“Go to hell,” I bite off, putting every ounce of venom I have into staring back. “Also, it’s a little late for professionalism or whatever. Thisispersonal, Harry, and you made it that way. You’re not taking my career too.”
“Too?” He lifts a brow, and his ugly smirk widens.
He knows exactly what I mean.
“You’re not going to get your way this time,” I say. “You’re not turning Pawsome Hearts into another ugly, overprice commercial turd that sits vacant when MicroDick Incorporated lays off half its Bellevue workforce thanks to AI.”
Any trace of amusement leaves his face as it firms into a vicious scowl.
“Funny you should say that. And funny that you’ve got the funds to buy me outnow. We both know you’re shit with money, LeeLee. You could never afford lunch without bumming a few bucks off me after you left my place, less mouthy and satisfied. Say,” he growls, slamming his hand on the doorframe next to my head. “I wonder who’s fucking you now? Is that the real problem? Seeing how you’ve got microdick on the brain and all.”
“Harry, get out. Leave me alone,” I hiss.
I am so entirely ready to scratch his face.
Screw the consequences.
“It reeks. That’s all I’m saying. Or maybe that’s just you after a long day of blood and cat piss. Whatever you’re doing—and I know you’re doing something—your story fucking sucks. You wouldn’t live in this shithole house if you had the coin to live somewhere decent. So where did the windfall come from, huh?”
Brady flashes in my mind.
The way we teamed up in front of Nancy. The way he turned feral at the end, the delicious scrape of his teeth and his stubble.
Jesus, I can’t let him down.
I can’t let this brute threaten a man who’s the only reason why I have a chance to save Pawsome Hearts at all.
If Harry acts on his threats, we’ll both be so neck deep in crap, we won’t be able to breathe.
I can’t let him find out.
“Your boss might not be able to do her homework, but I will. I’m going to dig real fucking deep, LeeLee. I’m going to find the real story,” he taunts, leering in, drowning me in that wretched cologne until I gag. “What are you hiding, I wonder?”
“Last chance,” I whisper harshly. “If you don’t leave now, I’m calling the cops.”
His smirk widens until it’s too big for his face.
“You won’t. We both know you’d be wasting precious city resources, pulling cops away from real crime. I haven’t done shit. I’m not hurtingyou. And I’m not dragging you out by the hair and chucking you in a drainage ditch. Shit, LeeLee. Weknoweach other. You had my dick in your mouth.”
I can’t breathe.
The implied threat in his voice chokes off the righteous fury in my throat.
“It’s sad, really. I thought you’d get over it eventually. Looks like you didn’t.” He reaches out, trailing his finger along my jaw. I slap his hand away. “Hell, for a while, I thought we’d be friends again someday.”
The way my stomach churns takes my breath away.
In public, I can lie to myself that he doesn’t scare me.
But not while he’s in my face with no one else around to see what he’s doing. My phone is inside, and I don’t know if I could get the cops to take this seriously, anyway.
Even if I scream and a neighbor hears it, will he just laugh it off?
So many doubts whirl through my head. The worst superpower Harry Jay ever had was shredding my self-confidence.
There’s no proof he’s harassing me. He’s barely touched me.
And the scariest thing of all is that he’s a public figure with money and power. People know him. Peoplelikehim.
