Chapter 9
9
VICTOR
I wouldn’t classify myself as a particularly violent man. I don’t live my life by the ideology that the pen is mightier than the sword, but I do believe that words can often lead to a better outcome than swinging fists.
But standing in this doorway and seeing the little fucker cornering Olivia in the back of the room, I’m willing to make an exception. I gave Adam the carrot, the ability to walk away from this unscathed with his teeth still firmly slotted in his jaw.
Now, it’s time to give him the stick.
“Listen, big man, I’ve said it once.” He spins around to face me, and his eyes nearly pop out of his skull as he takes me in again. It’s only been a few days, but somehow, Adam forgot what an imposing force he was dealing with. I guess the look of fury twisting my face in a scowl can’t ease his nerves. “This doesn’t concern you.” The rest of his sentence doesn’t hold the same conviction as the start of it.
“From where I’m standing, you’re backing my woman into a corner. Scaring her.” I take a step forward, and he cowers from me the same way he made Olivia recoil from him.
“It’s the twenty-first century.” His rattling jaw makes him stammer over the words. “You can’t own people anymore.”
“Don’t play smart with me, fuck-face.” I look over his head as if he’s a tall obstacle and at Olivia. The look of fear that flooded her features when I entered has already melted away to a sheepish grin that I’ve started associating with the succubus that dwells deep inside her core. Good girl. Don’t ever let this piece of shit bring you down. “Are you okay, beautiful?”
“I am now that you’re here.” Her sultry voice emboldens my next few steps toward Adam.
Yup, we’re gonna have some fun after this. Who’d have thought beating the piss out of a Brit would set her off?
“Hey, get away from me.” Adam jumps back before I even make a move against him. Smart man, but he’s still within arm’s reach, and he will pay greatly for this mistake.
“Remember what I said to you the last time you pulled a dumb ass stunt like this?” I square off against the piece of shit standing between me and my woman.
“That I shouldn’t talk to her.” Adam clears his throat and puffs out his pigeon chest to make himself look bigger. That shit doesn’t work on me. “But I’m not scared of you.”
You should be.
“No. What were my words to you?” I ask again, feeling my eyes narrow to tiny slits. Like I said that day, none of this is for intimidation. They’re all warnings. And he’s going to suffer the extent of my wrath. “Here, I’ll help. I said if you talk to Olivia again, I’ll . . .”
“You’ll slap this cocky grin off my face.” He takes a step closer while repeating my words.
Big mistake.
“My, my, your confidence is astounding.”
“What’s that supposed to me?—"
Before he can finish his question, I swing my right arm toward him viciously. It collides with the pompous Brit’s cheek with a thunderous slap that sends him hurtling back until he trips over his own feet and falls to his ass.
“What the fuck? You hit me.” His shrill screech sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and both his hands instantly shoot to his cheek to latch onto the now-wounded flesh. “You can’t hit me.”
I find myself chuckling at the pathetic fuck trying to get back to his feet.
“I’m an American, pal. I Ameri-can do whatever the fuck I want.” Gotta let my home ground superiority shine and remind this prick that he should’ve stayed in England, sipping tea and playing cricket.
Realizing that the slap was only the beginning of what I’ll do to him if he lingers, Adam gives me a wide berth as he makes his escape. If he wasn’t certain of it before, now he’ll know not to come back.
If he does, our next altercation won’t end this pleasantly.
I follow him with my eyes as he stumbles his way out the door, only starting to turn when I hear Olivia making a noise behind me. However, I stop trying to face her when her hands wrap around my chest and her lips press against the back of my neck.
She’s standing on a chair just to kiss me? How adorable.
Trailing kisses across my skin, she stops when she reaches my ear.
“My hero,” she whispers into it. “How will I ever repay you?”
“You could take me out for a nice dinner. Maybe even a movie,” I tease, knowing exactly where we’re headed. I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s not going to wait until we get home, and yet, here I am, feeling naughty as her hand travels down my front.
“Oh, shush.” She strikes my earlobe with her tongue, allowing her hands to grab my belt buckle and work it free. “Now, are you going to keep making jokes, or are you going to shove your cock inside of me?”
“Why can’t I do both?” I spin around on my heels and grab Olivia. Had I not moved so quickly, she’d have tumbled over before I could catch her.
To steady herself, she wraps her arms around my head and buries my face in her bosom while giggling. So lustful and gleeful and free.
“Fuck.” The word involuntary manages to slip out of my mouth. But now that it has, I might as well continue the thought that spurred it on. “I love you.”