I’d been in a sour mood before I saw those words. Flashbacks of the hotel lobby came back to me, the fiery look in Hades’s eyes as he stared at me with cruelty. He marched all the way down there to get Sofia away from me…as if I would actually harm her in some way. I should leave her alone, but to be honest, she really was all I had. When I was beaten and broken, she’d nursed me back to health. I saw Hades as a brother, but I didn’t see Sofia as a sister. I saw her as the third person in our group. She was just one of the guys… I grabbed the phone to text back.
A muscular man moved onto the barstool beside me. His tattooed fingers tapped on the surface of the wood, and he quickly got the bartender’s attention. “Old fashioned—hold the orange.”
Nothing about this was funny, but I smiled anyway. “You think showing up everywhere I go is intimidating?”
“How about I ask your stomach?” He grabbed the glass and took a drink.
I chuckled. “I recover fast.”
“But will your father?”
My blood turned cold at the threat. “That’s the kind of man you want to be? Threatening elderly people? Real respectable…”
“You’re one to talk about respect…going to my brother like that.”
I couldn’t believe Balto threw me under the bus. If he ever needed me to bail him out of a jam, I’d let him rot.
“You thought that was going to work?”
“I thought he would remind you that you’re shitty at your job.”
He laughed into his glass before he took a drink. “Now, that’s not true. If it were, I wouldn’t be here right now. I don’t stop until I get my money. You’re a banker, you get it.”
“I don’t go up to strangers and demand money.”
“Oh, come on, we aren’t strangers. I always thought we were friends…in a weird way.” He turned in his stool so he faced me directly. “And just to clarify, Balto didn’t sell you out. He actually told me to go easy on you…because you saved his ass a couple years ago.”
“Then back off. I’m not paying you.” I was so rich that the money meant nothing to me, but it was the principle of the matter. “My friend wouldn’t have been raped if you’d done your job. But you didn’t, and now I have to live with that for the rest of my life.”
“That’s rough, but I let the back taxes go.”
“Not good enough.” I turned my gaze in his direction. “You weren’t there then. How can I trust you’ll be there later?”
“Because I will. The transition was bad timing.”
“Until it’s bad timing again.” I drank from my glass until it was empty. “I’m not paying you, Heath.” I put the glass on the table, upside down.
He turned quiet, his breathing audibly different. “I’m trying to be a nice guy, Damien. But that won’t last long.”
“I’m not a nice guy either, Heath. Not ever.”
He sighed before he finished the rest of his drink. “Your pride isn’t worth what’s about to happen to you. I encourage you to think it over before it’s too late.”
16
Annabella
It took him an hour to text me back. Not tonight. Tomorrow. He wasn’t playful at all, telling he was in a bad mood—again.
Was this guy ever happy?
In the back of my mind, I wondered if he was with Sofia. Judging by the content of that message I saw, it wasn’t the first time she’d texted him. She was desperate to get his attention—and maybe she’d succeeded.
Bitch.
If it bothered me that much, I should do something about it.
But what?
The next day, I got off work and entered my apartment. I smelled like sandwiches and soup, so I washed that stink away before I did my hair and got dressed. When I grabbed my phone, there was a message from Damien. Can I come by?
I hated myself for smiling at his words. Depends. What are you bringing?
His response was immediate. My dick.
Anything else?
You want me to bring something else?
Guys usually bring a woman flowers…
You want flowers?
No…I’d prefer a pizza.
LOL. You got it.
He arrived at my door twenty minutes later, and instead of knocking, he just walked inside.
“Doorbell doesn’t work?” I got off the couch and moved toward him, liking his gray t-shirt and black jeans. In his hand was a pizza box, the smell heavenly.
“You knew I was coming. Why knock?” His eyes roamed over my body, and judging from the intensity of his gaze, he liked the way I looked. A slight smile formed on his handsome lips, enhancing his good looks.
I popped open the top of the box. “Whatcha get?”
He pulled the box out of my grasp. “Whoa, slow down.” He bent his neck down. “I don’t get a kiss first?”
His charm and playfulness always made me melt, especially when he was so hot too. My hands moved to his chest, and I rose on my tiptoes so I could kiss him. It should be an innocent embrace, a welcoming gesture. But once his lips were on mine, I forgot about the cheesy pizza filling my apartment with its appetizing fragrance.