Текст книги "Barely Breathing"

Автор книги: Brenda Rothert

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

“Yes. Busy week at work. How about you?”

“Yeah.” I shrugged.

“So are you from New York originally?”

“Jersey, actually. Came here when I was fourteen. What about you?”

“I’m from Indianapolis. My parents still live there.”

A few seconds of silence passed. I wished like hell I was one of those guys who knew how to carry on a long conversation, but it wasn’t my thing.

Our server brought bread and wine. We both ordered steak and Viv started telling me about what kinds of cases she was working on. I liked watching her talk. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled. She liked keeping her hands busy, whether it was to brush the hair back from her face, tuck it behind her ear or run a fingertip around the edge of her wine glass.

“Are you nervous?” I asked her.

Her cheeks flushed and she looked at her lap. “Can you tell?”

“I’m nervous, too.”

“You don’t seem like someone who ever gets nervous.”

“It’s pretty rare,” I admitted.

“Well, I feel . . . really flattered right now. Is that weird?” She laughed nervously.

“No, not at all.” I took a sip of wine and coughed. Fuck that shit. It was horrible.

“Not much for wine?” Viv arched her brows and grinned.

I shook my head. “Think they’ve got pitchers of beer here?”

“I bet they do.”

“I’m kidding. We’ll drink this vile shit if you like it.”

“Oh, Kane. I really like your honesty.”

I felt a rush when she said my name like that. Oh, Kane. Damn, Viv, say it again.

When our food came, we ate in silence, but our eyes continued the dance. I wondered if she saw the lust and fear and hope I was feeling.

We finished the whole bottle of wine and shared a piece of raspberry cheesecake for dessert. Viv gave me a tentative look as she held the fork up, offering to feed me a bite. I opened my mouth and let her and damn, was it hot.

Since when did sharing a piece of fucking cheesecake make me hard? Since sharing one with Viv. I’d quickly gone from dismissing her that first night at the club to wanting her bad.

When we left the steakhouse, we walked downtown for about an hour. Viv slipped her hand into mine and I threaded my fingers through hers. It was the first time in my life I’d held hands with someone. The warm sensation was back. Or it was still there. Hell, I didn’t know. I just knew it was about thirty degrees outside and I wasn’t the least bit cold.

When Viv yawned, I texted Len to come get us. We were waiting not far from the club, and I got a sudden sense that I didn’t know how to read a woman’s signals on a date. Never going on a date would do that.

“Are you tired?” I asked. “Bored? Should I have taken you home after dinner?”

Viv smiled and rubbed a hand over my upper arm. “I’m just a little tired. Not bored at all. I’m having a really good time.”

I nodded. “Do you want me to let go of your hand?”

She leaned in, pressing her warm body against mine, and looked up at me. “No. Unless you want to put your arms around me right now. Then you can let go.”

I unlaced my fingers from hers and wrapped my arms around her waist. She was so soft, the light, sweet scent of her perfume making me want to dip my face against her neck and take in more.

She had to realize I was new at this. But she didn’t make me feel inadequate. Quite the opposite, in fact.

We stood like that, not moving, and I watched small strands of her dark hair whip up in the cold night breeze. Her cheeks were pink and her lips were a rosy red. Whether she went out with me again or not, I knew I’d never forget the way she looked right now, staring up at me like I was the only man in the world.

I was about to kiss her when I saw the Town Car approaching. Len got out but I stopped him. I wanted to open Viv’s door and help her in.

“How’s it going, Len?” I asked as he pulled away from the curb.

“Good, boss.” He met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Good dinner?”

“Very good.”

This time my hand found Viv’s and I closed my fingers around hers. The drive back to her place was too short.

Len gave me an encouraging smile as I left the car. I opened Viv’s car door and walked her up to the door of her brownstone.

She turned her back to the door and looked up at me, silently encouraging me.

“I’ve been looking at those lips all night,” I said in a low tone.

“Hmm.” She smiled and tipped her face up.

I cupped one of her cheeks and leaned down, vowing to end our first date with the best goddamned kiss of her life.

Vivian

Kane brushed his lips across mine softly. I could tell he was testing the waters to see if I wanted more. Given how strong and domineering I’d seen him be with others, it melted me inside. I parted my lips and slid a hand around the back of his neck, silently giving him the permission he was seeking.

