I grunted as I tried to lift another chair, sweat dripping into my eyes. It barely budged, and my small frame was straining under the weight.
Before I could argue or protest, strong hands wrapped around the sides of the chair. “Let me,” Felix said, his voice low andcalm, and with a smooth, effortless motion, he lifted it with me, sliding it easily over the edge of the dumpster.
I froze, my cheeks flaming. He was too close, his breath brushing my hair, muscles pressing against mine, and yet I couldn’t deny how much easier the work had become with him here.
“Whatever,” I muttered, tossing my hands up. “You can stay.”
I didn’t say what I really meant.There is no way in hell I can do this without you.
He smirked faintly but didn’t reply. Instead, we moved in a rhythm, lifting and sliding boxes and broken furniture into the dumpster in silence. My muscles ached less with him here, but that didn’t make the occasional brush of his arm against mine any less distracting.
Each time he shifted or reached for another piece, the subtle contact sent sparks up my spine, and I had to bite back a groan or a sharp retort. My pride screamed at me to act normal, but my body was betraying me with every accidental touch.
I tried to focus on the heavy lifting, determined to drown out the chaotic swirl of thoughts about Felix and the way his presence ignited something deep inside me. I could feel the tension still hanging in the air, thick and palpable, every brush of our skin igniting fires I wasn’t ready to admit to myself.
Hours passed in a blur of sweat, grunts, and scraping wood. Slowly, painstakingly, the last of the boxes and broken furniture landed in the dumpster. I sank to the ground, hands on my knees, chest heaving as my muscles protested every movement.
Felix leaned against the side of the dumpster, arms crossed, his gaze sharp and assessing, taking in every inch of me. “Done,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “Good. You’ve got endurance, I’ll give you that.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Endurance? That’s all you have to say?” I muttered, crossing my arms.
He stepped closer, making me straighten instinctively, and his shadow fell over me. “I said it,” he said, tone flat but edged with something darker. “Impressive. Don’t mistake it for leniency. Keep it up, and maybe you’ll earn my approval.”
I crossed my arms, cheeks burning. “I don’t need your approval,” I said, voice sharp, trying to mask how much his presence had me on edge.
He leaned closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. “You should want it,” he said, his voice laced with a warning that made my pulse spike.
I clenched my jaw, glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Are you trying to scare me or flirt with me?”
Felix’s smirk deepened, eyes dark and unreadable. “Both,” he said, his voice just soft enough to make my stomach twist. “And also to remind you who’s in charge.”
Heat and fury warred inside me, and I had to take a shaky breath to stop myself from snapping back, or melting entirely under the weight of his presence.
I took a step back, trying to catch my breath and ignore the lingering heat of his presence. “Fine, Mr. In Charge,” I muttered, brushing dust and sweat from my arms. “You’ve made your point. Can we wrap this up before I start tossing things at you instead of into the dumpster?”
He stepped closer, just close enough to make my heart pound. “Careful,” he said. “Remember your place here. And don’t talk to me like that. I don’t take kindly to defiance—even from someone I find compelling.”
I swallowed hard, heart still racing from the heat of his proximity and the weight of his words. My pride screamed at me to glare, to snap back, to assert myself, but my body betrayed me with every shiver and rapid pulse.
Felix’s dark gaze lingered for a moment longer, unreadable, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. Then, without anotherword, he walked inside, leaving me standing in the dust and sweat, muscles aching, and mind spinning.
I exhaled shakily, muscles aching and pride still bristling, muttering under my breath, “Unbelievable.”
The tension didn’t fade when he stepped away. It hung in the air, thick and undeniable, a silent reminder that this was far from over.
Chapter 15
Felix
The neon lights buzzed like a memory I didn’t want to revisit. I pushed through the entrance of the strip club I owned, the scent of alcohol, sweat, and cheap perfume hitting me like it always had. Used to be I’d spend hours here, watching, calculating, enjoying the pulse of the place, but not anymore.
The music thumped in my chest, rhythmic and hypnotic, but it didn’t reach me. The club was still the same—flashy, loud, full of movement—but I wasn’t. I had stopped caring, stopped feeling the thrill that used to come with it. This scene, these people, these women dancing under the lights, had all lost its pull.
Within moments, a girl who had worked here for years was pressed up against me like she always had when she was performing for someone she thought she knew. Her hands slid over my chest, hips nudging against mine, her breath warm and perfumed.
“Felix,” she pouted. “Where have you been?”
The old thrill that used to come with this—fucking whatever girl I wanted in the back office—was gone. I had fucked every single one of them. The thought didn’t thrill me the way it used to. It was ownership, control, familiarity. Nothing more.They don’t excite me anymore. None of this does.
