Page 97 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

A crooked grin tilted her lips. “Really, Carina?”

My brow pulled down. “What?”

“You spent the past hour bitching about your asshole boss, and now you’re trying to convince me to come work with you?”

I crossed one ankle over the other, then took a long drink to wet my parched lips. “It’s not that bad,” I told her, blowing off her concerns. “King is…”

He was something.

He was an asshole, there was no denying that. But he had his reasons, at least most of the time. Marco Leonetti trusted him to keep The Starlight Club running smoothly. Sometimes things had to be done to ensure that, and Kingston Donaghue never backed down from his responsibilities.

He was an easy man to hate, which made things all the more confusing. When he’d grabbed me by the arms and pulled me so close I could feel his heaving chest against mine, the fear I felt was mixed with something I tried hard not to examine.

King was my boss. There were lines drawn between us that shouldn’t be crossed. So all those thoughts of him inching closer and pressing his lips to mine should’ve been washed away with his whispered threats.

“Earth to Carina.”

I blinked, bringing Leni to focus. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You zoned out there. You were saying something about King?”

Of course. I gave her a sugary sweet smile. “King is an asshole, but he’s my boss not yours. I’ll take care of you so you get saved the headache of dealing with him most of the time.”

“Sounds delightful.” The sly smile she gave me made my skin itch. “I’d love to see you and King go head-to-head. I’m pretty sure you’d win.”

A shiver raced down my spine. There would be no winning between us. King would destroy me, and I’d drag him down in the flames as I went.

“Come work with me and maybe you’ll see it,” I offered with a shrug before emptying my wine glass.

Leni gave a long stretch before doing the same. “Maybe I will.”

“Really?” I swung my legs over the couch as she stood, then rose to meet her.

She placed her hands on my biceps and squeezed gently—not at all like Kingston’s punishing grip. “I’d love to work with you again. And I couldn’t stand to see you return to somewhere that makes you miserable. So if the choice is The Starlight Club or Pink Minx and your offer still stands, then I will gladly give up stripping.” She shrugged and her face pinched. “Although, maybe just a few days a week at first, to try it out.”

“Come in on your next night off. We’ll get you situated, and I’ll show you the ropes. You’ll love it.”

“What about King?”

“What about him?” I asked. My heartbeat thrummed in my ears, and I leaned back.

“Is he going to be okay with me just walking in and making myself at home?”

“Don’t you worry about King. Leave him to me, I’ll take care of him.”

“Like you did Jerry at the Minx?” Even though she was smiling, my blood boiled in my veins at the reminder of the self-important asshole who used to be my boss. I’d proved to him I was worthy of a whole lot more than he gave me credit for.

A small smile curled my lips. “I wonder where old Jerry is nowadays.”

“You mean after you got him fired?” Leni chewed her bottom lip, doing a horrible job of suppressing her glee. “I heard he moved home to work in his parents’ restaurant and got fired there for being such a lousy piece of shit.”

“That tracks.”

“Damn right, it does.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I have to go.”

“Hot date?”

“I wish! I’ll likely have bruises from all the grubby hands pawing at me all night. Don’t tell my sister, but I’d almost rather go to work.”

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