He caught Toni Britton watching him from wh
ere she stood on the covered patio, her gaze never wavering from his. As if she didn’t have a problem getting caught ogling him. Sending her a menacing glare, he took a long drink of his beer. Noticed she still didn’t look away, damn it. She looked downright…intrigued.
Shit.
“Mia.” The man’s deep voice sounded from behind them, and they both turned around to find a middle-aged man standing in front of them. Average height, portly build and slightly balding, he didn’t look the least bit intimidating.
Jake knew at once this was the infamous Larry.
“Hi, Larry,” she said, clutching her cup of soda so tight her fingers turned white. “How are you?”
“Great, now that you’re here.” He didn’t even look in Jake’s direction. He only had eyes for his assistant and he pulled her in for a quick embrace, kissing her cheek.
Jake had the sudden urge to punch his face in.
“Thank you so much for inviting us.” Blindly, Mia reached for him, her hand grappling for his and he took it, pulling her close. Forcing her boss to finally see him. “Larry, this is my boyfriend Jake.”
Larry cast him a fleeting glance, his dismissal obvious. “Nice to meet you,” he sniffed.
The man didn’t even offer to shake his hand. Jake merely nodded at him, so pissed he was afraid of what he might say.
They made idle conversation though Jake never felt that included. Toni came over, pretending friendliness, but really he sensed she wanted to check him out further. He felt like a piece of meat under her crawling, suggestive gaze. Both of them creeped him out, and he couldn’t believe Mia worked for this piece of shit.
If he had his way he’d tell her to quit on the spot. Help her find another job so she could get away from this guy. It just didn’t…feel right, and Jake wasn’t one to worry about vibes or bad feelings.
This house, this couple, everything about them made his skin crawl.
They finally got away and ended up sharing a lounge chair that sat on the far side of the opulent swimming pool, close to the waterfall that spilled into the shimmering water. They both sat on the edge, Jake clutching his second beer, Mia nursing her watered down soda. People milled about, most of them associates of Larry’s, she explained. Hardly any of her fellow employees were at this party.
He wondered at that too.
“I’m so glad you came with me,” she finally said, her fingers playing with the rim of her red plastic cup. “I would’ve been really uncomfortable here alone.”
“I’m uncomfortable now, and we have each other for support,” he said, unable to hold back.
She shot him a knowing smile and bumped her shoulder into his. “It’s pretty awful, isn’t it?”
“Completely awful.” He grew serious, his gaze locked with hers. “Why do you continue to work for him, Mia? From what you’ve told me and from what I’ve observed, he crosses the line. Constantly. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
Her eyes dimmed, and she looked away, staring unseeingly at the pool. “The economy’s pretty bad still, you know. It’s hard to find a new job, and this one pays well. It’s a lot of work, but it’s all I have.”
“Someone as skilled, as professional as you shouldn’t have a problem finding another job. You should at least look.”
“But what if it backfires? What if I start somewhere else and then I’m the newest one there? Maybe they’ll need to do cutbacks and then I’m laid off. I couldn’t afford that.”
“So you’d rather suffer.” He leaned in close, caught a whiff of her sweet floral scent. Damn, he was tempted to reach out and touch her. Run his thumb across her lower lip. Trace his finger over the soft curve of her cheek. She was beautiful, and she stared up at him, her gaze filled with longing.
Longing that most likely mirrored his own gaze.
“I told you earlier I don’t really like change.”
“I’m change.” When she frowned at him he continued. “Being with me is new and different, right?”
She nodded. Didn’t say a word when he gave into his urges and touched her. Skimmed his index finger along the line of her jaw, the slight point of her chin. Her skin was so soft and he heard her quick intake of breath. As if his touch unnerved her.
“And you like spending time with me, right?” His finger drifted, drew a slanting line across first one cheek, then the other, then down the straight line of her pert nose. Her lids fluttered, dark blonde lashes casting shadows across her skin and the urge to kiss her was damn near overwhelming.
“Yes, I enjoy spending time with you,” she admitted softly. “You’re the only reason I’m surviving this afternoon.”