Tempted

“Thank you, Stan,” she calls out before pushing open the door and exiting without a single word in my direction.

I groan. “Stan, give me a minute.” He chuckles. I’m sure he’s finding this entire situation hilarious.

He’s been with me for years, and he knows damn well that I don’t chase women, but here I am, throwing open my own door and running after her.

“Bailey,” I call out, and she stops, twisting the top half of her body around to look at me. “What are you doing, Drew?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m walking you to your door,” I grate out. “Do you make it a habit of putting yourself in danger?”

I watch her jaw work before she clenches her teeth, popping one of her fists on her hip defiantly.

“Do you make it a habit of chasing after women who don’t want your help?”

“Bailey,” I warn, and she doesn’t back down.

“Go away, Drew.”

“Can you just accept my help? Is it so bad that I didn’t want to allow you to walk home in the dark? At that time of night, it’s unlikely you would’ve gotten another driver.”

“It’s New York City. I can always get a driver.”

“Your last one canceled,” I say, throwing my hands up in the air.

Frustrated, she takes a deep breath and walks toward me, shaking her head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just . . . what’s going on here?” she asks, changing tactics and throwing me off guard.

“What do you mean?” I ask, genuinely not knowing what she’s talking about.

“Why are you treating me differently from everyone else? You shadowed me tonight when, according to everyone else, that’s not normal behavior for you. You offer me one of the VIP slots when there are waitresses with more seniority. And here you are, giving me a ride home. Why?” she demands.

Should I tell her the truth? Fuck no.

I can’t even dissect what the hell is going on here.

Carter’s words filter through my mind, and I wonder again what this girl has been through, other than the obvious.

That thought has me taking a step back. I may be an asshole, but this girl doesn’t deserve it. So I concoct the best lie I can in seconds and spill.

“You’re right, it’s not a common practice for me to shadow employees, but I’m trying to be more in touch with what goes on in my clubs. You’re also right that I should’ve probably given the position to one of the other girls, but I wasn’t lying when I said you have drawn the attention of our regulars. You’ve gotten more praise than any of the others, and I don’t believe that seniority equates to being the best person for a job. I also know you need the money more than any of them.”

She winces. “And how would you know that?” I’ve clearly struck a nerve.

“Cal told me a little bit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course, he did.”

I raise my hands palm up and shrug. “How else do you think you got the job? I’m not gonna lie, Bailey. I’m not a huge fan of your soon-to-be brother-in-law. He’s a bit of a dick.”

“That’s one thing we can agree on,” she says, and I smirk. “And the ride?” she asks, obviously wanting me to explain myself fully.

“What can I say? I have a bit of a hero complex.”

She narrows her eyes, not accepting that as my answer.

“Okay, okay,” I relent. “I also don’t need a crime happening in front of my club to attract law enforcement. I try to run a clean ship, but that doesn’t mean everything’s perfect over there. I’m not about to go make problems that cause the police to sniff around, and let’s face it, your sister would be all over Silver if something happened to you there.”

“Fair enough,” she says, accepting that. “I just . . . I’ve heard rumors about you too, Drew. I don’t want to assume anything, but I also want to make it clear that I’m not one of those girls anymore.”

My head jerks back as I try to dissect everything she’s just said.

I’m not one of those girls anymore.

What the hell does that even mean? Do I even want to know?

No. I don’t. So I go on to the next what the fuck statement.

“What exactly have you heard about me?” I asked the question, knowing full well. Fucking Carter.

I’m gonna wring his neck tomorrow.

“That you like girls.”

I huff. “I like girls?” I sneer. “What warm-blooded man doesn’t?” I let out a sigh. “Listen. Whatever you’ve heard about me probably has some truth to it, Bailey, but not everything you hear is true.”

“I understand that, which is why I’m bringing it up to you. I want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, as they say,” Bailey sighs. “I just want to make it clear that you’re my boss, and I’m your employee. I’m not looking to garner any favors from you, and I’m not willing to give favors in exchange for privileges.”