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“Remember, if this is going to work between us, you’re going to let me do my job. There are things you can’t protect me from.”

“The hell there are!” he says, angrily. “That man will do everything in his power to fuck you; I know his tastes well, Gillian. I used to have them.”

I grip his arm forcing him to unwind from his defensive position with them crossed over his chest. I put his hand in both of mine. His thumb instantly traces his favorite pattern over the top of my hand. That’s it; my lovable Chase is coming around. Touching me always helps. I grin internally not wanting him to know I have my own way to secretly soothe him.

“I’ll be there with Taye. I have to learn and the Foundation is paying me to be here. Now, I’d prefer we not discuss this further and enjoy the rest of our evening.”

Chase grips my hand. “Fine, but Jack will take you and wait outside the restaurant until it’s time for you to leave and bring you back to me.” His tone is back to being demanding and unrelenting. It’s the best compromise I’m going to get and the only way to salvage the evening.

“Deal,” I smile.

He takes a deep cleansing breath, irritation twisting his features. “How’s your food?”

I can tell that it took every bit of control he had to control his response. It makes me ridiculously happy to know that I’m getting through to him. He’s finally starting to trust our place in each other’s lives and realize that I’m not going anywhere. I haven’t run since the day I was granted my promotion. And now, there’s nothing that could ever make me run from him.

***

I shake Theodore Vandegren’s hand. It’s clammy, instantly gives me the creeps. He’s tall, thin and very handsome. Nothing like my personal Superman, but drool worthy to the right woman. His smile is charming, and I see why Chase would be worried. This man oozes sex from the white suit to his bedroom eyes. Even his blonde hair is tousled in layers.

His gaze roams my body from tip to toe and back again, landing on my breasts. They stay there much longer than is appropriate. The black cocktail dress I wore is the least revealing of the items I brought with me. Chase rummaged through all of my clothes and insisted on it, right after making a call to Dana about ordering me a new wardrobe to be added to the New York apartment. The dress falls delicately to the knee, covers most of my bosom, leaving only a small swath of skin to feast on. However, it still hugs my curves in a way that makes me feel young, sexy and professional.

Throughout dinner, Theodore stares at me, blatantly disregarding Taye’s presence. He’s officially a world class, rich, scumbag. I sit quietly, trying not to give the impression I’m interested in anything more than his donation.

“I’m a very busy man, Mr. Jefferson, can you get to the point?” he says to Taye while looking at me. I wish I wasn’t here. Chase was right. I vaguely hear Taye give his spiel and ask for the charitable donation.

Theodore waves off Taye forcing him to stop talking. “Look Mr. Jefferson, I will give the Foundation $25,000 if this lovely young lady will accompany me for an after dinner drink…alone. I’ll hand the check to Ms. Callahan tonight,” he finishes.

Twenty five thousand dollars for a drink? The man is bat-shit crazy but whatever floats his boat. “Okay.” I say confidently with a shrug. Taye’s eyebrows furrow and a frown mars his face.

“Gillian, are you sure? You don’t have to,” he warns.

A drink can’t hurt. There really doesn’t seem to be anything nefarious about him besides being slimy and a bit forward. “I’m fine, I’ll call you tomorrow,” I say to Taye. “You can have Jack bring you back to the hotel. He stands and walks out of the restaurant. I can see through the window that he says something to Jack. Jack shakes his head and gets into the front seat of the limo. Taye then raises his hand for a taxi.

I watch Theodore not knowing really what to say. The waiter brings over a bottle of wine and fills our glasses.

My cellphone pings. “Excuse me.”

To: Gillian Callahan

From: Chase Davis

Why are you alone with him? Jack tells me Jefferson left,and you haven’t come out to the car.

I ignore Chase’s text and slip the phone back into my purse, and click the “silent mode” button before stowing it away. The man has to learn to trust me.

Twenty minutes and two cocktails later, I’ve listened to Theodore drone on and on about his success, his money, his Ferrari and I couldn’t be more bored. He stands and I stand with him, ready to get back to my control freak before he blows a gasket. I can only imagine how many texts await me when I get back into the limo to check.

As we exit the hotel restaurant, Theodore grips my elbow and leads me toward the bank of elevators. I try to pull away but his grip is firm. “Come on sweetheart, I need to give you that $25,000 check. While I’m writing it, you can remove your dress. Save us a little time.”

“What?” I yank my arm from his clammy grasp. He thinks I’m going to bed him because he donated to our charity? The warning bells clang loud, only I wish they would have gone off sooner.Shit!Chase was right.

“That’s right. I give, you give. If you’re good at giving to me, honey, I’ll make sure your boss knows how convincing you are and donate more.” He pulls me against his chest and grips my hip roughly. His chin drags along my neck and he bites the skin hard. Chills race along my spine and my chest tightens. Panic starting to tickle the sense. “But you need to get down on your knees first and get to work,” he says smugly.

He’s holding me so tight I’m certain I’ll have bruises. The skin around my bicep feels pinched and swollen as I pull hard away from him, just enough that I’m able to pull my leg back and bring my knee up into his crotch. He screams and falls back, but not enough that he doesn’t let go of his hold on me. Just as he’s trying to drag me toward him, a firm arm around the waist yanks me backwards. I’m catapulted back a few feet as a fist comes out of nowhere and connects with Theodore’s face. He falls to the ground in a heap, shouting in pain. Blood pours from his nose, a stark contrast to his white suit.

“Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend, Theo. I’ll only tell you once,” Chase yells, his face red, cheeks puffed with anger. That sexy jaw is working overtime, the tick clicking away like a clock. Momentarily, I’m stunned by his presence. I didn’t even see him come up behind us. Chase’s anger is palpable as he hovers over Theodore’s prone form. Then I realize I’m still being held back with a firm arm around my waist. Taking a peek over my shoulder I realize it’s Jack. His arm locks around my waist and he’s not moving.

Theo looks up at Chase, recognition dawning on him. His features turn arrogant as his eyebrow perks up and his lips quirk into a sly grin. “How was I supposed to know that hot piece of ass was yours.” His voice is nasal as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Chase lunges for him again, fingers around his neck. “Hey man, okay okay. She wasn’t wearing a ring or a sign around her neck that says she belongs to Chase Davis. Give me a fucking break!” He grips Chase’s hands and pushes him off. Chase heaves as Theodore backs against the wall putting some serious distance between them.

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