Cow Shed. The way he looked at me in that alley? Touched me?Almostkissed me? I thought he was finally being honest about what he wanted, but then he kept his distance at Delirium. Polite, respectful distance, which completely contradicted the vibe in the alley…
Not to mention the gifts.
One day, a gorgeous blonde strolled in before opening with a garment bag slung over her shoulder. She smiled and waved at some of the girls on her way by, so I could only assume she was a former co-worker or someone’s relative.
Hayden was thrilled to see her. They did the double kiss thing on each cheek and chatted for a minute before his voice took a sudden sharp turn. Annoying one minute, indignant the next.
“Are you serious?” he demanded, staring at the blonde with none of the warmth he had a moment prior.
I glanced at Nolan, wondering if he had any insight, but he shrugged. We continued filling the straw dispensers as slowly and quietly as we could, waiting to see how it all played out.
The blonde consulted her phone before speaking. That’s when I heard my name practically thundering across the open club—Marek Sommers.
Nolan snickered and nudged my foot with his. I would have kicked him back except Hayden was looking right at me with utter disdain. As soon as he locked down whatever emotion overtook him, Hayden led her over to me with the iciest smile on the planet. “Marek, you have a delivery,” is what came out of his mouth, but in my head, it sounded more like, “I hope you fucking die and rot in hell, you piece of shit.”
I expected him to walk away after that, but he stood there, arms crossed, clearly waiting to see what the blonde had for me.
“Sign here, please,” she said with a polite smile and handed me her phone.
“What is it?” I asked, my finger hovering over the signature line.
“A coat. To replace the one you lost?” she answered, furrowing her brow at me.
“I didn’t order a coat,” I said warily, eyeing the garment bag with caution, fully expecting to see some sign of Ken oozing out of the zipper at any moment.
The confused look on her face vanished, replaced with an understanding smile. “You must be new. Misha ordered it. He takes care of the people who work for him. Right?” She glanced at Nolan and Hayden. Nolan nodded; Hayden seethed.
“If you say so,” I muttered, scribbling my name on the line and exchanging the phone for the garment bag. It was a hell of a lot heavier than it looked. What kind of coat did he buy withthatkind of heft? Was he preparing to ship me off to the Arctic? Hayden would be so happy!
