Текст книги "Aurora James"
Автор книги: Jessica Ingro
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
“Well?” Candy asked with a raised brow.
“It was… interesting.”
“That sounds ominous,” Brandy chimed in.
“That’s because it was,” I told them.
“I’ve got to hear this.” Candy leaned in, barely containing her interest. Brandy followed suit, leaving me with no choice but to tell them what happened with Timmy.
“He was nice enough. Poor thing is about to get married and thought as long as we didn’t seal the deal he wasn’t actually cheating.” I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and plopped back down.
“They all do, honey,” Brandy assured me.
“So he decides he’s going to go down on me and I’m like, okay, I can get behind that, but he had no skills whatsoever. It was like… like…” I struggled for a way to describe how epically bad he was.
“Like a St. Bernard licking you in all the wrong places while simultaneously drooling on you?” Candy supplied, and I spit my water out at the visual.
“Something like that,” was all I said when I finally stopped laughing. “Needless to say it was an epic fail.”
“Most are,” Candy said, and Brandy nodded her head in agreement.
“Seriously?” I asked in exasperation.
“What did you think? They were all going to be really great lovers? Not quite, honey. We’re lucky if we get off,” she continued.
“Speak for yourself,” Kitty said as she entered the room in nothing but a G-string, her tits looking like headlights leading the way. “It’s our job to show these fools how to fuck a woman. If one of my clients has no clue what the hell he’s doing, I take control and show him what to do. And if he still doesn’t catch on, I take care of myself. A little rubbing on my clit and I’m good to go.”
“That’s one way to look at it,” Brandy murmured. “I usually just close my eyes and pretend I’m with Henry Cavill.”
“Imagination is an excellent way to get some natural lube going,” Kitty added with a wink before sauntering out of the room.
When the door shut behind her, I looked at the other two girls incredulously. “Did that just happen?”
They both started laughing and I quickly joined in.
“Natural lube!” I cried out in between laughs. “That’s so gross!”
“I know!” Candy wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “She has a good point, though. All you need to do is close your eyes and pretend. No one expects us to enjoy being with every guy.”
“Or girl,” Brandy added.
“Or girl,” Candy repeated. “The only thing that matters is that you’re safe and the client gets their money’s worth. Maybe next time you can instruct him and at least get to enjoy yourself a little. If not, there’s always lube. That’s why God invented it.”
“Do we get a lot of girls?” I asked, honing in on that part of what she said.
Candy shrugged. “Not really, but every now and then one comes through who wants her carpet munched.”
“Ewww.” I screwed up my nose at her choice of words and the visual they created.
“Don’t knock it till you try it,” Brandy told me. “Men might not know what they’re doing half the time, but women usually do. Even as newbies they tend to hit the mark faster than a man.”
“Have you ever fucked a woman?” Candy asked me.
“Can’t say as I have.”
“It’s not for everyone, but it’s something you have to at least try once. I’d totally pop that cherry for you if you’re ever interested,” Brandy said.
“I’ll think about it,” I told her honestly. If I was going to be in this life, I should probably immerse myself in all aspects of it. And if I ever got a female client I was going to need to be prepared.
I sat back on the couch, while they discussed the merits of genital piercings, and thought about everything they’d said. I’d have to put some of their advice into practice next time.
Maybe my frame of reference was tainted because Marx had been my first client. I didn’t need to fantasize at all when it came to getting turned on for him. He had been very attentive and quite skilled when it came down to it.
In the dating world, you had to kiss a lot of frogs until you found your prince. Maybe in the high-end world of prostitution, it was the same logic.
Unless, of course, I was lucky enough to get another Marx.
The sun shining through the window had me cracking my eyes open and stretching wide. My mind slowly cleared the cobwebs of sleep away and a slow grin spread across my face. It was my day off.
My smile turned to a frown as a flash of the dream I was having right before I woke up came back to me. It involved Xavier and lube. Lots and lots of lube. I never thought there could be so many uses for it. A shiver ran up my spine as I remembered the way he dominated my body so thoroughly. It was something from a steamy, naughty romance novel, full of dirty words, unspoken promises and hot, sweaty, make-your-toes-curl sex.
I blamed my erotic dream on my talk with Candy and Brandy the night before. It could be the only reason why I would have manifested all the sinfully dirty things he and I had done to one another in dreamland.
