Page 12 of The Pucking Fake Marriage

“You heard me.” He crosses his arms, glowering at me as if he is the boss, and it’s not the other way around. “I’ll whip up something for these men. You really can’t afford to keep losing customers, can you? And after today, you don’t come intomykitchen and accuse me of stealing supplies ever again.”

All of the frustrations of the past few hours—maybe even the past few days—come surging back. I have tofight the urge to scream. I should be worrying about getting found out, but I’ve got to deal with a thieving cook.

Yeah, my business is in shambles. But it doesn’t make it any less important to maintain order here.

“No.” My voice is trembling, and it’s an effort to maintain a low tone so Ken and his friends don’t hear. “You’ll pay up, or we’re going to the police.”

The police.My stomach is tense with guilt. Troy doesn’t know it, but I wouldn’t dare go to the cops now, after the stunt I pulled with Ken in Las Vegas.

Just then, Haley comes back around, pulling up the partition that divides the counter from the dining room, so she can walk through it. Just having her around gives me a modicum of relief. She’s my best friend since college, and I trust her more than anyone.

“They want pasta with chicken breast. Told them you’ll whip it up ASAP.” She has a disgusted frown on her face when she turns to Troy. “You should leave. Charlie fired you, and you’re not welcome here anymore.”

Troy throws back his head and laughs. The sound echoes around the restaurant. I don’t have to look to know that Ken and his friends are staring at us. “You’re really going to fire one out oftwoof your remaining employees? Really, amazing business strategy here.” He says those words loudly, clearly for the benefit of the Titans.

My cheeks burn in shame. Not just because my childhood friend is getting a front-row seat to one of the most humiliating moments of my life. It’s more because Troy is right. I’ve been trying to avoid the truth for years, dodging and fighting. But it’s caught up with me now.

I’m a failure.

Two years building a restaurant business after buying it off the former owner, and all I’ve managedto do is run it into the ground. The place has gone from bustling to empty; from having a full staff of fifteen people to only one honeststaff member, my best friend and fellow investor.

Still, I’m not backing down. My plan in Las Vegas worked… even if Ken might be here now, trying to intimidate me. I’m going to get this place back to thriving again,aftertaking out old trash.

I lift my chin. “It’s going to be a better establishment without you around, that’s for sure.” My employees have always been hard to manage, even when I had more than a couple of them. So, I made a rule: never fight in front of patrons. I’m breaking that rule today by standing up for myself, but I have no choice.

And it might be for the best, anyway. The last thing I want is for Ken and his buddies to come back.

Haley lets out a sound between a chuckle and a sniff. Troy’s dark face glows brick red. “You fucking bitch,” he mutters.

The words hit my very core, but I keep my face stern and expressionless. Insubordination from male employees has been a thing I’ve endured for years, and it’s not enough to cause me to back down.

“I’m going to send you an invoice for everything you stole from the restaurant…”

“Not like there were any customers coming around,” he snarls.

“…andyou’re either going to pay, or I’ll take you to court,” I finish my statement more loudly than I started, refusing to let this oversized bully cut me short. From the corner of my eye, I see the Titans observing the scene avidly. I can’t bring myself to look at Ken’s face more closely, not yet.

“You fucking bitch!” he repeats in a yell now. There’s ascuffle from where the Titans are sitting, but before I can look around and investigate, I see Troy raise his fist. Haley gasps, and I freeze in shock.

The sound of scuffling grows louder, and something moves so fast across my vision that it blurs. Haley gasps again, and I feel her take my arm and yank me away from Troy and the moving object. There’s a loud crunch of bone against bone as Haley and I scramble away. Then some seconds later, I look down at the scene in front of me.

Ken is sitting astride Troy, squeezing his throat and punching him. The two men are the same size, but Ken has managed to trap Troy’s large arms so effectively underneath his own thighs that all Troy is doing is flailing helplessly against him. At about the fifth punch, Troy gives up and stops trying to hit back, and as he does, Ken stands up and shoves Troy’s limp body, marching over to the other side of the counter.

My heart starts to pound again as I watch him. There are several emotions raging inside me, shock and disbelief, and a tiny bit of embarrassment, then other emotions I cannot figure out. I let my gaze wash over his bruised knuckles, the tensing of his shoulders.

I’ve never seen him look this primal before, his face red, murder inscribed in every inch of it. Even his friends seem surprised, like he just transformed into a beast in front of them. I’d considered him breathtaking in Las Vegas, when he had that little smile on his face, but now…looking likethis…

His allure tugs at my libido, making the space between my legs throb.

All I can hear is Troy whimpering on the floor and Haley’s raggedbreathing.

As I continue to look over at Ken, I realize I’m not displeased about him defending me.

On the contrary. Now I want him even more.

My heart misses a beat as I’m pulled back to our night in Las Vegas. The night everything changed between us. When I begrudgingly admitted to myself that no man is ever going to make me feel as good as Ken did.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. A tumultuous wave of self-hatred floods me. I reproach myself for not having enough control. For being the kind of a foolish girl who swoons over a man because he flexed his fists.

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