“You’re sleeping on the couch?” He noted the scrunched-up blanket, the empty ice cream bowl, and the pile of mismatched pillows. I flushed as his eyes drifted toward the brown stain on my shirt. If I’d hoped to impress him, I definitely wasn’t going to now.
Luckily, I didn’t want to impress him. He was an asshole.
“Where else would I sleep? It’s not like I’m going to kick her out of her own bed, now am I?”
His brows furrowed as he took a step toward me. A finger lifted toward my cheek. Heat whispered across my skin like silken shadows. “What happened to your face?”
I flinched away. “I hit my head on the medicine cabinet. Now, would you please just tell me what the hell you’re doing here?”
An amused smile whispered across his lips. “I wanted to talk to you about the job you auditioned for last night.”
“No need. You already turned me down.”
“I may have been hasty in my decision.”
I gave him a flat stare. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He strode through the tiny apartment, tracing his fingers along the wall. When he reached the window, he glanced outside at the pots where Serena and I grew herbs, pretty unsuccessfully. “You have a pigeon out here, looking very expectant.”
“His name is Hendrix. He wants his lunch.”
Asmodeus chuckled. “You named a Brooklyn pigeon after one of the greatest singers of the past century?”
“At least you havesometaste. It’s a shame it doesn't extend further than that.”
“How long have you been looking for a job, Mia?” He turned back toward me, and the intensity in his ice-flecked stare sent a bucket of fire down my spine.
I swallowed. “Too long.”
“Do you think your lack of success might have something to do with your complete disregard for manners?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Look,youinsultedmelast night. And now you’re here, wasting my time. Again. I have other things to do, you know.”
He cut his eyes toward the paused Netflix show. “Oh yes. It looks that way.”
“Whatever. Just get on with it already. Why are you here?” I threw up my hands and stormed toward him. “And don’t tell me you came all the way out here to antagonize me. Because if that’s the case, then you can get the hell out.”
“I came here to offer you a job,” he said easily, barely missing a beat.
I stopped in the center of the floor and stared. Was this some kind of joke? Had I fallen asleep and found myself in some bizarre dream? “You made it clear last night you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“Now, that’s not true.” He stepped forward, erasing the distance between us. “I was impressed by your talent. At the time, I thought you weren’t right for the job, but I was too focused on your role as a dancer. There’s something else I believe you’d be perfect for.”
His dimpled smile made an appearance. Heat curled through my belly.
“A different job?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“In a way. I’d still want you to dance, but that wouldn’t be my primary reason for hiring you.”
Um, well,thatdidn’t sound weirdat all.
“Explain.”
“There are some important events for my business coming up in the next few weeks, and I need a date for each of them. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone appropriate I can take, and these potential investors have insisted I bring someone. So, when the events arrive, you’ll be my date.” He folded his arms and smiled. “In the meantime, you can dance at the club to earn wages and tips. You’ll be doing me a favor, so I’ll do one for you in return.”
I blinked at him. Surely I couldn’t have heard him right. “Wait a minute. You’re hiring me because you need…a date?” Okay, this guy really was trying to play a twisted joke on me. Did he think I couldn’t see his face? And that body? He could have any girl in New York City. What would be the point of this elaborate plot?
Unless there was something wrong with him.