Needing to stop the repeat of stimulating images flashing in my mind, I decided to focus on all the things I had to do that day. After mentally compiling a list that included grocery shopping, cleaning the house and finding new shoes for Sophie, I got out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Bladder empty, hair brushed and teeth clean, I went out into the kitchen to brew some coffee.
The pot was almost full when little feet came thundering into the room. Sophie skidded across the floor in her socks, only stopping when she slammed into my legs.
“Hey, sweetie.” I bent down and greeted her with a loud smacking kiss on the lips that made her giggle. “You hungry?”
“Yes,” she said enthusiastically.
“How about Fruity Pebbles today? Mommy bought some special for you.” I tried not to give her overly sugary cereals, but every now and then it was nice to get a special treat. Besides, I loved the hell out of them too, so it was a treat for me as well.
We tucked into our bowls as Sophie regaled me details about her time with the new babysitter since she was sleeping when I got home the night before. I had found Carla through a website Candy uses for her babysitters. She was only five years older than me and seemed like a sweet woman. Her references were impeccable and my fingers were crossed that she’d end up working out. Thankfully, Sophie seemed to adore her.
“Beauty and the Beast, huh?” I asked after she told me what movies they watched together.
“Yes. And Miss Carla says we can play dress-up tomorrow.” Her smile was infectious even with cereal mashed in her teeth and milk leaking out the corner of her mouth.
Dress-up was Sophie’s favorite thing. Good call, Carla.
“That’s awesome,” I told her. Picking up my bowl, I brought it to the sink to wash it. “Mommy has to go out and run errands today. Do you want to go with me or play with Mikey?”
Ruth was understandably sad that she wasn’t going to be watching Sophie anymore, but I promised her that she would still spend time over there.
“With you,” she chirped right before lifting her bowl to her mouth and slurping her milk.
“Let’s go get you dressed then.”
An hour later, we were both presentable and on our way to the store when my cell phone chirped.
Ignoring it until we were stopped, I looked in the rearview at Sophie as she sang along to the radio. God, I loved that girl so much it hurt. I never knew that kind of love existed until she was placed in my arms after ten hours of hard labor. I might have only been twenty years old at the time, but I knew right then that there was something more important than Kevin and me, something bigger than the love we felt for each other.
“How about we go for lunch today?” The tip Timmy had left wasn’t much, but it was enough to get my girl a burger and some ice cream at her favorite restaurant.
“Yay!” She shouted and pumped her arms in the air.
Busting my ass wearing next to nothing the last week was all worth it knowing how happy she was. And her happiness ensured mine, which meant I was smiling and singing along with Sophie when we pulled into the parking lot and I checked my phone.
The text I had received earlier had been from Xavier and the words had my heart racing for reasons I didn’t want to admit.
My office. Eight thirty.
Even though the text from Xavier told me to be at The Den at eight thirty, I found myself walking in fifteen minutes early. I might have been a little bit anxious about seeing him after my dream.
Who was I kidding?
I was a lot anxious. The very idea of being in a room with him had my insides firing on all cylinders.
Ghost looked at his watch when he saw me approaching the secret door. “You’re early,” he stated.
“I know.”
“Boss isn’t ready for you yet. He’s in with someone,” he informed me in that menacing way of his that no longer had my body threatening me with incontinence.
Over the last week or so, Ghost and his reticent manner had grown on me. He was still one scary motherfucker, but it made me feel safe rather than afraid. If you were going to need someone at your back, he seemed to be the best choice.
“That’s okay. I need to put this in my room.” I held up the vase full of dark pink and white gerbera daisies in my arms and waited while he opened the door for me. I was halfway down the hall, getting ready to turn down the hall that housed my room, when I heard yelling come from Xavier’s office.
Halting my steps, I backpedaled until I could see his doorway. My eyebrows rose when I realized his door was cracked open. He never left his door open. Candy had told me his office was soundproof, as were all the other rooms back here. It seemed Xavier was big on his privacy.
Knowing I was in danger of getting caught, I still let curiosity drive me to take a few quiet steps in that direction and strain to hear what was being said.
“What were you thinking?” Xavier’s voice was deep and resonant, with a calm confidence that seemed to be innate to him.
