Page 74 of Consequences

Laying on the floor, he stares around the bright light above him. If this works, he’s going to be out in time to see his wife give birth. He hopes to get out in time to see her belly growing, but it all depends on how long it takes to get everything else in motion.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Riverview

Jamie

Sitting in the bar with a few of her coworkers, Jamie feels like she can finally breathe after the week she’s had. Her days have been taken up by a big client they just acquired, and her nights are spent learning just how amazing sex can be with a big, possessive man.

Remembering the rules, she tried calling Undertaker before leaving work, and then she sent a text to tell him she would be at the bar with a few coworkers. She followed it up with how relieved she was to be done with the data migration that’s kept her awake at night.

Something her boss says makes everyone laugh, and she forces a giggle, too, pretending like she’s paying attention. Instead, shecan’t stop thinking about Undertaker, and a chill flows through her. It’s just past nine, and she knows she needs to get going soon.

Looking up, she sees him watching her from outside the dive bar in Riverview. It’s as though she materialized him by thought alone, but the look on his face shows he’s anything but happy.

What in the Christian Grey is going on right now?

If the stalking wasn’t bad enough, Undertaker’s expression darkens when they lock eyes, and her stomach flops. He’s more than unhappy. He’s pissed.

“Excuse me,” Jamie says and hops off the chair.

She wears a skirt and heels, something she never had the confidence to wear in public until she met Undertaker. He makes her feel beautiful, and she wants to impress him. That whole saying about a lady in the streets and whatnot.

“Hey,” Jamie says, leading him away from the large windows and around to the darker alley.

If he’s going to yell at her, it’s probably better not to draw attention from everyone inside the bar. Especially her coworkers. How would she explain this? And they’d probably call the cops.

The sun has already set, and Undertaker just shakes his head in the dim glow from a far-off streetlight. His jaw clenches as he says, “You said you’d be home by nine.”

At least he’s not yelling.

“I said I’d be homearoundnine. I was just getting ready to leave when you showed up.”

“And you never said two of your coworkers were men.”

He closes the gap between them, and she presses her back against the brick wall, suddenly feeling like a caged animal. While she knows he’d never hurt her, she can’t help feeling intimidated. “I’ve told you who my coworkers are. I talk aboutthem all the time. You have nothing to worry about. My boss is happily married with four kids.”

“What are the rules, Jamie?”

Holy shit, I forgot how literal the rules were.“You have to know where I am at. At all times.”

“And?”

“And you have to approve of the people I spend my time with. I thought we established that work was the one area of exception because I can’t—”

“During working hours. Not after work. Not drinking with coworkers at a bar outside of Griffin’s Beach.”

She swallows. “My career can’t advance if I don’t network. I need to prove I’m a team player. How would it look if I told them I couldn’t join them for the celebration because my boyfriend won’t let me? I mean, come on, Undertaker. The company’s paying for my food and beverages. Who’s going to turn that down?”

Staring at the wall instead of her, the anger radiates from him. He almost vibrates, and she kicks herself for underestimating how he’d respond to this.

“Undertaker—”

“You broke the rules, Jamie. I don’t have many, but you broke damn near all of them tonight.”

Swallowing, she looks at the ground. She agreed, and she didn’t clarify. This is on her. “I’m sorry.”

“This is what I’ve been talking about. This is what I need in order to be with someone like we are. You told me you were okay with it, but it didn’t take long to break every one of the rules. I have to know— Are you still okay with this?”

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