“WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?” My body immediately tenses up when I hear the voice I was starting to forget.

“Oh no,” I cry out to myself. The day I broke up with him I told Benny the owner and he banned James from the bar. I thought I was safe. Heck to be honest I was shocked he hadn’t accosted me after work so far.

“MARI!” he screams, knocking stuff off of the tables. I am so scared right now that I am paralyzed with fear, not sure what to do when Royce moves in front of me.

“Hey asshole!” he yells at James. “I thought they told you not to come back here.” He is standing in front of me with his arms crossed.

James ignores him and I know the moment he sees me. “There she is,” he slurs, obviously drunk. “The little cock tease who won’t put out.” I flinch hearing his description of who I am.

“Hey! Fuckface, address me,” Royce says moving closer to his face. “She doesn’t exist for you anymore.” My eyebrows raise at his apparent lack of fear where James is concerned. Come to think of it though I can see why. Royce has about a good six inches on him and at the very least fifty pounds of muscle.

“Oh I see. Did she find a new fool to string along?” I move to try to diffuse the situation, but Royce turns to me and stops me.

“Don’t fucking move Mari I mean it. I don’t want to have to kill this fool for touching you.” Holy moly. I can read it in his eyes that he is serious, and I also read something else that I am not unpacking right now.

“And what are you going to do, pretty boy?” James goads him. Holding my hand to my mouth I start hyperventilating praying nothing happens to cost me my job and Royce his.

“Walk any further and find out.” Shaking my head no, I once again try to move around Royce when James reaches around him, yanks me toward him. I scream and the next thing I know Royce grips my arm and then before I can catch up he is on top of James pummeling him.

Trying to stop him from doing something that would change his life, I scream for the bouncer who up until this moment has been noticeably absent from the drama. Henry comes running in, late of course, and pulls Royce off him. “Stop man. You’re going to kill him!” Henry yells wrapping his arms around Royce’s chest

“I told him. I told that fucker to walk away. I told him.” Crying because I feel responsible for this, I walk up to him and put my hand on his chest.

“I’m so sorry. So sorry,” I tell him, hoping he believes me. He stops fighting against Henry and looks at me. He shrugs Henry off and pulls me into his arms.

“You don’t apologize to me, baby. I just… seeing him touch you fucked with me.” I hear him grumble something likeand I haven’t even had you yet,but my mind is so screwed up right now.

“Are you okay?” I am more worried about him being hurt and losing his job.

“I’m fine. Now that I know you are okay.” I nod my head into his chest where he keeps placing my head and shaking while I continue to cry.

“What do you say we get out of here?”

“Yes, please.”

CHAPTER 2

ROYCE

Shit.My head is pounding, beating with rage that the son of a bitch somehow drank up enough courage to show his fucking face there tonight. I thought having him banned and me following her home every night, although she didn’t know it, would be enough. Hell some nights I even stayed in my car outside her house until her mom, slinked her ass home, high or some shit. As long as she came home alone and not with whatever lowlife she picked up, I felt okay to leave for the night. If she showed up with the loser of the week, I slept in my car in case she needed me. Stalker much. I know.

See, from the moment I met her a few months ago, I was hit right in the chest. She walked in, shy and meek, voice soft and silky like honey with eyes the color of the ocean that looks right through you, but also begs you to save her and hair the color of light brown sugar. She entranced me. I could tell by her quietness she was lost, sad, and confused. She was broken down and all I wanted to do was build her up.

“Hi. My name is Royce.” She blushes a little which makes my cock twitch.

“Hi. My name is Mariella but everyone calls me Mari.”

From that very moment she became mine. I was just waiting for the right time to tell her. Then I realized she was dating a loser and my timeline got halted. But I was willing to wait.

One day she came into work right after cheerleading tryouts, in her short skirt and tank top and I damn near choked on my own spit. She was fucking hot. Gorgeous. Her legs which up until this point had been covered everyday were long and strong, but her thighs, man those thighs were thick and juicy like they would squeeze the oxygen out of my brain when I am between them licking that sweet cunt she has.

That day in that fucking uniform, she raised up her arms to grab some glasses from a top shelf to help get the kitchen ready before she put on her uniform and I saw her soft stomach, my cock dripped down my pants and a roar in my ears started and hasn’t stopped. The beast inside of me has been demanding I make her mine, claim her, own her, protect her.

The day I realized she was with this douche; I broke a glass in my hand thinking of her belonging to someone else. My mind went mental for a few, the vision of her giving something that was meant to be mine to someone else. Then, when some of my sanity returned, I realized I didn't care if she was a virgin or not. She was going to be mine either way, which is why when she came in and said they broke up and she was scared of him, I had him banned.

Now here I am escorting her to my car with my hand on her back trying to temper my reaction to finally having her right where I want her, trapped with me in a small space. Trust me, I know I sound like a psycho. It’s her fault.

Her body shivers and not from the outside cold. Once we are in my car I turn up the heat because even though it is fall and still sort of warm out, the night is chilly.