The reply of whomever he was speaking with was muffled, and I moved a few inches closer to try to hear better.
“Unacceptable,” Xavier bit out at whatever the person had said. “You knew what my order was on the matter and you blatantly disobeyed it, not once but twice. I looked the other way the first time when you said you didn’t know blowjobs were included. Not going to happen again. I don’t give second chances. Turn in all your shit to Ghost and get the fuck out of here.”
More muffled words and then a loud crash followed by a thud against the wall. I jumped and clamped my hand over my mouth to quiet the squeak that wanted to leave my throat.
“Say it again,” Xavier taunted the person with him. “I want to hear you say it so I can put a bullet in your brain.”
The words were a chill that slithered across my skin. I couldn’t hear anything else and decided it was in my best interest to get the hell out of dodge before I was caught hearing something I most definitely shouldn’t be hearing.
I was four feet away from the door when it swung open. I spun around quickly and saw Big J walking out of Xavier’s office with a face of thunder. Xavier was right behind him and if I thought Big J looked mad, it was nothing compared to the other man.
Xavier’s jaw was hard and his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes were so cold I felt an icy chill across my skin and his body rigid. The danger that emanated from him combined with the way he so easily threatened to kill a man had me wondering if he had a soul.
Big J gave me a glare as he shouldered his way past me. Whatever he had done wrong, he didn’t look all that sorry for it. Instead, he looked spitting mad and ready to brawl with anyone who stepped in his way. Except of course Xavier O’Brien. No sane man would tangle with him the way he looked right then.
“Aurora. You’re early,” Xavier said, his tone gentling a bit from the one he had used in his office a few minutes earlier.
I didn’t bother answering when he walked by me to escort Big J to the secret door where I presumed Ghost would take over in removing him from the premises.
Once the door shut, he came back to where I still stood, clutching my vase to my chest and wondering why the hell I was attracted to this man when he was so clearly dangerous.
And might be a sociopath, a small voice in the back of my brain added.
“Hi,” he murmured, stopping in front of me.
“Hi,” I whispered, no longer afraid of him, but rather drawn to him like a moth to a flame. My body heated and my throat became dry. This was the first time we had been so close in the handful of times we had seen each other. Even in my apartment he had kept a distance between us. Now he was close enough for me to see everything—right down to the scar under his right eye and the gold flecks in his blue irises.
My body ached with need almost immediately and I felt myself growing wet with the hungry way he looked at me. There would be no need for lube in Xavier’s presence. My body responded to his as if he owned it.
“Nice flowers,” he commented casually, and my eyes locked on his lips, wishing I could feel them on my body. Those lips turned up at the ends in the faintest of smiles and my breath caught. Good lord, I was pathetic. And something told me he knew it.
“Thanks.” I shook my head to break myself from the daze he had me in. It wouldn’t be prudent to let my boss see how badly he affected me. “You wanted to see me?”
His smile deepened after my attempt to get us on track. It was the first time I had ever seen him truly smile, and it was incredible. Stepping back from my body, he held his arm out towards his open door, silently telling me to precede him into the room.
Inside his office, I only had a moment to take in the dark wood and masculine leather couch and chairs before turning around to face him. He shut the door but made no moves to come further into the room, choosing instead to lean his shoulder against the wall.
“How are you adjusting to working here?” He asked nonchalantly.
“Good. Candy’s been showing me the ropes and most of the girls have been really helpful.”
“Let me guess, Cherry?” He deduced who was in fact not being really helpful.
I shrugged, trying to downplay what a bitch she was, not really wanting to come across as tattle tailing on her.
“There’s a private party tonight that I’m sending six girls to. You up for it?” He smoothly changed the subject.
“What kind of party?” If there were going to be coked out losers groping us, I wasn’t about to go. After Kevin, I drew a hard line where drugs were concerned.
“Bachelor party. Ghost will escort you and make sure things don’t get out of hand. Besides, once you see who the bachelor is, you’ll realize he isn’t someone who can afford to have things get out of control.”
Based on his cryptic answer, I could only assume it was someone in the public eye. The job was appealing, but I still hesitated. Even if the party was for someone who had something to lose, that didn’t mean they weren’t used to having messes swept under the rug for them. I didn’t want to get wrapped up in anything I was uncomfortable with.
