“You might not be quite ready to work back here yet after what happened,” Nikos finally said, ending the quiet between them. “But I know that you need the money, so for the time being, you can do it with me.”
Honey whipped her head to look at him, surprised but mostly uncertain. If this had happened a few months ago, she would have thought Nikos was trying to take advantage of her. But now that she knew him, Honey knew his offer was coming from a good place rather than him trying to take advantage of her.
On the other hand, she didn’t know if she wanted to cross that line with Nikos yet. But, worst of all, her pride wouldn’t let her. It chained her acceptance.
“No,” she said stubbornly, even though she knew it would probably be easier to have sex with Nikos than with a stranger, and apparently, Nikos was a sex god, according to the girls here. “I don’t want a handout.”
“That’s why I’m not offering you money,” Nikos said, laughing, and she arched a brow, not getting it. “This is the only thing I could think of where it won’t feel like a handout. It’s not as if I’m giving it to you for free, and at least it’ll be with someone you’re comfortable with.”
“But I’m not comfortable with you at all,” Honey joked.
Nikos smiled, and Honey quirked a brow.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just happy to see you’re okay,” he told her. “Because if you weren’t, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my promise.”
Honey stared at him for a second before she sighed.
“Okay, I accept,” she said. It was a good deal, and all the points Nikos listed were good. She would rather do it with him than with a stranger, and she would still be getting paid to achieve her goal.
“Thank you,” Honey told him gratefully. Nikos had been worried that she wouldn’t be okay, but if it weren’t for him giving her comfort and another chance, she probably wouldn’t be.
“Has this happened to any of the other girls before?” Nikos asked, and she nodded. Nikos gritted his teeth.
“I need to fix that,” Nikos said. “None of the women here will be hurt while I run the club.”
His words warmed her, along with his jacket. She felt protected as she inhaled the scent of his clothes. She felt okay.
C H A P T E R
23
CLOTHES PILED ON HONEY’S BED AS SHE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO WEAR FOR HER DATE WITH NIKOS. She placed the dress against her body, looking at herself in the mirror before she tossed it on the bed and went to find something else. It was hard to find something to wear for an occasion like this.
“Though I don’t approve of you working in the back,” Olivia said while sitting on her bed. “I don’t mind if it’s with Nikos. At least he isn’t a weirdo and is cute.”
“All it takes is for one handsome guy for you to change your mind,” Honey quipped as she picked out another outfit.
“It’s more than that. All Kai does is sing his praises. He’s really his hero and yours.”
Honey rolled her eyes.
“Thanks again for babysitting today at the last minute,” Honey said. “I owe you.”
“It’s fine,” Olivia said, waving her off before she frowned. “But I must admit that it is weird that he wants to do it so early. Don’t things like this usually happen at night?”
Honey glanced at the clock, seeing it was still only around noon. She could understand why Olivia questioned it, but Honey just shrugged. It was not as if she knew what was going on in Nikos’s mind, and on top of that, after taking over his uncle’s position, Nikos was busier than he had ever been. This might have been the only time he had on his schedule for something like this.
“Nikos might not be weird as that guy from the other night, but he’s definitely a sex-craved pervert,” Honey said, slightly annoyed that she would become another notch on his belt, even if she was getting paid for it. At this point, no girl in the club had gone unscathed.
“I like this,” Honey finally said before she went to go put it on.
After getting ready, an hour later, she heard the doorbell ring. She ignored her sister’s look and went to get the door. When Nikos saw her, he flinched, and Honey frowned as he stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, feeling self-conscious.
“I’m just blinded by your beauty,” Nikos said as he animatedly clutched his heart.
