ChapterTen
Sam had to hand it to Bianca—when the feisty heiress decided to play hardball, she did not relent.
That was as true in Sam’s car as they drove back to the Black Diamond Building as it had been at the club. Bianca was sullen and silent in the passenger seat, but she still radiated a hostile energy that made Sam turn on the radio for the first time in months. Anything was better than listening to Bianca’s teeth grind and her extremely short dress bristle against the leather interior of Sam’s BMW. Even Bruce Springsteen blaring from the stereo.
I can’t believe she snuck out. And to a gay bar. Bar Rainbow’s ladies’ night was infamous as one of the few spots in Seattle for women to meet women, especially when they were looking to hook up. Even Sam knew that, although she wasn’t one for clubs or hookups.
And Bianca surely knew it too. All of those looks. All those comments. All the flirting. It had been real. Sam could no longer deny it.
Not that it mattered. She had to keep her hands off Bianca. Unless it was to save her life.
Yet that didn’t quash the jealousy raging in Sam’s gut at the thought of Bianca hooking up with some woman—
“Oh my God.” Bianca plucked her fingers from her temples and dove for the radio. “I can’t take this old people music anymore.”
She pushed the Search button until it landed on the local hip-hop station. Almost immediately, drums and guitars were replaced with slow electronic beats and a whiny, mumble-mouth rapper repeating words Sam couldn’t even understand. It was enough to give her a headache.
“Turn that off,” she said. “Now.”
Bianca huffed, but obeyed.
“Thank you.” Sam stopped at the final set of lights before the Black Diamond Building. “You’re a real pain in my ass, you know that?”
“Why? Because I made you leave the cushy suite myfamily is providing you? Kept you out past your bedtime?”
“This is my personal time.” Sam hit the gas pedal a little too hard when the light turned green. “Believe it or not, I have things I’d like to do before getting my ass up in the morning so I can coddle your precious ass!” Yes, she was aware she’d said the word ‘ass’ more than once. Sam was not proud of how much she kept thinking about Bianca’s ass, yet here they were.
“Sorry I got in the way of your Netflix. Because you sure as hell weren’t inviting someone over.”
“First of all, that would be none of your business.” The garage door opened when the guard on duty recognized Sam’s BMW and the young woman in the passenger seat. “Second of all, you don’t know anything about me.”
She stopped the car in the guest parking spot and shut off the engine. This was turning into the longest day of her life. And she’d been in the military. She’d known long days.
Bianca undid her seatbelt with a snort. “It’s hard to know anything about someone so boring.”
“Boring. Because you’re the arbiter of hip and fun. You and every other girl your age.”
“I’m way more interesting than you.”
Sam leaned over the center console, her nose dangerously close to Bianca’s cheek. “You think being a pretty young woman with more outfits than common sense makes you interesting?”
Bianca’s cheeks flushed. She kicked open her door and pulled herself out, slamming it shut and marching off as if she had somewhere more important to be.
“Wait.” Sam got out of her car in record time. It was the only way to cut Bianca off before she crossed the parking garage and left Sam in the dust. “We need to talk!”
Bianca stopped in her tracks, crossing her arms. “What do you want?”
Sam glanced over her shoulder. Not only were there no guards around at this time of night, but they were standing in the one corner of the garage that was hidden away with poor camera coverage. The CCTV system in the building was one of the things she wanted to address with Vivianne and her husband the next time they had a chance. The fact that every exit isn’t completely covered is a—
No. She was taking care of a much more important security issue right now.
Sam planted her hands on the back of her car and the one next to it. “I need you to understand why you can’t just up and leave without protection anytime you want. And it’s not just because your mother says so.”
“No, no. I get it.” Bianca put her hands on her hips. “It’s because you say so, too. Trust me. I know how you operate. I know how much women like you get off on lording over girls like me.”
“What do you mean by women like me?”
Did Sam puff up her chest and pull her shoulders back as if she were staring down a misbehaving employee or some imbecile of an airman who couldn’t keep his mouth shut? Yes. Did she take slight pleasure in watching Bianca take a step back and shrink against the BMW?