“I do.” I wave a hand at the bouncer, whorises from his seat. “Go. Before security shows you out.”
Vincent might be a big guy, but the bouncers at Octavio’s don’t play around. They’ll swarm him like flies until he goes down if he causes any trouble.
My boss stares at me like he doesn’t recognize me, then rises to his feet. He holds up his hands as the bouncer approaches.
“I’m leaving,” he grumbles, shoving past the big centaur. Vincent shoots me one last infuriated look before storming out of the VIP room.
Now I’ve lost my business for the night, and who knows what he’ll do to me at work tomorrow? I wonder if I’ve just destroyed my own career for this stupid gig.
“You all right?” the bouncer asks. “I thought you and that orc were chummy.”
“Not anymore. And he should go on the list.” It’s a ledger of people no longer allowed into Octavio’s.
Though he’s surprised, the bouncer doesn’t argue with me. Now I won’t have to worry about seeing Mr. Roth here again. And at least if I get fired from my day job, I’ll still have this and my savings to keep me afloat.
Fuck. This night went as poorly as possible. I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake.
CHAPTER
TEN
VINCENT
I’m so shocked at first by Velvet kicking me out that it takes some minutes for my rage to fully boil to the surface. It doesn’t happen until after I’ve stepped out of Octavio’s and onto the street that my entire body begins shaking with my wrath.
How could she say that? After how I’ve claimed her this many times, covered her in my smell, shown her pleasure so great she screamed? She is mine. Only mine. And her denial is like a sharp blade in my gut. How could she ignore what we have and act as if it means nothing to her?
Though my orcish fire is burning bright, I close my eyes as I wait for George to arrive and breathe the cold air in through my nose. I need to calm myself before I act irrationally.
Perhaps what enrages me most is that she was right to do it, to demand that I leave. This is her place of work. I know what she does here. But I couldn’t help losing my temper at the sight of another person’s hands all over her. I’m an orc, and orcs protect what belongs to us.
My plan to keep a distance between us clearly has not worked. I’ve grown far too attached to my pretty assistant, that much is obvious. Now my instincts are all ablaze, demanding to know why she’s back there in that club surrounded by roaming hands.
I’m still seething as the car arrives, but I’ve gotten it under my control enough that it doesn’t show on my face. As always, George silently drives me home.
I remember every word she said.Now you get everything you want from Rosette.
It makes me angrier that this is how she sees it. I had stayed away from Octavio’s because I didn’t want to jeopardize her, to take up all of her time, but I couldn’t any longer. I wanted to see Velvet again.
I should never have gone.
Though it’s already late, there’s no sleeping for me. I head down to the basement gym, where I beat my sandbag until the seams are snapping. All I have to do is think about Velvet on that stranger’s lap, dismembered hands fondling her perfect tits—which I haven’t even seen for myself before tonight—and my pulse skyrockets. My punch rips through the leather casing, sending sand flying everywhere.
Damn it.
I return to my room, reminding myself to ask Ms. Kristoff about getting that cleaned up. She can make the arrangements.
It’s not until then that I think,What if she doesn’t come in to work tomorrow? What if she isn’t standing on the curb when I arrive to pick her up?
What if she quits?
It’s only thanks to three more strong whiskeys and a game of Gekaran that I’m able to fall asleep.
I’m wearing my sunglasses today to mask the bags under my eyes as we pull up in front of Ms. Kristoff’s apartment the next morning. She isdutifully standing where she always stands, but today…
Today, she is wearing pants.
I’ve never ever seen her in pants. Since her very first interview she’s worn pencil skirts, showing off her shapely legs. Today, though, black slacks cover her ass and hang down all the way to her heels.
