“I have to work tonight,” I say flatly.

“No, you don’t.”

I sigh. “I’m filling in for Jenna.”

“No, you’re not. Go home, Taylor. Or better yet, go up to my apartment. Calm down and take a nap …”

I pull away from him. “I’m sorry but at which point did you start telling me what I can and can’t do?” I demand trying not to go crazy. The thought of going to jail terrifies me to death.

His jaw twitches. “I am your boss,” his deep voice declares.

I snort. “And you think that gives you a right to boss me around? I told Jenna I would take her shift, and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”

“Why are you fighting me with everything?” he snaps, running a hand down his face and letting out a frustrated growl.

“Maybe it’s because you are trying to rule my life.” I lower my head and rub my hand over my forehead. I let out a sigh as I think about the real problem here. “Look,” I say looking back up to him. “Maybe we should take a step back,” I offer. “I can’t do this right now.” Not with jail on the mind.

He tilts his head to the side with that aggravated look still on his face. “So let me get this straight. I want you to take a night off and relax, and you want to break things off with me? How does that make any sense? I’m trying to help you.”

“You’re trying to handle me,” I argue. “And I don’t appreciate it. I’m not an idiot.”

“I never said that. You’re putting words in my mouth,” he says through gritted teeth. “You come running in here wide-eyed and panicking. You were breathing so heavy I thought you were going to have a heart attack. I told you I would take care of the situation, but that’s not good enough for the princess.” I narrow my eyes on him. “I offer you a night to relax. Maybe go take a bubble bath, try and get some rest, and you jump my ass.” He crosses his arms over his hard chest. “What is the real problem here?”

“The problem is that my stupidity for you is gonna get me arrested,” I yell.

“Oh, so it’s my fault?” he barks.

“Of course, it is.” I snort. “I would have never gone out with you that night if I had known where we were going.”

He lowers his head down to mine. “I didn’t twist your arm, sweetheart. And even if you had known, you still would have gone with me.”

He’s right. That part sucks. This is what happens when you fall for a man who lives a different kind of life than you do. “Well, I won’t anymore. It’s over.”

He stares down at me with hatred. He gave me that same face the first night I saw him in this club, and it makes my chest tighten. “There had to have been something in the beginning in order for it to be over, Taylor,” he says flatly.

“You sorry son of a bitch …” I take a deep breath “… can go to hell!” I spin around and storm out of his office just as fast as I entered it.

CASE

“Fuuucccckkk!” I yell as I spin around and shove my office phone off my desk. It rips the cord out of the wall before it bounces off the wall and then hits the floor. I place my hands flat on the desk and lean over it. This night couldn’t get any worse.

“Taylor? That was the girl you were telling me about?”

I spin around to see my boss, Jones, standing in my office with the door shut behind him. I sigh heavily. So much for it not getting any worse. “Yes.” I push myself up and off the desk. “So make sure you take care of that,” I growl as I walk back around my desk to sit in my chair.

“You said to take care of the tape because of Taylor. You said that Taylor was Blane’s sister.”

I look up at him. “Yes! I remember what I fucking said,” I snap.

“You lied to me!” he shoots back.

I roll my eyes at his anger. “It is what I do best, right?” Fuck, I’m in the mood for a drink.

“Case.” He hisses my name. I stand from my chair and walk over to the mini bar in my office. “Please tell me that was not what it sounded like.”

I pour some bourbon into a tumbler. I turn to face him and lean back against the bar. “Well, that would be a lie,” I say flatly. This day has already gone to shit; I might as well make it worse.

“Shit!” he hisses. “What the fuck are you thinking?” he demands. “She is…”

“No offense, Jones, but I’m very aware of who she is.” His eyes narrow on me.

“Don’t get smart, boy.” He points a finger at me. “You’re fucking Blane’s sister,” he shouts, and I take a drink of my bourbon.

I tilt the tumbler in my hand from side to side watching the dark liquid swish around. “I know what I’m doing.” Do I? I’ve been telling myself that from the beginning, but is it true? I feel somehow along the way I’ve forgotten what my intentions were.

“Do you love her?” he demands.

“No!” I snort. She just makes me feel like I’m alive.

The look Jones gives me says I answered too quickly. I straighten my back and square my shoulders. “No, I don’t love her. It is just sex.” Keep telling yourself that, fucker.

He hangs his head and shakes it as if he can’t believe I just said that. “I don’t know if that makes it better or worse,” he mumbles. When he looks back up at me, he looks disgusted with me. I broke my rule. I broke all the rules. For a piece of ass. If I told him it was for love, would he understand better? “End it. End it right fucking now!” With that, he walks out of my office.

I throw back the bourbon. I hiss in a breath as I slam the glass down on the bar. Wiping the remains of the liquid from the corners of my mouth with my hand, I mumble to myself, “Must be your lucky day, boss, because she ended it about five minutes ago.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

 

TAYLOR

I make my way down to the club floor and back to the locker room. I shove the door open and march over to my locker. After throwing my purse and phone in it, I slam it shut. He is such an ass! There had to have been something in the beginning in order for it to be over, Taylor. Well, I got that message loud and clear!

“Whoa. Someone has her bitch attitude on tonight.”

I spin around to see Rachel leaning up against her locker. “I’m not in the mood for your shit tonight, Rachel,” I spit.

“Someone needs to get laid,” she says placing her arms over her chest and pushing her hip out.

“No, the problem is that I let him fuck me in the first place,” I mumble.

She laughs and the action makes her perfect fake tits bounce. “Not good?”

I stare at her and snort. “Too good. The man knows it and thinks he’s fucking god.” Why am I telling her this? I don’t like her.

She throws her head back and lets out another laugh. “Sounds like you’re talking about Case.”

I just stare at her. Her laughing cuts off immediately, and she frowns as her dark brown eyes stare at me for a very long minute. “You are talking about Case.” It wasn’t a question. And I don’t say anything to her. I know Case doesn’t sleep with people who work for him, but I don’t know if that is club policy or just his personal choice. I don’t trust Rachel enough not to go and run her mouth about it to everyone. As long as I don’t answer, it’s just her speculating. “Well … you have more balls than I thought you did.” She looks me up and down with a frown on her face. Almost as if she’s thinking what did he see in her? ‘Cause I don’t see it. “Here I thought you were this goodie goodie. Next thing you tell me will be that you wanna get high.” She smiles brightly, and I wish I could slap it off her face.

“I don’t do drugs,” I snap.

She smirks as if she doesn’t believe me¸ and I don’t care to even talk to her. So I just grab my tray out of my locker, slam the door, and walk out into the club to get ready for a long fucking night.

I walk out to the bar as the lights shut off in the club and the music starts to play. “You didn’t expect more from him, did you?”

My eyes slide over to the left to see Rachel now standing beside me with that smirk still on her face. “Stop it, Rachel.”