Page 20 of Beguiled

Yet.

What I’d found was the connection had been beneficial in methods of business as well as personally.

The man understood the rage that often seeped through the cracks. He saw me as a man with foibles. If he thought he could use them as a weakness, he was dead wrong. He’d learned that with the first fight I’d won in a single round.

With the vigorous exercise the private club provided, I was able to soothe the demons.

At least most of the time.

CHAPTER 5

Saige

“He said what?” Tawny grabbed her iced tea, sucking on the straw in the most annoying fashion.

I took a bite of my sandwich, nodding profusely as I did. After licking mayonnaise from my lip, I grabbed a napkin. “‘I tend to savor children for dessert instead of breakfast. It gives me something to look forward to in my dull drudgery of a life.’ Quote unquote.”

She grabbed her phone, her fingers flying.

“Don’t bother,” I added. “You didn’t get the email. I was tired and had forgotten the last one I’d sent hadn’t been to you, but to him confirming the meeting we had.”

“Oh, you need to send a copy so I can see just how much trouble you’re in.” She could laugh hysterically while I was still cringing inside, praying that he’d forget all about my insidious faux pas.

Which I doubted.

Something else I knew about my boss was that he had the memory of an elephant. “I’ll send it to you. You know what’s funny though? He wasn’t upset. He was amused.”

“How can you tell with Mr. Stone Face?”

We both giggled, the nickname suiting him. Although I had another one or two. “I think I caused a little crack in his armor.”

She slipped her hand into the chip bag, pulling out a couple. With her brows furrowing while she chewed, I could sense her mind spinning. “You know we have a pool going on upstairs about him.”

“A pool?”

“You know. About what he’s into. Half the girls think he’s gay.” She arched an eyebrow. She’d suspected something had happened at the party since I’d insisted on leaving.

I rolled my eyes as a first response. “Half the women you work with are casual sluts.”

My bestie tossed a chip at me. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a mean streak running through you?”

“That keeps me sane.” I took a couple more bites of my sandwich as I thought about him. “He’s not gay. He almost flirted with me this morning.”

“Almost is like saying almost a little bit pregnant. Does this have anything to do with the two of you doing the hanky-panky at the festive holiday event?” She burst into a fit of giggles.

My turn to toss a chip. “Stop it. Nothing happened. I’m not dating him and I assure you I won’t be fucking him. He’s just cautious.”

“But you’re special.”

Now I cocked my head. “You’re terrible.”

Her laugh faded, a strange looking crossing her face. “If he’s really a Bratva enforcer, tying himself down would be dangerous.”

“Okay, why?”

She glanced from one side to the other. Was she really worried someone could overhear the conversation? “Think about it. A girlfriend would make a good bargaining chip. If the enemy wanted to find a weakness in him, they’d use the woman. You could find yourself tied up in some dark, dank warehouse, tortured for what you knew even if you didn’t know anything.”

“Try getting out of the house more often. Watching endless hours of Netflix is rotting your brain.”