Chapter Ten
Gio
I'd been leaning against the wall near the entrance, where I could see everything going on in the front of the club, when Carly came out of the back. The way her hips swayed as she'd walked to the bar had my cock standing at attention in my pants. Her curves begged for attention and my hands itched to trace them. Keeping my distance from her was going to be damn near impossible. I'd found myself wondering if she had a man waiting at home for her even as I'd made my way across the club to the bar.
The teasing note in her voice after Tony explained the Leg Spreader comment made me smirk. Leaning down close to her ear, I breathed in the scent of her skin. “I can think of a different kind of leg spreader,Bella.”My voice came out as a growl and I watched as a shiver made it's way down her spine.
“Now you're just being a tease.”
Fuck, this woman was going to be the death of me. “I never tease,Bella. I always follow through.” The way her breath caught and her cheeks pinked made me want to pin her against the bar. I had to force myself to take a step back. “How are you settling into the new position? Are there any issues I need to know about?” I watched her closely. Would she be honest if there was a problem?
“Nothing I can't handle.”
“That's not what I asked,Bella.”
“Yes, it is. You asked if there were any issues you needed to know about. If I can't handle an issue, I will bring it to you. Or is the position of manager in name only?”
Is it wrong that her bristling made my cock twitch? “No, it's not in name only.”
“Then I repeat, nothing I can't handle.”
I watched as she slid off the bar stool and stalked off, drink in hand.
“She's going to be quite the handful.”
Tony’s chuckle had me turning my attention back to him. “Tell me about it.” I decided to turn the discussion away from Carly. “Tomorrow I want you here early so we can go over the inventory. I want to be sure we have everything we need.”
“Sure thing, Gio. Feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but the way you keep looking at her, I gotta ask, are you thinking about changing your policy on not fucking an employee?”
I couldn't stop the growl that escaped me. “Why are you asking?” I watched as he held his hands up as if in his own defense.
“I'm not interested, if that's what you're thinking, Gio. She's a knockout, sure, but she's got too much fire for my tastes.”
I watched as his gaze tracked another dark-haired beauty. When she stepped next to Carly and leaned close to talk to her I cocked a brow. She'd been up on the stage the night before but now she was wearing a mini skirt that hugged her ass and showed off her long legs. Something told me this was the girl Carly talked about making her assistant manager and Tony was very interested in her. “You do tend to like them a little more docile.” His snort had me cutting my eyes to him.
“I prefer demure. Docile suggests a doormat and I want my woman to have a little spunk, just not so much that we're constantly butting heads.”
“You don't know what you're missing.” I smirked and took my drink back to where I'd started the night; near the front door.
The last customer was long gone, the lights were turned up, tables were cleaned, and the staff was trickling out one or two at a time when my eyes fell on Carly. She looked exhausted and upset. A fierce protectiveness filled me as I stalked over to where she sat looking at her phone. “What's wrong,Bella?” When she turned those dark eyes to me I had to stop myself from reaching out to pull her into my arms.
“It's nothing. I missed a phone call earlier.”
The tone in her voice belied her words and the way she shrugged her shoulders. “It was important to you. Don't lie to me,Bella, I can tell by your voice.”
A sigh escaped her. “It was but there's nothing I can do about it, now. He's already asleep.”
A spike of jealousy burned through me and I had to tamp it down. I had no right to feel jealous over this mysterious 'he'. “If it's important enough to upset you, I'd think he'd know your work schedule.” I watched as her eyes narrowed at me.
“He was expecting me to be home early tonight so I could tuck him into bed because this wassupposedto be my early night but that changed when I got here and was offered the manager's position.”
I could feel myself frowning.Tucked into bed?“If you had a prior obligation,Bella, you should have said so.”
Her snort had my cock twitching, once again. “Right. Tell my boss 'Thanks for the better position, now I am going to up and leave to go tuck my son into bed'. I doubt that would have gone over well.”
“That is where you're wrong.Famigliais important. You should have said something. It's late,Bella, let me walk you out to your car.”
“You're amusing, Gio. Car. I barely make enough to keep a roof over my head, you think I have a car? I walk to and from work.”
