Page 18 of Scarred Hearts

My heart skipped a beat at his eyes, the way he was now leaning on the front of the desk, and his artfully tousled hair, like he’d been running his fingers through it in frustration, before I walked in. I felt so drawn in to him. A flutter zipped through my belly, causing me to almost grab my stomach. What the hell?

“Fine.” All playfulness was wiped from her face. “But just know that tonight I’ll be fucking one of the new members if you get the urge to join or come watch.” She spun around, tripping over her white platform heels. Giving me a sarcastic, tight-lipped grin, she ungracefully marched out of the office, her ankles still wobbling.

I bit back a laugh. Tyler shook his head, then lifted his chin at the door. Taking that as my cue to close it, I did. Hands gripping the front of the desk, he remained perched on the edge of the polished wood.

“You hired her?” I pointed back over my shoulder, still amazed. “She moves like a baby deer on ice in those things.”

He tried his best to fight back a grin. “Not me, no.”

Silence between us filled the room. If it hadn’t been for the muffled music drifting through the walls, you could’ve heard a pin drop. He stared at me while I gathered my thoughts. Finally, I was able to speak.

“Listen, I have no idea what I said or did the other night, but I’m sorry.”

Nibbling the inside of his cheek, he crossed his arms high on his chest, tilting his head. “How can you be sorry for something you don’t remember?”

Shit. So, something happened. My eyes widened at the reality. “Tyler, I?—”

He raised a hand. “Relax, nothing happened.”

“But,” I braced myself, “did I say anything… weird?”

Wetting his bottom lip, he raked his gaze over me for the second time since I’d entered the office. “Weird? No.” Flickering his eyes, he pushed off the desk. “Anyway, since you’re back, I need to show you a few things I’ve been working on, a few small changes, and one thing I’ve kept hidden for now.”

“Kirsten mentioned it when she was at my house,” I replied. “The thing only Luke knows about?”

“Yes,” he paused for a moment, shifting topics. “Since we’re going to be working together again, I want to be clear about a few things.”

Dropping my bag in the chair in front of his desk, I rested my palms on my hips. “Okay?”

“I want us to keep things professional.”

“That won’t be hard,” I replied sarcastically.

Raising an eyebrow, he placed his hand under his chin as if in deep thought.

“What?” I asked with a shrug.

Exhaling, he continued, “And I know you’re close to my family, and that’s cool, but whatever happened between us was done the night I walked out of that room at Penthouse.”

What the fuck? My mind raced as I struggled to find the right words. “I know, yeah, of course,” I finally managed to say. “We’re coworkers. Nothing else. Got it.”

“I’m glad we agree,” he remarked with a nod.

But we didn’t agree. I wanted to be more than just coworkers with him, at least friends. But it was clear he was now with Victoria, and they were keeping their relationship a secret. I never wanted to be the other woman, and I had no intention of getting in between them.

I didn’t ask questions before when men came to my job. Their personal lives were never my business, but I didn’t know any of my client’s personal lives and didn’t care to. And since I knew Tyler, I’d respect him.

“Anyway,” he said, changing the subject as he guided me out of the room, closed and locked the door behind us. “Let me show you.”

His hand rested on my lower back, but he pulled away slightly before hovering over me again. As we walked down the hallway, people were moving back and forth from the bar area to the rooms, some holding hands and chatting while others were just meeting for the first time and feeling each other out with questions.

The corridor felt darker than I remember, although it still maintained an elegant but raunchy atmosphere. We stopped at the cage room where Victoria was dancing inside one. Her body swayed to the music as she ran her fingers through a man’s hair who stood in front of her. She caught sight of Tyler and grinned widely in his direction, pressing her hips toward the bars.

I leaned close to his ear. “At least Bambi dances better than she walks.”

He shook his head with a subtle smile. “Come on.” Placing a hand on my back again, he led me down the hallway, this time keeping it firmly in place against my skin.

“She seems good for you,” I commented sarcastically, unsure if he could hear me over the music. It wasn’t as loud as it was in Euphoria, but still enough to make conversation difficult.

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