Stronger With Her (12 page)

With him standing in the headlights, I can see just how pissed off he is. The scowl on his face, the clenched fists, the stance all scream angry man. This is not what I wanted to happen. I don’t know what to do now, and he looks like he’s not going to move.

We stare at each other, neither giving up anything. There’s no way for me to drive around him since the club is packed and all the spots are filled. He’s just standing there, alternating between having his arms crossed over his chest and then down at his sides. I’m about to put the car in reverse when he stalks over to the driver’s side of my car.

He stands at my window with one hand on the roof of my car. I feel paralyzed, not knowing whether to drive off or roll the window down. As I’m working this out, he knocks on the window. I sigh in defeat knowing that I’m not going to escape this tonight, yet mentally chastising myself for being such a wimp.

I roll down the window but I don’t say anything.

“Are you trying to run away? We need to talk,” he says, bending over to peer into the car. I’m struck again by how gorgeous his eyes are and how they seem to look right through me.

I sigh and answer, “No, you need to calm down. I don’t think there’s anything to talk about.”

“The fuck there isn’t. You’ve got some explaining to do, and I’m not moving until I get some answers.”

If I’ve learned anything about James Owens over the past few weeks it’s that he doesn’t give up on something he wants.

“Fine,” I say dejectedly. “Follow me back to the employee lot.” I know there are security cameras there just in case things get out of control.

“All right, unlock the door and I’ll ride with you,” he says as he stands up. I don’t argue, I just do what he says. He slides into my Altima, moving the seat back as far as it will go, but he still looks like he’s riding in a clown car.

“Are you sure you want to ride with me?” I ask. “You look incredibly uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine,” he replies sharply, making me jump in my seat. “I’m not letting you try and get away from this conversation, so I’ll endure a little discomfort to make sure this happens.”

I turn the car around and go back to my spot. I spend the short time trying to come up with any excuse to get myself out of this fucking mess. I can’t mess this up, but I don’t think I owe him anything since one job has absolutely nothing to do with the other.

When I put the car in park, the locks disengage, and James is out before I can turn the engine off.
This is going to be
great.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when my door opens. I gather my courage and slowly exit the car. James doesn’t give me much room to move, and once I’ve cleared the door he pulls me against his large body. Next thing I know his lips are on mine and I’m being kissed senseless. Once my brain catches up to what’s happening, I push against the warm hardness that’s pressing me into the side of my vehicle. This earns me a deeper kiss, his tongue darting into my mouth. My body betrays my mind by relaxing into his hold, which is more like a bear hug since he’s so much taller than I am.

It seems that this public display of affection goes on forever, which doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it should. I hear the whimper come from my throat when James finally breaks our connection, causing my cheeks to heat in embarrassment.

“Sorry, I’ve wanted to do that since I first laid eyes on you,” he says gruffly, the desire coming out in his voice.

“Um, okay,” I reply. “Did you still want to talk?” I have to lean my head against the car to look up into his eyes. Part of me wants to go back to the kissing, but the rational part wants to make sure this isn’t messing up my company.

“Oh, yeah,” he says taking a small step back. I instantly feel chilly with the loss of his body heat. James reaches out and takes my hand which is completely swallowed by his, leading me to the back of my car.

“So, tell me what you’re doing dancing at The Sprocket,” he says with a look that makes my mother’s skunk eye look tame. I take a moment to get my thoughts together, knowing that how this goes will determine my entire future.

“Does it change things with our contract?” I’ve got to buy some time because I don’t know if he’ll believe the real reason.

“That depends on what you tell me. Stop stalling, Stephanie,” he says contemptuously, “why do you take your clothes off for money in a place like this?” He leans back against the trunk and crosses those massive arms across his equally defined chest. I could stare at his physique all night. I start to fantasize about what else I’d like to do all night when the sound of him clearing his throat brings me back to the moment.

“I’m waiting and we’re not leaving here until you explain what’s going on. I can be a very patient man when I have to be. So, you decide how long this is going to take.”

I breathe deeply and hope that I can keep my explanation brief but give enough information to satisfy his need for knowledge.

