Page 48 of Velvet Sin
“Sue me,” he muttered, shrugging once he came to a stop.It was a good thing he stayed far away, even if my body wasn’t a fan of the distance.I wanted him close, yearning for him in a way I never did when we first broke up years ago.It was deeper now.All-consuming.
Before I could ask, he explained, “Don’t blame Chloe for doing a little detective work for me.”
Now I knew how he found my employment agency.“She’s not looking for new work, is she?”I asked.I thought there was something funny about her reaching out to see how my job search was going.There I was, trying to be helpful when she’d confessed she was thinking about leaving the club.I should’ve seen it from the beginning.One of Dante’s schemes to get what he wanted, just like he tricked me into fucking him in front of Cameron.“You’ll never change, will you?”
His jaw twitched, but that was the extent of his reaction, murmuring, “I do what I have to if it means getting what I want, and I will not apologize for it.”
What else did I expect?Anger bordering on fury made my vision go red.“So, what?You’ve decided I’m what you want after you practically accused me of prostituting myself for a place to live?I'm supposed to believe that’s not what you really think of me?”
“Lenny—”
“Eleanor!Dammit, when will you call me by my actual name?”
“Because to me, you're Lenny.I already told you.If it will make you happy,Eleanor,” he continued, emphasizing the word.“We both said things that day.I was hurt.I don’t have any experience when it comes to this relationship stuff, how to… what do they call it?Fighting fair?Not a clue.”He even chuckled, giving me a weak shrug.“My parents sure as hell never fought fair.And please, don’t insult me and insist you didn’t feel ashamed after that brunch.Or else why would you have cried the way you did?”
It was ugly, it was shameful, but it was true.“I’ve done a lot of thinking about it,” I admitted, quieter now as we faced off in the bare lobby.“And you’re right.You were right about everything.I was ashamed.Still stuck on having something to prove to anyone even when they don’t have a place in my life anymore.You helped me see it, and I’m grateful.But that doesn’t mean we can forget everything we said.”
“What if I offered you a job?”
I was going to get whiplash if this kept up.“What if I accused you of treating me like a baby?Giving me a lollipop, knowing it will shut me up.”
The corners of his mouth twitched.God, I missed his mouth.“I can see how you would take it that way, but the truth is, I need you.”
Could he have picked three words that wouldn’t make my heart swell and my throat close up?“Why would you need me?What, is Chloe really quitting?”
“Forget about that,” he snapped, thrusting his hands into his pockets.His head fell back so he could stare at the ceiling.“Dammit, will you ever get tired of talking over me?I’m trying to explain.You have a degree in business.You’re smart.You’re organized and professional.You are exactly the person I need to help me run the overall business.”
I was too busy gaping at him to ask what the hell he was talking about, so he took advantage of my silence by explaining, “I bought this building to house my offices.No more flying back and forth across the country all the time, with a separate admin staff for each club.Yes, obviously, the people who work in-house will be specific to their locations, but the admin work will be run out of this office on the top floor.I figured I would lease the other floors, make a little more money.”He never missed a trick, did he?
“And where do I come in?”I asked.There was no point in pretending to be cool or collected at a time like this.
“I need a level head around here.No offense to Blake, but…”
“… but he is a complete shit show when something goes wrong,” I finished for him.
He snorted, nodding.“Not the words I was going to use, but that’s the idea.I need someone who will keep things organized, especially if I plan on expanding further.I’m seriously considering the concept of specializing in various kinks from one club to the other in Vegas, but I’ve already learned there is too much for Blake and me to handle on our own.And if you want,” he added.“I’d be happy to discuss furthering your education.”
“Slow down,” I begged, holding up my hands in surrender.He was throwing so much at me all at once that my head spun.“Is this your way of buying me back?”
“It’s not a bribe.Listen to me,” he insisted when I could only snicker.“I’ve done a lot of thinking about this.When I started out, I had big visions, but the underlying infrastructure wasn’t in place.It still isn’t.I need you to help me put it in place.”
“Where would you be in the middle of all of this?”I didn’t want him to see how the idea excited me, obviously.He didn’t need to know about the nervous fluttering in my stomach.It would give him all the leverage, as always.I wanted the upper hand for a change.
“For the foreseeable future, I’ll be flying between here and Manhattan,” he explained.“We’re looking to secure a different location for the club out there.The building’s ancient, the basement’s rotting, it’s a headache.”
He would be there.I would be here.That might be safer.No matter how my heart ached at the idea of him being so far away.
“You realize I have the company jet,” he pointed out in a low voice, smirking when I couldn’t hide my surprise.Why would I be surprised that he could read my thoughts?“I could fly every few days, so I’ll never be away for long.I wouldn’t want to be too far from you.”
Though my heart leaped and the room suddenly got a lot sunnier, I had to shake my head.“Wait a second.That’s not?—”
“Can we please stop tiptoeing around this?”He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples.“I’m not only extending this offer because I know you’d be best for the job.I need you in my life.I refuse to live without you in my life.”
He was saying all the right things, but did he mean them?“Don’t I get a say?”
“Of course you do.”He sighed.“But you’d be making a mistake, turning down this position.Where else are you going to have the opportunity to go after what you want?”
“Are you okay with that?You would still want me working for you if I told you there’s nothing personal between us?”I’d told him that, hadn’t I?Look where it had gotten me.Why was I even considering this?
