4. Four
Four
Vic
I gaze at Rosie, her self-satisfied smile both intriguing and unsettling.
Gage would chop off my balls if she told him that out of context. Shit, even in context, it doesn’t sound good.
She thinks she has me where she wants me, but she’s dead fucking wrong.
Standing, I run my fingers along the smooth surface of the wooden desk. “Blackmail?” I say in a low tone as I approach her.
I focus my eyes on her chest, where I can observe the rhythmic rise and fall of her breaths, mirroring my footsteps.
“Is that what you’re attempting to do to me, Princess?” As I lean closer, my chest presses against her shoulder, causing her to reach out instinctively to stabilize herself against my desk.
“Ahh, yeah,” she says as she looks anywhere but at me. To her credit, she doesn’t move. She holds her ground even as I push further into her personal space. She’s trying hard to conceal the small smile playing on her lips .
“And where do you plan on working, huh?”
“Sweet Escape.”
Of course. Fucking Jess.
If I knew Ax wasn’t already over there, I’d send him right now to make her day difficult. Usually, I feel sympathy for Jess with how relentlessly Ax pesters her. But not today. And probably not next week either. Those two need to figure their shit out, anyway. I knew there was always more to their friendship when we were kids. I just never knew how deeply it ran.
I need to approach this argument with Rosie in a tactful and strategic manner. If I give her this small taste of freedom, maybe she’ll find contentment in that and not cause me too much trouble. I mean, how much trouble could she possibly get into while working at the coffee shop? It’s better than the alternatives we have in town with the bar or strip club.
“Fine.”
“Really?” Like sunshine on a summer day, her entire face lights up while a beautiful smile adorns her full pink lips.
I retreat to the other side of my desk, unable to bear the sight any longer.
The desk provides a sense of protection, creating a necessary boundary between us. One that I should remember.
“Yes.”
Even as I sit back down, she continues to smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. It’s disconcerting to see her smile for something as basic as a human right that she should have, regardless of my approval. Yet my mind’s consumed with the notion that I’m solely responsible for the joy reflected on her exquisite face.
I look at her with a critical eye as I’ve done since she dropped into my life. Attempting to find flaws to make her unattractive. Her silky black hair hangs to her mid-back and is the perfect length to grab and wrap around my hand multiple times. Her tanned skin appears like the sun has kissed it multiple times, and I don’t have to touch it to know how soft it is. It’s practically velvet under my rough fingertips.
Her big green eyes track mine as I make the descent down her body with breasts that I’m sure will be a perfect handful. A soft waist I can grab as I’m fucking her from behind with no worry of breaking her in half, and an ass that I imagine my hand reddening until she screams. I don’t need to look at it to know how glorious it is. I got an eyeful last night, and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind with her small pink thong that showed more than it covered.
I always get what I want, when I want it, but she’s the exception to my rule of never going without.
She’s the forbidden fruit that dangles just out of my reach. A delectable bite I have no right to taste or savor, because that’s what I’d do if I touched what needs to stay just out of my reach.
I knew it would be tough to watch her, but I never expected the self-inflicted torment to be so profound.
“You’ll start Sweet Escape on Monday, and you’ll continue to work for me on Fridays and Saturdays.”
Her face falls the second the words are out of my mouth, and even her disappointment makes me happy.
As long as I’m giving her the emotion that shows so willingly on her face, I’ll take it.
“Why?”
“Because as a responsible employee, a notice comes with a period for me to find your replacement and avoid being short-staffed. ”
“But why do I still have to work here?”
Because I want you close.
“Those two days are our busiest, so we need extra hands.”
This entire conversation is the biggest load of shit that has ever come out of my mouth, but I won’t take it back. I enjoy watching her steal glances at my coffee table when she thinks no one’s looking. Her cheeks get so unbelievably rosy, showing how innocent she is.
“Your furniture does more work in the shop than I do.”
“What furniture are you referring to, Princess?” I say with a satisfying smile as the blood drains from her face.
With an annoyed huff, she snatches her food and storms out of my office, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. I use the opportunity to admire the way her ass sways in her black and white polka-dot minidress, the fabric tight in all the right places.
My phone rings as if on cue. Gage must possess a peculiar sixth sense, suspecting my impure thoughts toward his little sister.
Gage
Checking in. Everything good?
Vic
Yep.
Gage
Is she giving you any trouble?
Vic
Nah. All good, man.
Gage
I owe you. Talk to you soon.
I pocket my phone and walk out of my office. Without even realizing it, my eyes search for her.
On the stool I dubbed her throne, she sits with a scowl, arms crossed and legs swinging. She’s pissed and well on her way to hating me.
“The looks you keep shooting her way when she isn’t looking don’t look too platonic. Should I pick out your casket now, or do you want to be cremated and sprinkled in the lake?” Ax says to my right.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“Keep telling yourself that. You sure she’s safe with you?”
Rosie turns around, her face twisting into a scowl directed right at us or, perhaps more specifically, at me. Her face contorts with anger, and you can almost see the hatred oozing from her pores.
“Damn, maybe I should be worried about her stabbing you in your sleep.” Ax laughs.
“I can handle her.” I shrug.
My eyes don’t leave hers as I walk back to my client. Before disappearing from her view, I leave her with a wink and a smirk.
I’m in complete and total hell, loving every minute of the burn.