“It’s not what you think, James. I don’t do it for the money,” I say, looking down at the ground.

He laughs loudly causing me to look up quickly. “Right, that’s what every stripper says. Don’t bullshit me. If it’s not the money then why do it at all?”

“Look, I really don’t think that I need to explain myself to you. What I do on my own time is none of your business. There is nothing in my contract with your company that says anything about my private life. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?” I square my shoulders and stand up to my full height, but he’s still so much taller than me that it’s like Mike Wazowski trying to be as big as Sully from Monsters, Inc. It’s probably just as comical to anyone who might see us, too.

“I don’t give a fuck about that contract. I want to know why someone as brilliant as you feels the need to take your clothes off in front of a bunch of horny men. So I ask again, if it’s not the money, then why?”

“You know what, if you don’t “give a fuck” about the contract,” I say making quote marks with my fingers. “then you don’t have to worry about what I do on my own time.” I mimic his pose, leaning back against my car again and cross my arms over my chest. We stare at each other like two men engaged in a showdown.

“I still think you’re hiding something, but I really don’t want you to do this anymore,” he says with a small smile. I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“I’
m sorry,” I mumble. Inside I’m kicking my own ass for being such a dick.

“It’s okay,” she replies quietly. I take a chance and look at her. She’s staring at the ground, watching as her right foot kicks at a rock. Great, now I’ve really fucked this up.

“Why don’t I go get my truck? Then, if you want, I’ll follow you home to make sure you get there safely.” I’m not letting her go just yet.

“I’ll be able to get home on my own,” she responds quickly.

“I would feel much better if you’d let me see for myself,” I say with more authority than I intend. The tone gets her attention and her head snaps up. The look on her face speaks volumes of her irritation with me.

“Fuck you, James. I’ve made it this far on my own, and I don’t need a babysitter. I’ll take you back to your truck but you are not following me home,” she says as she moves past me and gets into the driver’s seat.

I don’t want to leave her, and that scares the shit out of me.

“Look,” I say following her, “I don’t want you to be upset with me. I’m not sure what came over me tonight. I normally don’t act like this,” I try to explain something that I can’t understand.

“It’s fine. I’ll still plan on being at the office on Monday to finish the system. Let’s just forget this ever happened, okay?” She gives me a look that tells me to just agree. I nod my head and tap the roof.

“I’ll see you on Monday,” I say as I back away from the car. She drives off, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

“That went well,” I mutter to myself, making my way to my truck. Once I’m on the highway headed home I take a moment to mull over the events of tonight. I’m most shocked by my reaction to finding out that the little woman we hired to protect our company is the same one I haven’t been able to get out of my mind for the past few weeks. I chuckle at the thought of her as a “little woman” and I believe that she would try to kick my ass for that one. And, what was the whole caveman thing? I’ve never been like that, not even when I was with Danielle. There’s just something about Stephanie that makes me want to try and protect her, keep her from the sharks at the club, and make sure that nobody ever hurts her. I never thought I would feel this way about a woman ever again.

It’s nearly midnight by the time I pull into the driveway at Ma’s house. I know she’ll be asleep so I try as hard as I can to be quiet as I enter the front door.

“Where have you been?” I hear from the couch. I jump a foot in the air at the shock of someone speaking to me from the dark room. I reach over and flip the light switch, flooding the room with bright light. My pain-in-the-ass brother, Jacob, is sitting there with an open beer next to him.

“What the fuck are you doing sitting in the dark? Don’t you have your own place to live?” I shout at him. He’s such an ass.

“Ma called me to come over and open a jar for her. She said you were gone and weren’t here to help her. Of course, that made me wonder where you would be, since you never go out. So, tell me, little brother, where have you been?” He raises one eyebrow and crosses his arms, settling back into the cushions to wait for my answer.

“None of your goddamn business, dickwad. I’m going to bed,” I say as I walk out of the room.

“You know I’ll find out, right? I’m not letting this go,” I hear my brother yell. I don’t answer him as I climb the stairs and go directly to the shower. I’m sure there will be hell to pay because Jacob is like a bloodhound when he wants information. I won’t make it easy for him because I know what he’ll do with the information he finds.