"Here." I hand over the mug. "I don't know how you take it so I just added a little cream.
Her eyes go wide and she puts the papers down. "Thank you. Thank you very much." Her hands shake as she takes the mug and places it on the table in front of her.
"Just a coffee, babe. Nothing to thank me for." I stand, snatching up our stock list from my desk and moving over to sit next to her on the couch. "Shift over," I say with a smile. "If we work together, we can get it done twice as fast." She pauses for a moment, before shuffling to the far end of the couch. It's only a two-seater, but the space she puts between us makes it feel much bigger. We work together in silence, quickly finding a rhythm. I match the invoice to the inventory list, and she checks that they match.
I'm looking for the previous week's listing, sifting through all the papers on my lap but coming up short. Then I feel it.
Her hand on my elbow.
"Is this what you're looking for?" she asks, holding out exactly what I'm looking for. I smile, taking it from her, making sure my fingers brush hers in the process. She flinches but doesn't move back.
"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you."
A flush races up her neck and into her cheeks as her eyes return to the file on her knees. "I'm sure you'd cope," she replies.
And in that moment, as crazy as it seems, I'm not sure I would. "So tell me about yourself."
"There isn't much to tell. What would you like to know?" She picks up a pile of papers and flicks through, staring at them as if they hold this week's lottery numbers.
"Anything you want to tell me."
I watch her sort the papers into separate stacks on the coffee table. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail and it swings slowly as she moves, brushing over her shoulders.
Despite my earlier thoughts of professionalism, my dick hardens. I cannot control myself when she is in the same room as me. Fuck me. It's been too long since I felt any sort of release. Since I felt any sort of connection with another human being.
I want the woman sitting next to me. But she isn't single, and I have a feeling that the man she is with has a firm grip on her soul.
"Tell me about your boyfriend . . . husband?"
"Husband." Her back stiffens, her jaw ticking. When most women talk about their significant other they smile, they might even laugh. They want to tell you about the person they love. Jasmine seems like she is in pain just talking about him.
I know there's something there. From her skittish actions, to the way she almost submits to me. I want to order her to tell me what is going on when a heavy knock sounds on the door. These people have perfect fucking timing.
"Come in," I bark.
Melanie peeks her head around the corner. "That guy's back. And he's pissed."
Fuck.
Chapter Seven
Jasmine
The whites of the woman's eyes are clearly visible, the shake in her voice belying her confident stance. I know fear when I see it, and I can tell that whoever he is, he's definitely not someone who should be here. Cutter's face hardens and I can see the effect that this man has on him.
"Thanks, Melanie." He turns to me and his expression softens. "Jasmine, I'll be back. You can just continue what you've been doing."
I nod.
He follows her out of the room and although my mind should be on the invoices in front of me, I sit here with questions I know I have no right to ask. Who is this guy? And why does Melanie seem afraid of him? What has he done to make Cutter so mad?
I hear raised voices and even though I know it's wrong, I get up and walk out into the hallway. The voices are still muffled as I approach the main floor of the club and I'm about to round the corner when I pause. This is a bad idea. Cutter told me to carry on what I was doing. Okay, he didn't explicitly say to stay in the office, but it was implied. Will he fire me for being nosy?
A shrill scream echoes through the building and my curiosity wins out, but a few steps onto the main floor and I'm frozen in place.
No.
This cannot be happening.
As three sets of eyes land on me, I wish I'd stayed in the office. Back where it was safe, especially as one set of eyes looks as if they might kill me.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Dylan's voice is half a yell and half a growl and my eyes immediately drop to the floor. "This is where you got a job?" His heavy boots thud against the carpet. His hand comes up to grab my chin, bringing my eyes to his.
Melanie backs away as Cutter turns to me. "You two know each other?"