“The pay is three thousand for the night,” he added.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Three grand was a lot of money for a damn party. It was exactly the type of job I needed to be getting for my plan to work out.
“Dancing only,” he went on.
“Just dancing?” I asked skeptically. “What about the other stuff?”
“All add-ons. Ghost will handle any deals and the girls will get a fair cut. Any other questions?”
“What time do I need to be ready?”
“A car will pick you up at ten.” He straightened from the wall, knowing he had me, and walked over to his desk. I saw several items on the floor and realized they were casualties in the struggle I had heard between him and Big J.
When I didn’t move, he sat in his chair, leaned back and steepled his fingers. “You might want to go get ready.”
“Oh! Right! Thank you!” I hustled out of the room, but not before my ears caught a faint chuckle that had my toes curling at the sound of it.
If I wasn’t careful, I was going to be in big trouble where Xavier O’Brien was concerned.
“Let’s get this party started,” Candy shouted when I slid in the back of the limo. She and Brandy were on the same bench as me. Ghost was across from us with Cherry sitting next to him, and two girls I had never met before were on the seat along the side of the car.
Candy handed me a glass of champagne, clinking her glass to mine then downing it in one go. I sipped mine and smiled at Brandy, who rolled her eyes at Candy’s theatrics.
“Hi. I’m Tasha,” the blonde with killer legs introduced herself.
“And I’m Daisy,” the redhead with a great rack said next to her.
“Aurora.” I gave them each a wave and ignored Cherry’s snort of disapproval. She was such a bitch. No way in hell would I sink to her level.
Candy went to refill her glass, stopping short when Ghost leveled a disapproving look on her.
“Come on,” she whined to the man. “It’s here. Why not enjoy it?”
“Because I don’t feel like having to crack heads tonight and that’s exactly what will happen if you show up drunk to this party,” he said ominously.
“I can hold my booze better than that,” she huffed but still set the bottle aside, following his unspoken edict.
The car came to a stop a couple minutes later and we all filed out, looking in awe at the palatial estate we pulled up to. It was a full-on mansion right down to the stone pillars and fancy terraces. Night and day from where I lived just ten miles down the road.
Ghost rang the doorbell while we waited. We were all silent except Cherry, who was bragging to Tasha about her threesome the night before.
Daisy gave her a look of annoyance. When she saw I caught her dirty look, she winked at me and blew a bubble with her gum. I bit the inside of my cheek so as not to laugh.
Butterflies started some hardcore fluttering in my stomach when we heard someone on the other side of the door. This was it. A big gig and big expectations. I only hoped I could deliver.
A butler opened the door and showed us through the large foyer and down a hall into a massive den where there were at least a dozen, if not more, men smoking cigars and playing poker.
One of the men jumped up and hooted when he saw us. “Girls are here,” he yelled, causing all the men to drop their cards and turn in our direction.
Cherry immediately sprung into action, strutting over to the tables and turning this way and that as they reached out to get a touch of her. What I wouldn’t give to be that outgoing. It was the only thing I admired about the vapid bitch of a beauty.
Tasha, Daisy and Brandy followed suit, leaving Candy and me standing in the doorway with Ghost.
“You ready for some fun?” Candy asked me, grabbing my hand and leading me further into the room. Thank God she was there. It made it easier for me to loosen up and not be so nervous.
One of the guys had a remote in his hand and was pointing it to the large built-in entertainment center when Ghost barked out over everyone’s voices, “Dancing only. You want more than that, you come see me first.” His tone brooked no arguments and the hard glare he gave the room dared anyone there to go against him.
Well alright, then. Time to party.
The man of honor's name was Bradley. He was the son of the next Republican vice-presidential candidate and he loved me if the amount of twenty-dollar bills he was stuffing in my G-string as I gyrated over his crotch was anything to go by.
It was a small price to pay for how handsy he seemed to be. With each grope, I remembered what I could do with that money.
It was about an hour after the party started, and several men had already taken girls off into other rooms to enjoy some more intimate services.
Cherry was permanently suction-cupped to a senator, who practically motor boated her boobs at one point. I even thought I had seen her giving him a handjob in the corner, but I couldn’t be sure.
Candy was currently off giving head to a famous actor while the other girls were dancing nude for the rest of the men.
