Page 43 of Shades of Loyalty
“I wasn’t flirting!” I snap, heat rising in my cheeks. “What am I supposed to do? Ignore him when he’s hurt just because you don’t like him? He’s a patient here like anybody else, whether you enjoy it or not. If you expect me to work for you, then let me. And stop being so...” Jealous? Possessive? Obsessive? What is it, exactly?
“Listen, pretty. What you’re supposed to do is serve him if he is hurt, that’s right. Not make a show out of it and make him believe he has a chance to fuck your cunt.” I scoff, not believing the words he just said to me. He’s unbelievable. Really.
“Jealous because Julian has a bigger chance of fucking me than you do?” He doesn’t. He never would. But Daniel doesn’t know that. And for some fucked up reason, it excites me to see how Daniel reacts when I get him mad. When I push him. Just like I did before. “Trust me, pretty. I could fuck you on this little desk of yours right now if I wanted to.”
Something about his words makes me squeeze my legs together, heat puddling between them. However, instead of playing it safe, I challenge him even more, refusing to let go of the heat that’s lit up between us so suddenly.
“You’re so sure about yourself, aren’t you?” I question him. “If you think you could, try it. Come on.”
His eyes close as he tries to control his breathing, while I smirk at the fight I’m about to win.
“Don’t lie to yourself. You wanted to rip that dress off me that evening, didn’t you? That’s why you left as soon your driver parked the car in front of the mansion.” I step closer to him, challenging both him and me. I have no idea where my confidence comes from, but for some reason, I enjoy this. Teasing him. Bringing him to his limits, knowing damn well what the consequences could be.
“Isn’t it true, Daniel?” I ask, looking up into his eyes. His brown eyes light up with a hint of uncertainty, probably unsure of what to do. If he should teach me manners or if he should make sure to not overstep boundaries written in our work contract. Screw that, who am I kidding. I doubt that work contract is even legal.
In either case, I don’t think that this work contract is something he cares about. It’s just another illusion to make me feel like I’m in control of the situation, though we both know I never was. His gaze drops to my lips, and the tension between us becomes unbearable. “You’re playing a dangerous game here, pretty girl,” he murmurs.
Something about his tone makes my knees weak. But I refuse to back down. “And what game are you playing, Daniel? Because if you think you’re going to scare me off, think again.” He leans in, his breath warm against my skin.
“You think you can handle my world, Jennifer? You think you can handle me?” I swallow hard, the heat between us igniting something reckless inside me. “Try me.” “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he says, his voice rough. “Maybe I do,” I reply softly, my eyes never leaving his as he leans closer, scanning my every move.
The heat of his gaze almost feels like a flame on my skin. “Yeah? Even Julian couldn’t even handle one simple task, huh?” he mumbles. “And you seriously thinkyoucould? Could you live with me, knowing about all the shit I’m doing?” he continues. “All the lives I took from men. All the men I tortured, stabbed or the endless number of bodies I shot until I was sure they were dead, at last?”
I gulp, thinking back to the night I challenged him for the first time.
The night he left me after we arrived back at the mansion. If he really was as sexually frustrated like Ithought he was, or if he just didn’t want to harm me with the truth, I still don’t know until this day.
“I could,” I answer truthfully. “I’ve seen it all, Daniel. Just as you said.” His right hand lifts to my cheek, stroking it softly as he whispers against my lips. “My pretty girl. You should know your place. Please don’t make this harder than it already is for yourself,” he groans.
For a moment, I think he’ll close the distance between us. His hand brushes my cheek, a gesture so tender, it’s almost too cruel for my soul to endure. But then he pulls back, and unexpectedly, his expression remains guarded as he puts some distance between us.
He looks completely different from the man who was about to kiss me just seconds ago. I sigh internally at the absence of his touch, the sudden distance leaving me frustrated.
“Are you a scaredy cat?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“If I’m the cat, you’d be the mouse I’d catch and devour for dinner.” And with that, he turns and leaves, leaving me alone with the lingering heat of his presence and a storm of emotions I can’t quite sort through.
Chapter Twenty
Jennifer
It’s been two weeks now. Two weeks since mine and Mary’s life turned upside down, and I’m slowly starting to feel the weight of it. Mary’s adjusted.
Hell, she loves it here. She talks about the food, how much she enjoys playing with Enzo, and how she’s so grateful for the time she gets to spend with me.
For once, I’m not just a figure in the background of her life.
Before all of this, I barely had time to play with her. I always loved her—but to be able to keep both of us alive and well fed, work usually always came first. My pregnancy? It really wasn’t planned. Not at all.
But I didn’t mind. I could’ve handled it. I knew I was young, and I had to leave my job, but I knew I was gonna love my little baby.
I always knew she was something special. And I was right all this time.
And I was right all this time. But then he left. As soon as I told my ex the “good news,” he was gone. He broke me then, but I learned how to keep taking care and loving Mary, even alone.
Seeing her with Enzo, watching them bond... It makes me wonder if I’m doing the right thing. It’s still a question that keeps fucking with me and my brain. I want to go back to our old life, away from all of this.