He wrapped a big, powerful hand around my waist and pulled me against him, his tongue brushing across mine. My heart hammered, the swirl of sensations overwhelming me. The minty taste of him and the solid feel of his hard chest against my soft curves were unexpectedly arousing.

I’d been with men who were in shape before, but never like this. Kane’s body was rock solid and I felt a sudden, powerful craving to feel the skin and muscle beneath his clothes.

His lips left mine and I moaned softly, missing the closeness. He pulled back enough for our eyes to meet, leaving his hand locked around my waist.

I liked what I saw swimming in the depths of his dark eyes. It was hunger–for me, and it matched burn inside me right now.

“Come inside,” I said, my tone barely a whisper.

The corners of his lips turned up slightly. “I’m not coming in, Viv.”

I visibly deflated with disappointment, my shoulders dropping. Kane brought his free hand up to my cheek, brushing his thumb across my cheekbone . . . down to my jaw line . . . over my lips.

Closing my eyes, I reveled in his gentle touch. For this burly, often gruff man to be caressing me this way made me hot in a way I’d never been. I ran my hands up his chest, the carved lines of muscle turning my breath into shallow pants.

He cupped my cheek in his hand and brought his mouth back to mine. I moaned again and pressed myself against him, letting my tongue tangle with his in a dance that had my pulse pounding.

When his hand slid from my waist down to cup my backside, I gasped into his mouth and pressed my fingers into his neck, needing to pull him closer. His lips lift mine but stayed close.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” he asked, his breath warm on my lips.

I let out a single note of incredulous laughter. Was he really unsure?

“Yes. Very much,” I finally said.

“Me too. Are you free next Friday night?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll call you.” He brushed his thumb over my lips one more time before stepping back.

I held myself in check, not letting out the groan of the frustration I was feeling. Before our date, I’d been interested in Kane. Intrigued. I was long past that now. His dark, calculating gaze and silent detachment held me captive.

I’d never been out with a man like him. In fact, I always went for his opposite–friendly, warm and eager.

Kane didn’t wear his warmth on his sleeve. He kept it buried deep inside. And that made seeing it all the more special. That soft brush of his thumb over my lips and his gentle, exploratory kiss had made my panties wetter than any other man ever had by groping me.

I unlocked my door and pushed it open, glancing over my shoulder in hopes he’d change his mind about coming in.

“Night, Viv,” he said. His expression was tender and commanding at the same time, telling me to go inside and not tempt him further.

I glanced at his crotch, unable to help myself. The large bulge resting against his thigh told me he wanted more as much as I did. I tried not to smile, but the urge won out.

He saw, and a smile crept onto his lips, too.

“Goodnight,” I said, leaning against the doorframe.

He held my gaze for one more delicious second and then turned to go. I watched him, my grin getting bigger as he hustled down the steps and into the waiting car. Len clapped him on the shoulder as he slid in and closed the door.

I pushed my door shut and locked the deadbolt, leaning against it and sighing happily. Next Friday night couldn’t come soon enough.

I SCANNED THE EMAILS IN my inbox and sighed. Monday was hitting hard already. I’d answered some emails from home over the weekend, but I still had eleven that I needed my work files to answer.

After a fortifying sip of my latte, I got started. It took a conscious effort to stop my mind from wandering to the Friday night kiss. I’d been smiling over it all weekend–even when I was cleaning and working out.

“Look at you,” Cara said, walking into my office and sitting down in a chair in front of the desk. “Smiling on a Monday morning? It has to be because the date went well.”

“It did.” I met her eyes across my desk and smiled wider.

“You told me almost nothing in your texts. So start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

“I would, but I have lots of emails to get out before I go to court.”

Cara arched a brow, amused. “You want me to leave?”

“Can we go to lunch later and I’ll tell you then?”

She stood and shrugged. “Alright.”

As soon as she closed the door to my office, I went back to the emails. One of my clients had sent me a lengthy message about his ex-wife being ten minutes late to drop off their children Saturday morning. I shook my head as I responded, wondering how he was going to feel about getting billed for this.

Part of me wished Kane had texted over the weekend, but he didn’t strike me as a cutesy message sender. I grinned as I imagined a text from him. It would say something like how the fuck are you?