Bradley’s hands cupped my ass when I bent over in front of him, and I fought my instinct to slap them away. New shoes for Sophie, I reminded myself.
Standing up straight, I flung my hair over my shoulder and swung my hips from side to side. All of a sudden a loud smack landed on my right ass cheek, followed by several men’s snickers. I yelped and spun around to see Bradley looking rather pleased with himself.
“You son of a—” I never got to finish the statement because Bradley was no longer in his chair.
The room fell silent with the exception of the music playing in the background as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Ghost, who had Bradley suspended in the air by nothing more than his fist in his shirt. Bradley’s face had drained of all color and I almost laughed when it looked like he was ready to shit his pants.
Served him right.
“Wrong move,” Ghost sneered as he marched him out of the room.
With the show over, the noise level picked back up and I found myself unsure of what to do. Most likely afraid Ghost would come back for them, all of Bradley’s cronies had scattered, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the room.
What I wouldn’t give to just go home. It was supposed to be my day off and my feet were protesting my choice to stuff them into the heels that had been tormenting them all week. I eyed the plush leather chair that Bradley had vacated, courtesy of Ghost, with longing. Just a few minutes off my feet wouldn’t hurt. Would it?
Instead of taking a load off like I so desperately wanted to do—I was on the clock after all– I bent down, ass to heels, and started picking up the money that had fallen to the ground in the commotion following Bradley’s faux pas. I was reaching for a twenty that was just out of my reach, going down on my knees to give myself the few extra inches I needed, when I heard someone call me by my name.
My real name.
Taken aback, I turned my head and looked up to see a pair of long legs encased in dark suit pants. My eyes traveled up those legs, past a lean torso and up to see a man with copper hair and brown eyes. His face looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t quite place why.
“Alyssa? Is that really you?” the stranger asked with a gleam in his eyes.
“Um,” I mumbled, glancing nervously at a few men nearby who seemed to be watching our exchange, unsure of the protocol when someone called me by my real name. It hadn’t been in the “how to be a good prostitute” manual.
Wanting to buy time before I answered, I started to stand. The man held his hand out to assist me and I graciously accepted his help, letting him pull me up until I was standing in front of him, less than a foot of space separating us.
“It’s me, Spencer. Spencer Davis.” He saved me from having to answer and potentially doing something wrong. I didn’t even want to know how the implacable and extremely intimidating Xavier O’Brien would react if I had done something wrong.
“Spence! It’s been so long!” I threw myself at him and he caught me in his arms, giving me a tight hug.
Now that I had a name to put with the mystery man’s face, I was easily able to put my finger on how I knew him.
Spencer had been my protector for almost a whole year when I was sixteen and we were living in the same foster home. Two other boys and the man of the house had big reputations when it came to the girls placed there. If it weren’t for Spencer taking the licks that were often meant for me and guarding my bedroom door at night, I don’t know how I would have survived. I would forever be indebted to him for his sacrifice.
“I cannot believe it’s really you. I’ve been waiting until Bradley was gone to approach you. Didn’t think he’d take too well to having me steal you away.” He gave me a boyish grin that reminded me of how adorable he had been when we were younger. Not that he wasn’t still good looking, it was just more in a sexy, manly type of way.
“Oh, so you thought you could?” I teased with a tilt of my head.
“Well, I hoped,” he said bashfully.
I pushed his shoulder and rolled my eyes. “Sure you did.”
When we lived together, I flirted with Spencer all the time. I had such a huge crush on him, but he always treated me like a little sister. At the time, it had broken my heart. Looking back on it, I was grateful that he hadn’t taken advantage of my girlish fantasies like so many other boys would have.
“Hey, how about we go outside and catch up?” he suggested with a hopeful look on his face.
“Oh, um. I don’t really want to go outside like this.” I gestured my hand up and down to indicate my lack of clothing—I was in a bra and G-string after all.
“Here.” Spence grabbed a throw blanket from the back of a leather sofa and put it around my shoulders. “That should work.”
“Thanks.” I followed him through the house and out the back door where we sat on the stone steps leading out to a massive patio and Olympic-sized in-ground pool.
I wrapped the blanket tighter around my shoulders to ward off some of the night chill courtesy of the cold front that had moved in earlier in the day. “What have you been up to?”
