With the same ease as a big cat, he got up from the couch and strolled to the far wall where my diploma hung above a low bookshelf, back turned. "Attitude? Is that psychology-speak, then? I see you got your diploma at Liverpool John Moores University. Not exactly Stanford, is it?"
Despite myself, I felt my temper rise. If there was one thing in my life I was proud of, it was that I'd managed to overcome my fucked up past and acquire a degree that allowed me to help people.
"It's a hell of a lot better than being a petty thief, or whatever you did instead of educating yourself."
I shouldn't have let him get to me. And I especially shouldn't have lashed out-not only because it was as unprofessional as it got, but also because that was exactly what Blaine wanted. I saw it in his eyes the moment he turned back around, smug triumph written all over his stupidly handsome face.
"My, they do certainly educate quality shrinks up north, huh, love?" He walked over to my chair, all swagger, and it just made my blood boil all the more. "You'd think you at least were smart enough to keep your tongue in check. People have gotten hurt for a lot less than calling me a thief."
And there it was-the vocalization of the threat I'd seen in his eyes when I'd pushed him. No, he wasn't a thief. His cocky attitude stemmed from something much more sinister than that.
A burst of fear shot up my spine from that place deep inside where I had locked up all the horrible memories of what-and who-I came from.
This man was the same kind I had grown up with. The kind that took what they wanted and didn't shy away from using force to get it. Yeah, the kind of arrogance streaming off Blaine Steel was the kind a man attained when he was above the law.
He was dangerous.
The sudden spike of fear must have shown on my face, because some of the hardness in his gaze eased a little. He flicked his eyes up and down me again, then lowered his dark lashes halfway, focusing on my lips.
"Not that I'd hurt a bird-even if she is a mouthy little bitch."
His hand grazing gently across my cheek made my anger well up again, eradicating my fear in a smoldering flood of rage.
I smacked his hand away and flew to my feet. He was less than a foot away, and since I only came up to his shoulder, I had to crane my neck back to glare at him. "Get out."
There was no mistaking the victory in his eyes as he cocked an eyebrow at me with such self-assured arrogance that it took everything I had not to slap him. "You're really throwing me out of your office?"
"Yes, I am," I hissed. "And for the record, the next time you want someone to help you, you might get further if you show just an ounce of respect."
Blaine just smirked, obviously not the least bit bothered by my anger. "Respect, little dove, is not something I give out all that easily." And then he put his hand on my arse and squeezed. "But maybe you could try and win it another way?"
It was only that tiny voice of experience with men like Blaine at the back of my mind that stopped me from smacking the smirk off his face then and there. Instead, I stepped back and away from his touch so I could point at the door.
"Get. Out!"
*
Chapter 2
Mira
I have never been so thankful to reach the end of a work day as I was after my session with Blaine Steel.
I was still muttering to myself while I sorted out the last bit of paperwork so I could leave for the day. I could still feel the ghost of his hand against my backside, as if his touch had left a tingling sensation of awareness behind.
Which was partly why I was still angry. Not only had he made me completely lose my professional façade, but he'd also broken through all the walls surrounding my personal space and touched me. This arrogant prick, whom I'd loathed from the first moment I met, had put his hand on me.
And part of me had liked it.
I paused by the door and clutched at the knob as an echo of the shocking sensation of his hand against my arse made me shiver again. It shouldn't have felt good, at all, and I was furious at myself for having any sort of positive reaction to that … that twat, even if it was purely physical.
With a huff I turned the knob and yanked open the door. Clearly, it had been too long since I'd had a man in my life.
The irony wasn't lost on me. I'd gone to university to learn all about the human psyche, yet was unable to get past my own childhood trauma to let anyone properly into my life.
At least I acknowledged it. I locked my office door and put my keys into my purse with a sigh. Perhaps it was time to face my demons soon, so I could start looking for a good man without scaring him off like I had my last semi-serious boyfriend. If nothing else, then because it might stop my neglected ovaries from dancing on the tables just because a man with muscles and a wicked smile groped me.
It was dark when I stepped out of the run-down building and onto the street, as it always was this time of day in late October. Dim streetlights illuminated the pothole-rich road, but so many of them were busted that most of the light came from neon signs above closed shops, as well as the windows of the few restaurants and chippies lining the road. This part of East London wasn't exactly the poshest of places, but it was the only place I had been able to afford to set up my small office. I was situated just above a Thai restaurant. The thing about getting a new identity is that it makes it awfully hard to go to a bank and ask for a business loan.
"Hey, babe!"
I glanced up at a wolf-whistle, and then quickly looked straight ahead again at the sight of a small group of young men loitering by the corner shop. I'd seen them hang around the area before, but had always managed to cross the road before they spotted me. Too late now. The only thing worse than crossing the road after they'd seen me would be to turn around and run. I gritted my teeth and prepared myself for some inevitable harassment.
"What's you so uptight about, babe?" one of them shouted as I walked past without looking to their side.
"Bitch needs a good shag, mate," another said, which was followed by rough laughter. "Hey, come here, princess, and I'll show you what you need."
I ignored their shouts and rushed forward while clinging on to my purse, but suddenly, I found my way blocked.
One of the men had stepped out in front of me and was leering at me. "Calm down, babe. We just want to talk."
I tried to sidestep, but he followed and put a hand on my shoulder. "Not so fast."
My heart leapt into my throat at the contact. Catcalling and street harassment was one thing-a typical nuisance of being a single female out on her own-but he was stopping me from leaving now, and I was having a hard time pushing back the first sliver of panic.
"Let go of me!"
"Aw, don't be like that," one of them purred behind me. "We just want to show you a good time."
"You should pay us for our kindness." A sharp tug on my purse's shoulder strap made me cling on harder to my bag.
"Get off me!"
"Oi! Leave the lady alone." It wasn't a full-on shout, but the new voice mixing in with the whoops and laughs of the group had a distinct no-nonsense tone. The guy grabbing on to my bag was shoved out of the way, and suddenly I was no longer alone in the circle of youths.
"Hey, who the fuck-" The protesting voice behind me died as the newcomer next to me spun around.
"Piss off. And if I see you harassing birds on the street again, you're going to regret the day you slid out of your mother's cunt, got it?"
Someone muttered "Sorry," and then, to my utter astonishment, they all took off down the street and around the corner.
I blinked and readjusted my purse, taking just a moment to gather myself before I looked up at my savior. "Thank you, that-" The words died in my throat when he turned around and his gray eyes met mine.
"You all right?"
"Yeah." I stared up at Blaine for a couple of seconds-long enough for that trademark smirk to reappear-before I managed to pull myself together. "Why did they run from you like that?"
He shrugged and put both hands in his jean pockets. "My family's pretty well-known in some parts of the city. You headed for the station?"
I nodded and gave him a long side-look as he fell into step alongside me. In any big city, only a few families could make low-level thugs scarper just on sight. I'd made it a point to stay far, far away from those sorts of people since I left Belfast years ago, but there was no way Blaine knew anything about where I came from. If he had, I'd likely be in the back of a van by now, not casually strolling down the street beside him.
And, honestly, I was a bit curious as to what had made him come to my rescue.
"I didn't take you for the kind of guy who would lurk around, waiting for an opportunity to save damsels in distress."