He wasn’t one of those guys who busted ass in the gym to look like a badass; he actually was one. I’d known that the moment I saw him take Eric on in the alley. Kane’s fearlessness was one of the things I liked best about him.

I forced my attention away from thoughts of his dark, intense gaze and back to my emails. By nine-thirty, they were all caught up and I was on my way to court in a cab. I only had one quick hearing, but I had to wait almost an hour for it.

The courthouse was full of suited attorneys looking fresh and ready to take the week on. I felt it, too. Hunger was essential to success for new attorneys in New York. Even the established ones at my firm earned their money with long hours.

Usually I was all about work on Monday mornings. But today my thoughts kept drifting to my intimate dinner with Kane. We could’ve eaten at a crowded McDonald’s and it would’ve felt intimate if he’d looked at me like he did Friday night. He listened when I talked, silently taking me in with that dark chocolate gaze.

By the time we sat down at a downtown deli for lunch, I was dying to talk to Cara about the date.

“Were you lying when you said you didn’t sleep with him?” she asked. “You know I won’t think less of you if you did.”

I lowered my brows at her and finished a bite of my club sandwich. “I wouldn’t lie about it. He kissed me at my door and left.”

“Huh.”

“What? Why do you look so surprised? It’s not like I’m a whore or something, Cara.”

She gave me an apologetic look. “Oh, no. I didn’t mean . . . I’m not surprised because of that.”

“Then what?”

She shrugged. “He just seems like that kind of guy.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“He seems like a guy who’s looking to get laid after he takes a woman out for dinner.”

I glared at her, offended on Kane’s behalf. “And you base that on what, exactly? You only met him for a few seconds.”

“I base it on my inner radar, which is pretty damn accurate. When you meet a guy at a club and he looks like that, he’s usually not looking for anything serious.”

Cara was sometimes too opinionated. I reminded myself of that, but still, irritation made me continue the conversation.

“Looks like what? And he’s one of the club owners, by the way.”

“Oh.”

“Not that it matters. I would’ve wanted to go out with him even if he was a bouncer.”

“He just looks . . . rough.” Cara shrugged again. “With the tats and that scowl. You should try to get him in bed, ‘cause I bet he’s amazing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said wryly.

Cara set her sandwich down and gave me a serious look. “Viv, I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’re looking for a husband, and this guy doesn’t seem like your type.”

“I am not looking for a husband. I’m looking for a relationship.”

“Which will lead to marriage.”

“Okay, eventually, yes. But in all the time I’ve been here, I’ve gone on lots of dates and I’ve never felt this way.”

“You felt this way before that asshole Eric cornered you in the alley.”

I shook my head. “I thought Eric seemed promising. He checked all my boxes. But Kane . . . he checks none of them. I feel something different with him. It’s like I’m drawn to him for reasons I don’t fully understand yet. I know he’s strong and honest and that means so much more than any of the stuff I thought I wanted in a man.”

“After one date?”

“And one alley rescue.”

Cara furrowed her brow. “Do you think you’ve put him on a pedestal because of that?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe. I just know that I’ve been looking forward to seeing him again since a few seconds after he left Friday night. It feels really good.”

“Just be careful.”

I laughed at her big sister tone. “Don’t worry about me. What about you? What’d you do over the weekend?”

She shrugged and looked down at her plate. “Just went to the club Friday night.”

“What club? Six?”

“Yeah. I met someone there that night with you and we hung out.”

“Good. Do I get to hear more about it?”

“Not yet. I don’t want to jinx it.”

That was unlike Cara. Her innermost secrets usually poured out of her. I said nothing, but my curiosity was piqued.

We walked back to our office after lunch, the fall breeze blowing our hair and making us button up our wool coats. I loved fall in New York. The bright colors of changing leaves and crisp air signaled time for flannel pajamas and hearty soups.

“Busy afternoon?” Cara asked me as we rode the elevator up to our floor.

“Two meetings. Not bad,” I said. “You?”

She rolled her eyes. “I have my evaluation today.”

“You’ll get a good one.”

“I hope. My billable hours are pretty kickass.” She reached for my arm as we stepped off the elevator, her lips parting with interest. “Viv, who is that?”

A tall, fit man with short dark hair was leaning over the desk of Samantha, one of our paralegals, giving her a smile that was literally making her eyelashes flutter. I was embarrassed for her.

“That’s my brother,” I said to Cara. “I don’t know what he’s doing here.”