I hadn’t seen Spencer since the day he turned eighteen and was kicked out of the system. He had to have done something right since then, judging by his fancy suit and the company he was keeping.
“A little of this. A little of that,” was his vague response. “I have to admit I was surprised to see you in there.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” His judgmental tone had my hackles rising.
“It means what the hell happened to the girl who had dreams of being a dancer some day? How the hell did you get mixed up in all this?”
“You don’t know what it’s like,” I clipped out in offense. No one knew what it was like to walk in another person’s shoes, and until someone fit in mine, they didn’t have the right to judge the hard choices I had been forced to make.
“Like fuck I don’t,” he yelled and angrily swept his hand through his hair. “You know better than anyone the shit I waded through for most of my life.”
“Everyone’s story is different,” I reminded him, the earlier fight out of my words. Spencer had been thrown in the system when Child Protective Services finally pulled him from his abusive home. One night after he’d fought off another foster boy who’d almost raped me, he’d trusted me with his story as he held me while I cried. Beatings and rape were something he understood too well.
“Then tell me yours, Alyssa. Tell me how the fuck you ended up demeaning yourself so thoroughly.”
If his words earlier hadn’t pissed me off, his description of my choice in profession successfully did it. I saw red as I turned towards him with fire in my eyes.
“Waking up one day to find your husband in jail will do that to a girl,” I seethed, releasing all my frustrations into each punctuated word. “And let’s not forget being evicted after you find out your rent is past due and you had no idea that was the case because even right until he went to jail for good, the man you trusted was taking the rent money for drugs.”
My chest heaved as I fought off tears, remembering the betrayal I felt that day knowing he didn’t give a shit about Sophie and me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have screwed us as badly as he had. “Or I know,” I went on after I composed myself enough to speak again. “When you’re struggling just to stay afloat, so close to giving in to the bone-crushing defeat you feel right down in your very soul, and then the world throws you an even bigger fuck-you when you find your daughter all alone in her bedroom, crying because she’s hungry.” My voice rose with each word even as it cracked under the weight of guilt that haunted me day in and day out. “What would you do if that happened to you? Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the ones you love.”
“I had no idea,” he whispered empathetically.
“No, you didn’t.” There was no disguising the hurt in my voice that after all this time he could so easily judge me.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered again. His hand laced with mine in a silent show of support.
“What. The. Fuck.”
Spencer and I both turned at the clipped voice and hostility assaulting the air. Ghost’s eyes were honed in our entwined hands, a look of disgust crossing his face before he hid it.
“Ghost,” I started, but Spencer talked over me.
“Is there a problem?” His words were polite, but his tone was firm, almost jeering.
Ghost looked pointedly at our hands and then back up at him before sneering, “Boss doesn’t like it when you touch the merchandise.”
I tried to pull my hand from Spence’s, not wanting Ghost to think I was doing anything wrong. They really did need a manual for prostitutes to know what was acceptable and what wasn’t. When Spencer tightened his hold on me, not letting me go, the air went from hostile to downright lethal.
“How much for an hour?” Spencer asked in what I assumed was an effort to placate Ghost and diffuse the situation.
“Aurora is off limits,” Ghost informed him.
“Aurora? Nice,” Spencer mumbled under his breath. “I’ll give you five thousand.”
My breath caught in my throat at the large sum of money he so carelessly offered up just to talk to me. Or at least I hoped that was all he expected. Servicing Spence would be awkward at best. I wasn’t sure I could do it.
“She’s. Not. Available,” Ghost said through clenched teeth. “Either take your hands off of her or you’ll have X to deal with. And I think we both know you don’t want that.”
Spencer contemplated that for a moment. Then he squeezed my hand before raising it to his lips and placing a kiss to my knuckles. He took a step to the side, letting my hand drop, and turned to address me. “I’ll see you again, soon,” he promised, then nodded at Ghost and disappeared into the darkness that shrouded the side of the house.
“That was rude,” I told Ghost, forgetting that my yelling at him could constitute insubordination. “We were just talking.”
“I don’t care if you were giving him fucking directions. You’re off the menu.” His passive comment had me clenching my hands into fists at my side. Who was he to decide? Not that I wanted Spence to part with five thousand dollars, but it would have made for a hell of a payout if he had.
