I turned to him and asked, “Do you want me to take the job?”
“Whenever we stand outside Pepper’s, the look on your face breaks my heart,” he said, looking pained just thinking about it. “If I can stop you from doing something that sends you close to a nervous breakdown every time you have to do it, I will. So yes, I want you to take the job.”
I bit my lip, thinking this was a fantastic offer. And this man just kept getting better and better.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” I said. The offer was good. Better than good, it was great and would mean my life changing for the better.
“Great. You start in two weeks,” Blade said, handing me a stack of papers. “That’s the contract. Read it, then sign it and get it back to me. We can negotiate the salary.”
Wow, guess I’m really doing this.
“Okay, thanks, Blade,” I said, clutching the papers against my chest.
“Now get out. I have work to do. If you have any questions, ask Sebastian.”
We all filed out, and Grim patted my back. “Good to have you on board. You’ll love it here. Blade’s a great boss.”
I found that hard to believe but didn’t say anything. They all seemed to think highly of him and maybe with time I would come to like him too. Maybe.
We didn’t stay; instead, Sebastian got us back on the road and pulled up in front of Pepper’s a few minutes later.
I froze in front of the door. Despite feeling more settled than I had in a year, I still had to go inside, and I still had to do my job. That hadn’t changed. I had two more weeks left before I could get out of there for good.
Sebastian stepped in front of me and cupped my cheek, tilting my chin up. “Hey, I’m here with you. I’ll be on the main floor the whole night. You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I nodded and dropped my forehead onto his chest, breathing him in. “I know. I’m sorry for still freaking out. I’ve survived this long. Two more weeks shouldn’t matter.”
He kissed my hair and held me tight. “Don’t ever apologize for the way you feel.”
After I counted to a hundred and ten, I was ready to go inside. Sebastian took my hand again, something that had become a beautiful habit I loved.
He walked me straight to Smitty’s office and knocked on the closed door, not waiting for an answer. Smitty’s head shot up and his eyes went wide when he saw us standing in the door.
“Ace, what are you doing here?” Smitty asked, his voice high. And by the looks of the white powder on his desk, that wasn’t the only thing that was high.
“Get out. You’re fired,” Sebastian said, his hands balled into fists.
“It’s… it’s not what it looks like,” Smitty stuttered, wiping the powder off his desk.
Sebastian stepped closer. “You know the rules. We don’t do warnings. Either you listen or you’re out. And you’re a stupid fuck who didn’t listen. Now you’re out.”
Smitty jumped up, his chair rolling backward. “That’s fucking bullshit. This place is nothing without me.”
“This place will be just fine without you. Now get your shit and go.”
Smitty opened his mouth to say something else, but Sebastian cut him off. “You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t get your ass out of here in the next five minutes.”
I stood by, watching the scene with wide eyes. I knew Sebastian could be scary, but I’d never seen him in action. And this was something else. His eyes were dark, his posture rigid, and his tone emotionless.
Smitty finally grew a brain and emptied his drawers. He stalked past us, sputtering curses, his face a red mask of fury. I really, really wanted to give him the finger on his way by.
Sebastian and I followed him out to the main floor and watched the girls stop what they were doing, staring at an enraged Smitty stomping past them.
“What are you looking at?” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.
When everyone realized what was happening, they started clapping, a few giving him the finger, others hollering. Guess he hadn’t made many friends during his time at the club.
Sebastian watched him shove through the door, then waved Kai over. “Make sure he leaves.”
Kai nodded and followed Smitty outside.
“Well, you don’t have to hand in your resignation anymore,” Sebastian said, pulling me into his side. “I’ll let the guys know.”
“You’re better off without him anyway,” I said, my hands around Sebastian’s waist. I couldn’t seem to stop touching him. A very annoying little tic I’d developed.
“I’m starting to think that too. Pity we didn’t notice sooner.”
I shrugged. “I guess you don’t talk to the girls much.”
Sebastian looked down at me, raising a brow. “Not really. The only one in here I’ve ever talked to about anything besides work is you.”
Now what did he go and do that for? We had five minutes before my shift started and his words only made me think of one thing I wanted to do right now. And it didn’t include waiting tables.
“I’ll walk you to the dressing room. Then I’ll have to make a few calls to clean up this mess.”
We stopped in front of the door and he kissed me, his lips lingering on mine in a gentle caress. “Find me if you need anything.”
I walked through the door in a daze, almost forgetting where I was. Until an avalanche of half-dressed bodies hit me.
“Are you okay?”
“Why are you back already?”
“Did they kill him?”
“Here, sit down.”
Elle untangled me from everyone else and pushed me down on a chair. “Give her some room, girls.”
Tia pushed her way through. “Fucking Clive. He was always a creep. You okay, honey?”
I nodded, smiling a wobbly smile at everyone. “I’m fine, just glad it’s finally over. Clive was denied bail, so he won’t be able to
