Page 15 of Foxx
“No kidding,” I retort, unable to stop myself, still distracted by his arms and his hands. They’re sobigand rough.
“Then if you’re finished staring at me,pleasefucking sit down,” he grits out, and even his resting asshole face is appealing. Fuck, I hate him.
“Nice to see it is possible for you to do what you’re told, darlin’,” he says more softly when I finally do sit.
“I’d really love to hit you,darlin’,” I grind out, louder than intended. At which his eyebrows raise, but not really in anger—more like interest.
“But Ineedthis job,” I say with a sigh. It’s not a lie. I’m invested now. If I find out he or any man in his club had something to do with Nic’s assault, that man will be dead by the time I go back to school. That makes me smile for real as I settle back in my chair.
Aiden leans forward on his forearms, folding his big hands in front of him on the desk. His eyes seem to look straight through me as he watches me smile at him, like he’s trying to figure out what’s behind it.
Just picturing you bleeding out, asshole.
“Time for you to wipe that sassy fucking grin off your face and tell me exactly who you are,Mia.”
Chapter 9
Aiden
I should tie this woman to my desk and fuck the fight right out of her. But I want to know who she is, because you don’t just walk into the office of the president of a club like mine and say you’d like to assault him. That takes balls. A girl who’s never been around a club wouldn’t have done it. I’ll be putting Stone on this, because I’m surer than ever that she’s been sent here by someone, most likely from another club. For now, I wait for her answer. She looks up at me with the type of big, needy eyes that aren’t trying to sayfuck me, they justdo. And the way she has her hair pulled back only serves to emphasize them. She doesn’t realize the power of her natural beauty, and that is a dangerous fucking thing. I’m starting to wonder if I should even let her work at my club, or if she’s more trouble than she’s worth.
“I already told Roz. I’m Mia Crawford. I’m from Lakeside. My mother doesn’t live here anymore, and I need a job.” Her voice is smooth as the smirk drops from her lips.
“Did you go to college?”
“Yes.”
“For what?” I’mwaymore interested than I should be in this woman.Christ.
“I’m going to be…an editor.” She bites her lip, looking down at her hands folded in her lap before she smiles sweetly. “Maybe for a magazine.”
“Why do you want this job then?”
She looks up at me and breathes out a shaky breath. “It’s not like this was my ideal summer job.” Her tone is genuine as she answers. “But I need the money, and Roz said this is the fastest way to earn it.”
“Why do you need money?”
“That’s kind of a personal question, isn’t it?” she retorts.
Yep, she’s definitely fucking hiding something. Keeping my eyes on hers, I stand and walk around to the front of the desk. Her relaxed position switches to tense, maybe without her even realizing it. She instantly straightens her spine in her chair. There’s a hint of fear there, and when I see it, something in me surges. It makes me want to scare her more. It’s at this moment I realizeIwant her, just like every other man who’s looked at her tonight, and that does nothing but piss me right the fuck off.
Her chest rises and falls in a shallow breath as I lean back against the desk directly in front of her. “There’s no such thing as too personal here. When you work for me, there are no secrets, and youneverlie to me.”
She tries to scoot back, as if I’d let her. I grip both sides of the chair and pull her forward until her knees brush my legs. Her breath catches, and her lips pop open in shock as she braces herself on the chair.
“Where’d that smug little smile go?” I ask, watching her expression.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she says right away. Her voice isalmostconvincing, but her eyes tell a different story.
“Yes, you are.” I want her close. If for no other reason than to gauge the cryptic thoughts behind those fucking gorgeous eyes. “There are men like me who come to my clubs who will thrive on that sort of fear, understand?”
“I’m well aware.” She says it with a knowing tone that makes me instantly believe her.
She tips her chin up and focuses directly on my eyes, challenging me. Most women don’t, and I’m suddenly lost, imagining her in other scenarios, looking up at me, just like this, with that same fight in her eyes.Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me?
“And are we talking about menlikeyou?” she asks softly. “Oryou?”
I search her face, aching to take full control here, but I’m questioning my own wants. Why her? Why is a clearly naive twenty-two-year-old striking a chord so deeply in me that I’m sitting here fantasizing about her? My warning is meant to both scare and protect her, yet all I can think about is bringing her to her knees…in more ways than one.