I approached and Samantha gave me a look that said go away.

“Grayson,” I said as he turned and hugged me. “Did you do something requiring legal representation?”

He laughed and squeezed me tighter. “Not today, sis. You got a minute?”

“Sure.”

He followed me into my tiny office and I closed the door.

“Private office,” he said appreciatively. “Nice.”

“Right. Not quite as nice as yours, I’m betting.”

Grayson was three years older than me, and I’d followed him to New York after he took off in in his position at an investment banking firm. We didn’t get to spend much time together, but it was nice having a family member close by.

“So what’s up?” I asked, sitting down in my desk chair.

“Something’s gotta be up for me to come see my little sister?”

He was trying for a light tone, but his gaze was darting around my office. He looked nervous, which was very unlike my confident, successful brother.

“Whatever it is, you can tell me,” I said.

He let out a deep exhale. “I really hate to ask, but I need to borrow some money.”

I forced myself not to let my shock show. Grayson made much better money than me. I assumed he was loaded, but apparently not.

“Okay. How much?”

Another exhale. “Maybe five hundred?”

His tone was so hopeful that I reached into my purse immediately and took out my checkbook. “Sure, no problem.”

“Thanks, Viv. I’ll pay you back soon.”

“What’s going on, Grayson? Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Just a short-term crunch is all. Made a bad investment.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?” I tore off the check and passed it across my desk to him.

“Positive. Hey, wish I could stay, but you’ve probably got work to do, and I need to get back to the office myself.”

We both stood and he came around the desk to hug me again.

“Thanks again,” he said, tucking the check into his pocket. “I’ll get you something extra nice for Christmas this year.”

I groaned skeptically. “You set the bar pretty low last year with that shirt that said ‘you can’t afford me’.”

“It’s true,” he said, turning his charming smile on me. “You’re too good for almost all the men out there.”

“I don’t know about that, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’ll call you,” he said, waving and heading for my door. It was all I could do not to run after him and pry for more information.

My afternoon wasn’t consumed by thoughts of my date with Kane, but by worry for my brother. What was this bad investment, and how much had it cost him?

Kane

THE LEMONY SMELL OF DISINFECTANT wafting into the room could only mean one thing–Joe was cleaning the gym. That meant it was early.

I cracked my eyes to check my bedside alarm clock. Seven-fifteen. I’d only been asleep for three hours. But I slept like shit most of the time anyway.

I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Joe would be knocking on my door to clean my place in a few hours. It was a perk of living in the back room of the gym I owned.

This small space was all I needed, and it saved me a mint on New York rent costs. I’d renovated the storage room into a one-room apartment complete with a small kitchen, table and chairs, couch, TV and king-size bed. The bathroom was the only separate space. I had my own door to get outside and often didn’t even see the guy who rented the gym space and ran it.

But Joe, I liked to see. He cleaned early, before the gym was open for the day. I pulled on sweats and a t-shirt and went out to the huge open room that housed weights, workout equipment and a boxing ring. Joe was wiping down the weight benches with a wet cloth when he saw me.

“Morning, Kane.” He nodded and went back to work.

“Mornin’, Joe. What’s the good word?”

“My Yankees aren’t in the World Series,” he said, his thin shoulders sagging. “That’s all I know.”

I sat down at a weight bench and lifted the bar. “Can’t win ‘em all, man.”

He grunted his disagreement with that sentiment.

“I went out with someone Friday night,” I said, curling the bar.

“Oh yeah?” He turned my way, his thick gray brows arched with interest. “Is she pretty?”

“Beautiful. And smart. She’s got it all going on.”

“Good. You deserve someone like that.”

“I don’t know about that.” I set the bar back in its spot and stretched my arms. “And it’s not like I can bring her to my storage room apartment.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “It’s pretty unimpressive.”

“Any woman who turns her nose up at your home ain’t worth a shit.” Joe pointed at me. “You remember that, Kane.”

“I know. It’s not just that. She’s a lawyer. Can you imagine me with a lawyer? One who’s not representing me for something, I mean?” I laughed.

“Course I can. You’re a businessman.”

At my single note of amused laughter, he turned a serious glare my way. I sighed and got up, sitting down at another bench. Lifting weights always cleared away a shitty mood.

