Page 21 of Left of the Slash
She scoffs, but it’s diluted by a giggle. “Yet you still did it.”
“Yeah, and I’d do it again if it meant protecting you from them. So if you're looking for shame for hacking the system, you won't find it here.”
Hot prickles scatter across my body. I don't even know why I'm so pressed out of nowhere. I'm interested in this woman, and it suddenly feels dangerous. The way she ignites the darkness in me makes my heart hum. That’s what it is. She brings out the best in me, and my best is my worst. Fuck. I’m all over the place, losing control of myself as the shadows creep in—as the dark devil takes over.
“Wow, you're an arrogant one, aren't you? You werethatconfident that your scheme would work out? You didn't think I’d be pissed enough to press charges?”
“Yes, I wasthatconfident, and I knew you wouldn't press charges if I figured it all out.”
She scoffs again, sitting up in her seat as she grows more and more annoyed by my responses. “Oh? And what made you so sure?”
“Because that’s why you asked me to help you,” I reply, matching her energy and leaning forward in my chair. “Illegal shit was happening, and it took some illegal shit to stop it, and whether you admit it or not, youknewI would be the one to do whatever it took. So don't get all bent out of shape over how I chose to help. Just be thankful that I did it.”
“Be thankful?” she snaps. “Youdorealize that you're talking to your boss right now, right?”
“Of course I know you're my boss, but you came to me for help, and I delivered. You neededme. Not the other way around. So, yeah, you're the boss in this situation, but let’s face it, I'm the one who’s in control.”
“You'rein control? How the hell do you figure that?”
“You gave control to me when you asked me to solve your problem,” I snip, completely ignoring the voices in my head telling me to back down. The singular dark voice is the one in control now. “I know you're used to the people around here backing down to you, cowering when you come around thecorner, doing that silly shit Jon and his boys did when they talked about you without you in the room but went silent when you entered, but I'm not doing that. Your title gave you control over me, but when you asked me to take control and fix what was broken, I took it and handled itfor you. And I’ll do it again when you ask again. I think it’s simple. You need my help. You need my protection. You need me to shield you … and I want to do it. Iwantto keep you safe, and to keep your father's company safe because I know you care about it. I want to be everythingyou needme to be. Iwantto take care of you … and you want to be taken care of. Don't you?”
I finish talking and find myself in awe of my own words. Yes, this is what I really want to say, but I know better than to say it. I’ve always known better than to let this side of me out. It’s supposed to always be hidden. Olivia is my boss and we’re in her office. It may be after hours, but this is still Obsidian. I work here. I'm professional here. But being with her, looking at her, listening to her, feeling the presence of the darkness she said was in her—it all pulls at the blackness inside of me, and I feel like a passenger inside my own mind. I should stop and apologize, but I'm too far gone. The truth keeps spilling out, and it’s too late to clean it up now.
Olivia’s eyes widen as she freezes like a buffering webpage. When she finally breaks the trance, she shakes her head, but her eyes remain wide. “God, you're full of yourself.”
“Yeah? Then tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you don't want me to take care of you.”
She buffers again, her mouth dropping open this time as she breathes heavily through it. She doesn't have to say a word for me to know that her mind is racing. It’s obvious even when she’s sitting still. Her energy is vibrating. She can't hide it, try as she might.
Suddenly, she stands up and points at the door behind me. “I need you to get out of my office.”
My brows raise as I smile. “Oh, is this you trying to take control back, Miss Lucero?”
“This isn't a fucking joke, Quinn,” she snaps. “Thanks for all of your help, but I don't take kindly to being disrespected. So get the fuck out. Now.”
I keep smiling, but Olivia doesn't reciprocate, so my smile slowly melts away. I nod my head, accepting my fate and that I just crossed a line. So, in the name of trying to regain my professionalism, I stand up and turn to leave. All I have to do is get out of the room, push the darkness back into its cage, and regain control of myself before I lose my fucking job. I’ll have plenty of time to think about how I need to avoid letting this part of me get out again once I’m gone. I just need to get out. But as I take my first step, my legs falter. My dark devil refuses to be subdued and steps to the forefront.
Fuck being professional. I don't want to be professional. I want her.
I spin back around. Olivia is still standing there, panting as she points at the door with a furrowed brow. She's clearly pissed, but if I'm wrong about this, she can fire me. It’s a risk I'm willing to take.
“No,” I say, turning all the way back around.
Olivia flinches. “What?”
“I don't believe you,” I reply. “If you want me out, then fire me. Either that … or admit that you want me to take care of you.”
Olivia’s hand slowly drops back down to her side, but her eyes never leave mine. She keeps staring at me, and I see her swallow hard between ragged breaths. I don't move a muscle, keeping my gaze trained on her because I know it’s not what she's used to. Men are afraid of women who own themselves and are bosses. Those are weak men, and I am anything but a weak man. Oliviaknows that now, and I see her take a final breath, sighing like she's giving into her fate.
“Okay,” she says in a completely different tone.
“Okaywhat?” I ask, not yet satisfied.
“Okay,” she says again. “I want you to take care of me.”
My dark devil roars to life, and there's nothing I can do to stop him now that he has been set free. My legs that once faltered, now move in a hurry, sidestepping chairs and rushing around Olivia’s desk. If she wanted me out, she would tell me right now. She would stop what she knows is coming. But she's silent as she watches me stalk toward her like an animal about to pounce on its prey. I give in to my darkness, and she lets me.
As I take steps forward, she takes a single step back until she hits the wall behind her. Then we’re chest to chest, looking into each other’s eyes just before our mouths come together, and our worlds turn upside down.
