“I don’t care if he calls his mother beautiful.” He takes a step closer, backing me against the bar. “I don’t like it. It makes me think about how easy it would be to break his jaw so he doesn’t smile at you like that again.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” There’s no hesitation. No doubt in his voice. “The only reason I haven’t is that I don’t want you looking at me like I’m a monster.” His thumb strokes along my hip bone, possessive, yet still gentle all at once. “But make no mistake, baby, I’m still the monster who refuses to share you ever again.” He leans in closer, his lips brushing my ear. “I know I should be better than this, but I’m not, and I won’t pretend to be just to makeyoucomfortable.”
Even in heels, I’m still not tall enough to meet him properly, so I have to pull him down to brush my lips against his.
“I told you it’s just us, and I meant it. Besides, look around you, Phoenix. Everyone in here with a pulse has their eyes on you.”
“I haven’t noticed.”
“Liar.” I run my fingertips along his jaw. “You notice everything.”
“Not when you’re in front of me.”
Jordan slides my drink across the bar, then sets a bottle of water in front of Phoenix. “There you go, handsome.”
I shoot him a smug told-you-so look, biting back a smile. He grabs me by the waist and kisses me again, slower and deeper this time.
It takes him a minute to release me, and even then, his hands linger like he’s forgotten how to let go. Phoenix stays close as we head down the dark hallway that leads to Lianna’s office. I stop outside the door and knock first because it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve opened the door and walked in on something I can never bleach out of my brain.
Orgies—plural. Multiple occasions, actually.
I also once walked in on Lianna wearing a strap-on the size of my forearm while the guy getting railed was simultaneously getting his dick sucked by what she later informed me was his boyfriend.
So yes, I knock now like my sanity depends on it.
“Hey… are you decent?” I call, easing the door open just enough to catch her silhouette.
“Yep, come in. I’m just pulling up my files.”
We step inside, and I drop into one of the chairs opposite her desk, the leather cold against the backs of my thighs, while Phoenix moves past me without a word. He braces a hand on the back of Lianna’s chair and leans in, scanning the computer screen. If it were anyone else, the closeness might bother me. Still, someferal part of me wonders what I’d do if he were ever this close to another woman.
Would I care?
Would I go full psycho?
He’s mine.
“Is this everyone who works for you?”
“Yeah, clock-in times too.”
“How long has the system been compromised?”
“Not long. But whoever it is knows their shit. They’re messing with the alarms, glitching the cameras, and wiping footage. I tried contacting the company, but they keep brushing me off.”
“I’ll need access to everything. Systems, footage, employee records, all of it.”
“Take whatever you need because at this point, they’re just pissing me off.”
“You call the cops?” Phoenix asks, and Lianna actually laughs.
“No. We’re not doing that. My dad isn’t exactly the legit type, and the last thing he wants is cops poking around his clubs asking questions.”
“Do you feel like you’re in danger?”
“No.” She shrugs, but I catch the genuine concern in Phoenix’s eyes, and it’s not just because he knows how much she means to me.
