Shit. Shit. Shit.
I rushed to pull my phone out, fumbling with it in my haste. After sending a quick text off to my contact, I pulled my headphones out of my pocket and stuck them in my ears, turning the music up loud as I rose to my feet and went back to moving stock around. After a moment, I purposefully hit one of the crates with glass bottles so it would clang.
Faster than I expected, Harley had me pressed against the wall. On instinct, my elbow shot up, hitting his jaw before my gaze met his and he immediately released me. Gavriel rubbed his face, saying something I couldn’t hear through the thundering bass in my ears, but Harley let me go.
I pulled my headphones out and glared at Harley. “What the fuck was that for?”
“How long have you been back here?” Gavriel’s voice was heavy with a sigh.
I shifted my attention to Gavriel and said, “An hour. Needed to stretch, knew you had headed out and the staff wasn’t going to be here for hours. Figured I could help out at least.”
There was an almost imperceptible swallow of his throat as he asked, “What did you hear?”
I turned my phone around and showed him my playlist. I had intentionally picked a song that was three-quarters of the way down so it would be obvious I’d been listening for a while. “Nothing but a lot of bass. Like I said, I needed to stop looking at numbers and paper for a while.” Deciding to turn the tables on him, I narrowed my eyes. “Is there something wrong with working in my own fucking club, Mr. Azzaro? Helping my staff get caught up?”
Harley’s back went straight, but he didn’t say a thing. Gavriel’s jaw was tight as he growled out, “No. Of course not.”
“Then what is your fucking problem?” Putting my hand on my hip and popping it out slightly, I continued, “Other than the fact that Dad gave me half of the bar? I seriously thought we had gotten over that.” I sighed dramatically and shook my head, turning my back on him deliberately.
“Elin . . .” His voice almost sounded sad. Harley’s face was just in my peripheral vision, and I saw the confusion there.
Turning quickly, I put a finger up and poked his chest. “Seriously. I thought we had at least gotten to a place where even if you didn’t like me, you would respect my place as your partner. It’s the one fucking thing I expect of you. Fucking respect. Then you come in here accusing me of god knows what, and I was just helping out to make things a little easier on our bartenders.”
He grabbed me by the wrist and pushed me against the wall, pinning my hands above my head. His thigh went between mine. Automatically, my thighs squeezed his as I saw a flicker of that heat I loved so much from him. “Harley, you have orders. Go handle it. I’ll sort this out.”
Gavriel stood there holding my gaze until Harley left. When the main door shut, his hands released my wrists, slowly slid down my arms, and rested on my hips as he went to his knees. “I am sorry, Goddess.”
I lifted my chin as his attention stayed focused on me and his hands stayed cupping my calves. “What for?”
“For making you think I would question your place as my business partner. We were conducting family business, and Harley was concerned that you overheard.”
“Only Harley?”
He let out a sigh. “No. I was concerned, too, but even I could hear the music blasting through the headphones.”
“Okay.”
“Forgiven, Goddess?”
I nodded as he stood, but I reached my hand out and gripped his balls. I smiled as I felt the cage still in place. “You’ve been a good boy. Now, go. Do what you need to do. I’m going to finish stocking the shelves and then go back to my office.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, pulling me against him. When he pulled back, he whispered, “As you wish, Goddess.”
As he walked out, I stared after him.
What the fuck just happened?
Chapter 21
Afterlockinguptheclub, I headed upstairs. It had been a relatively quiet night—just a handful of regulars and a few curious newcomers who’d signed up thanks to Elin’s streamlined membership process. The thought of her made me pause at the elevator. She might still be in the office.
Earlier, around eleven, I’d brought her dinner. The raised eyebrows and mouth slightly open when I’d appeared with the container had been almost comical.
“Did you poison it?”
Laughing, I’d taken it to her desk and placed it in front of her. “I just noticed you hadn’t been down to eat and thought I’d prove that I do trust you as my partner. As such, I need you to have a clear head so shit doesn’t get messed up.”
She’d smiled brightly at me. “Careful or I’ll think you actually like me.”