I was already feeling the pressure of my upcoming second date with Viv. I’d liked the first one a lot more than I’d expected to.

Dating was for pretentious fucks; I’d always told myself that. Kinda like wine tasting and antiquing. Not my things. But having Viv across from me at a dark restaurant Friday night had been damn nice. Seeing her all dressed up and happy had made me feel like I’d done something right for once.

I still couldn’t believe I’d managed to walk away after that kiss. My control had slipped away as I tasted her and felt her soft curves pressed against me. For a second I’d considered her offer to come inside.

But that would’ve been it. I’d have pressed her against a wall and had my way with her. She was better than that.

If the guys at the club knew I’d taken a woman to dinner and left after a goodnight kiss, I’d never hear the end of it. I’d just have to make sure they never found out. Even though I’d met Viv at the club, I felt like a different man when I was with her than I did when I was at work.

She didn’t know about my past and she wasn’t trying to get anything from me. Everyone at the club wanted a piece of me, even though most of them knew better than to fuck with me. If they didn’t know, they learned.

Most people had wariness in their eyes when they looked at me. Only Jeff, Rosie and Len didn’t. Even Rosie and Len regarded me with a healthy amount of respect.

But Viv’s eyes were open when they met mine. Bright blue and wide open like an endless ocean. And I wanted more. Needed it, actually. I’d endure as many fittings with the tailor and evenings in fancy restaurants as she’d allow me.

I wanted more of that look from her. More of her soft inhale as she ran her palm up my chest. More of her wide smile that made my heart jump. More of the body I’d lusted after as I followed her up the stairs to her brownstone and kissed her.

After I lifted weights and took a shower, I took off so Joe could clean my place without me underfoot. I dragged my ass back to the tailor and ordered more clothes and another pair of shoes. Then I stopped by the club and got the bag with the American Girl stuff in it and took it to the fancy women’s boutique in the same block as the club.

“Kane.” The owner of the boutique, Vicki, gave me a kiss on each cheek as soon as I walked in. Then she reached around and squeezed my ass. “How are you, darling?”

“Uh . . . good.”

I avoided eye contact. Vicki was a cougar and she’d pounce if I gave her a chance to. She was in her late fifties and had been trying to get me in bed since the first time we met.

“Another . . . package for me?” She licked her lips as she said the word package and I thought about walking back out the door.

But I couldn’t handle this myself. I put the bag between us to fend off her advance.

“Yeah. Just like last time. Wrap it all . . . pink or whatever. And ship it to the same address.”

“Sure thing. Will you come in for some coffee?”

“Can’t, I’ve got an appointment. Just invoice me at the club.”

A grin spread across her face. “No charge, sweetie. You can just owe me one.”

I shook my head. “Bill me.”

“Fine.” She tucked her platinum blond hair behind her ear and looked me over from head to toe. “Come see me anytime, Kane.”

“Thanks, Vicki.”

I left the boutique and caught a cab back home, the lemony smell of Joe’s work greeting me as soon as I opened the steel door that led from an alley into my small home. After another hour of sleep, I showered, dressed and headed into work.

A buzz of energy circulated through the staff as they gathered for our pre-open meeting. There were no down nights here, even during the week. In New York City, every night was cause for a party to someone.

My gaze skimmed across staff uniforms, the freshly mopped sealed stone floor and the polished dark wood of the round bar in the center of the club’s main level.

“Looks good, guys,” I said. “We’ve got a full house upstairs tonight, so I need you sharp and fast.”

“Did you fire Lizette?” a female voice in the back of the group called.

“Since when do I discuss something like that at a floor meeting?” I barked at the hidden speaker.

The low murmur of chatter stopped cold and a couple people turned her way with disdainful expressions.

“Anyone who thinks they’re being left out of shit that’s their business at this club knows where my office is,” I said. “Now get moving.”

Everyone scattered to finish last-minute work before open. Cash drawers would be opened and salt and pepper shakers topped off. In about an hour our early after-work crowd would start flowing in.

For whatever reason, Jeff wanted to go over the club’s financials with me. Our four business partners had gotten reports and he thought I should be knowledgeable about what we were earning and spending. I sat through two hours of boring shit in his office, sighing with relief when he finally told me we were done.

“We’re tearing it up, Kane. This is exciting stuff. Don’t you care that we’ve more than doubled our projections for profit this quarter?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I care. But you could’ve summarized it instead of showing me all those fuckin’ charts and graphs.”

