Page 213 of If Our Hearts Collide

“I know.” It won’t stop me the next time though. I’ll just get better at not making it known to her that I did it.

“So you came to spy on me?”

“The last thing you need is to be trusting some stranger here to fulfill a fantasy that you may think you want in theory, when in reality you get freaked out by it.”

“And you are having me watched by that other guy too.”

My eye twitches. “I always have backup plans. So, yes.” I don’t even deny it, as there’s really no point.

“That’s really creepy.”

“It’s really necessary. Just trust me. And I haven’t hid the fact that I’ll be continuing to do just that.”

“Well, the person needs to seek out an ophthalmologist because they suck. I was able to get here and inside without being stopped yet again.”

“And that reckless behavior will actually have a deliverable punishment if you pull a stunt like that under a contract—if we have one.”

“Fine.”

“And that mocking tone will as well.”

“Fi—” And then she stops and glares at me when it finally sinks in.

“You’ve made a lasting impression on Yuri and Michael with your charm. There’s no way they’d be able to turn you away from here no matter how many threats I make.”

“Well, maybe you just aren’t that scary.”

I feel the corner of my lips rising with a smirk. Then I laugh. “Maybe.”

Penny allows me to lead her to the lockers and then out of the building, where we are greeted again by Michael.

“Leaving so soon, little dove?”

Penny gnaws on her lip and looks down at her feet. “Appears that way,” she says quietly.

Where did my sex vixen go? She can’t possibly be getting shy—can she?

“I’ll see to it that she is home safely,” I confirm, and then guide Penny toward my parked car.

On our way there, I nod my greeting to a few members who just arrived.

“Why do you know everyone it seems at the club? You have sex with all of them?”

“No, Penny,” I say with a chuckle. She really is hung up on who I have and haven’t had sex with. “But you have quite the imagination.”

“Well, then what?”

I motion back toward the venue. “I’m an employee there.”

40

COLLINS

Penny stops in her tracks, leaning her back end against the bumper of my Tesla. “Well, damn.”

I’m surprised I flat out admitted my employment to her. It’s not like I’ve really told anyone else about it. I definitely would never add it to my resume under the title—job experience.

“It’s not full-time, and the infrequency about it makes me not even want to classify it as part-time.” I shrug. “I basically fill in on occasion. And once in a while I get pulled into decision-making meetings as a security consult.”

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