The Lion and the Lamb

She realized with horrifying clarity they had quite literally stumbled into the lion’s den, and he awaited them with his mouth wide and his teeth sharpened.

“This is your club?” Tatum asked, astonished and outraged. Why she was pissed over that, she wasn’t quite sure, but clearly the reason they were brought to his back office couldn’t be good.

He didn’t respond right away, just moved behind his desk and took a seat. The blond man produced a lighter for the cigar Slade slipped between his lips. His green eyes stayed on Tatum, and she had the disgusting feeling of being undressed.

He took several deep pulls, smoke billowing around him, further adding to the sinister air that followed him. He flicked his hand toward the man beside him. Blondie moved until he stood behind Tatum and Kiki, blocking the only exit.

“Do you know why I brought you here?”

Tatum tightened her hand on Kiki’s. “No, but I do know I want to get the hell out of here.”22Slade’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why don’t you have a seat?” Tatum shook her head. He slammed his fist on the desktop and stood. His chair slammed back against the wall. “Take a fucking seat.” He didn’t raise his voice, but his low, even words were like a slap to her face.

Her heart slammed against her chest, and she moved to the couch with Kiki beside her. Whatever this psycho wanted was beyond Tatum. She had nothing, but she wasn’t a fool. Doing what he said was clearly the smart thing to do.

He smiled, but it was far from sweet. “There now, that wasn’t so hard.” He sat down behind his desk again and went back to puffing away on his cigar. “Now, about the reason I have you here.” He tapped his ash out and took another long drag, holding the smoke in his mouth before blowing it out. “Would you say your relationship with Leo Castill is strong, Ms. Weatherton?”

Tatum felt her brows pull down. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” She flicked her eyes at Blondie. “I assure you Collin won’t be any assistance to you.” Collin’s blue eyes stared at her, unflinching and unsympathetic.

“I don’t really see how that matters.”

He chuckled, but it sounded humorless. “I assure you, Ms. Weatherton, it is very relevant to my intentions.”

Tatum wanted to tell him that, yes, things were very serious between her and Leo, but the protective part of her didn’t want to give this man any ammunition. Whatever his plans were, they clearly concerned Leo.

“I…” She looked at Kiki, whose expression was one of worry and fear. Tatum felt the same way. “No, there isn’t anything serious going on between the two of us.” Saying those words hurt her, and she felt an ache settle in the center of her chest.

For several long moments, Slade stared at her, not speaking, just puffing away on that damn, smelly-ass cigar. “I want you to work for me.”

What? “All of this is because you want me to work for you?”

When he leaned back in his chair, the leather creaked from his weight. “Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

The feel of Slade’s stare was powerful, but for the life of her, Tatum couldn’t bring herself to look away from him. For whatever reason, Slade looked so damn smug, like he knew she would jump at the idea to work for him.

“I work for Leo.”

Collin shifted, and Tatum looked over at him. His blue eyes were trained on her, and she felt herself wish he’d look away. All these eyes on her made her feel like she was under a microscope.

“You said yourself there isn’t anything serious between the two of you. I’d pay you better than him. You don’t have anything to lose and everything to gain.”

If this wasn’t the weirdest thing she had ever come across. “I don’t understand why you’re offering the job to me when I’m sure you could find someone else who actually wants it.” For several moments, he watched her. The cloying scent of tobacco filled the room, and she wished he had a damn window in the office to open.

“I don’t want anyone else working in my club.”

Despite the fact that she had no intentions of leaving her employment, she was curious as to why a man like Slade wanted her. Could this be some kind of pissing contest? Did Slade just want her because she worked for Leo and they hated each other? “But why me?”

He set his cigar in an ashtray and rested his elbows on his desk, leaning forward. “I can see why you’re curious, but does it really matter?” He steepled his fingers in front of his mouth; he looked every bit the cunning asshole she met at the club.

“Yes, it does.” Straightening her shoulders, she was not about to be intimidated by him. The corner of his mouth kicked up, and he shook his head and started laughing, as if this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.