“I suppose.” Jeff leaned back in his black leather chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “So what’s with you taking Friday night off?”

“You take a night off every week,” I said, scowling at him. “What’s it to you?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you finally took a night off. You should do it every week. I’m just asking why.”

“I went out with someone.”

He gave me an amused grin, brows arched in expectation. “And . . . ?”

“And what? I need to get down to the floor.”

“Sit your ass back down and tell me about this woman who convinced you to take a night off. I’m impressed by her already.”

“Hey, here’s a thought.” I gave him a pointed look. “Maybe if I wanted you to know about her, I’d have mentioned it already.”

Jeff waved a hand. “You don’t tell anybody anything, motherfucker.”

“Exactly.” I turned for the door.

“What’s her name? You going out with her again?”

“Viv. And yeah.”

“Good.”

I opened the door and turned back to him.

“Hey, I think it’d be good if you were more knowledgeable about the operations of this place. Why don’t you come spend a couple hours with me tonight? Right now I have to make sure the tub full of Jell-O in Chuck Remington’s suite is firm but not too cold and write up one of the servers for being late again.”

“Uh . . .” Jeff’s eyes widened and slid to the baseball game just starting on the big screen TV mounted across from the desk in his office.

“Fair’s fuckin’ fair,” I said. “No reason for me to summarize it for you because you should experience it all first hand, you know?”

He blew out an exasperated breath. “Fine. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be down.”

I left with a satisfied smirk on my face. I’d teach that bastard not to suck up two hours of my time on boring-ass reports again.

The club was buzzing with conversation and music and I went down to take a look at the floor. I was about to head for the kitchen when I felt fingertips on my forearm.

“Kane.”

It was Sasha . . . something. I couldn’t remember her last name, or maybe I’d never known it.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked over the noise.

She leaned closer. “Good. I haven’t seen you in so long. Can we talk in your office?”

I froze. She’d offered to ‘talk in my office’ twice before, and both times it had been code for a fucking amazing blow job. The last time had been more than a month ago, and I’d had a drink with her at the bar after.

But tonight it didn’t feel right.

“Sorry, I’m running behind,” I said. “I’ve got work in the kitchen and upstairs.”

“Later?” She turned her darkly-lined eyes up to me and bit her full, bright pink lower lip.

“I can’t. Sorry.”

Her fingers slid away from my arm and she turned to leave. Was I supposed to say something to make her feel better? Like—hey, it’s not you, it’s me? I was no good at that shit. I just left. She was pretty, she’d find another dick to suck.

One of the hostesses, Drea, found me in the hallway outside the kitchen, her expression telling me she had news I wasn’t gonna like.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Chuck Remington’s not happy with his Jell-O.”

I glanced at the thick silver watch on my wrist. “The fuck? His reservation isn’t for another hour and fifteen minutes.”

“He said he wanted to make sure everything was just right.”

“Christ.” I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess, the Jell-O’s too cold? He mentioned that several times when he made the reservation. I think he’s worried about shrinkage.”

Drea smiled. “No. It’s strawberry and he wanted cherry.”

“Are you fuckin’ serious right now?”

She held her hands out in a would I joke about this kind of gesture?

“For fuck’s sake, get the guys to change it,” I said, sighing deeply. “Can’t have Chuck screwing his mistress and her friend in strawberry Jell-O instead of cherry.”

Drea nodded and rushed back down the hallway.

Had I ever seen myself managing shit like bathtubs of Jell-O for a living? Hell no. But given the numbers Jeff had just gone over with me, I’d gladly spend years doing this. I’d known the club was doing well, but damn. The success of this place allowed me to save money for the one person who meant the most to me, and that was everything. It also meant I could afford to get some tailored suits and take Viv out for a fancy date this weekend, no costs spared. Wine and dine her and soak up a little more of the way she looked at me.

The way she makes me feel like I’m a better man than I am.

But what then? Take away the nice suit, and what was I?

I’d never tried to be anything other than exactly what I was, but if Viv knew the real me, she’d never look at me the same way again.

I pushed that thought away. No need to ruin a perfectly good date night with a beautiful woman. And if the thought of misleading her for another night pricked at my conscience, I ignored it.

Why?

Because I’m a selfish bastard.