Page 3 of Daddy's Little Charmer
Harmony turned her attention back to Roberto and gave him the list. Within a few minutes, she had a tray full of drinks.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Sharp,” Harmony saidand walked off.
Christian turned and waited for Roberto to serve someone before he called for him. “Who is she?”
Roberto cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Her father, Patrick, and I were Army buddies and best friends. He died a little over a year ago, and I’ve been looking after his daughter.”
“Is that her real name?”
Roberto smiled. “Yeah, and it fits her. She’s a good girl and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
“Then why the hell is she working at a strip joint?”
Roberto looked confused about the wave of anger that came from Christian.
“She’s trying to put herself through school, and this seemed like the perfect way to do it. She can make a lot of money working two nights here, enough to pay for her classes every semester and have her own place, and I am here to watch over her. She can take all week for classes and studying and not have to worry.”
“But it’s the summer.”
“She takes them year-round so she can finish early.”
“Where is her family?”
“I’m it. Her mother died when she was eleven, and then her dad recently. They never had any other children, and as far as I know, her grandparents and other relatives are dead.”
Christian turned and watched as she moved around the room. She wore a sleeveless pale blue shirt and a denim skirt that hit a few inches above her knees. She was more covered than all the other women in the place, but he still wanted to hide her from all the eyes that hungrily followed.
Christian felt a growl rumble in his chest as a man grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let her go, even when she struggled. Before he could react, one of the bouncers was takingcare of the situation.
Christian had so many more questions, but Roberto had walked off to help a customer. His head jerked around when Harmony laid her tray down. He could tell right away she was trying hard to hide the tremors in her hands.
“Are you okay?”
Harmony pushed her hair from her face and smiled brightly. “What? Oh, yes. Everything’s good.”
Christian’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t belong in a place like this. “Isn’t there any other place you could work?”
Harmony’s eyes widened at the anger that sharpened his voice.
She shook her head. “Why would I do that?” she asked, clearly confused.
“You’re not made for this type of environment, Baby.”
Harmony turned to face him, put a hand on her hip, and tilted her chin up. “Of course I am.”
Christian’s lips twitched at her show of strength. She was about as tough as a puppy. “No, you’re not.” He couldn’t believe how much this little woman reminded him of Larkin, a friend’s little, a woman who gave everything to her man she called Daddy.
Harmony glared at him and straightened her shoulders. “Listen, Mister. You don’t know me at all, so you can’t say where I fit.”
Christian couldn’t hold back the grin. There were only a few people who tried to argue with him. Because, like Roberto said, even if he didn’t mean to, he intimidated most people.
“I think I do,” Christian commented.
Harmony growled a bit. “I’m sorry, but I don’t care if you’re a friend of Uncle Roberto’s, you can’t go around making assumptions about people you don’t know.”
“Sure, I can,” Christian said and grinned when shestomped her foot in frustration.
Harmony slapped her hand down on the top of the bar. Roberto interrupted her before she could open her mouth.
