“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking at the safe.
“Not dinner, not you,” he hissed. “That pu**y’s for sale.”
My eyes shot to him.
“Um… excuse me?”
He crossed his arms on his chest. “Disappointing. Thought you were a sweet piece. Worth it. Worth the work. The trouble. The kind that would make you wanna fix. Permanently. Shoulda known when you showed at that party here. Not your scene. But you wanted Knight, hoped he’d be here. And, congratulations, babe,” his eyes swept me in my PJs, “seems you got him.”
I sucked in breath and asked, “Nick, how did you get in here?”
His gaze swept me again and they were working. Then something shifted in his face, his eyes. Something ugly, calculating but I wasn’t certain I got it.
Then he spoke but not to answer my question.
“Head’s up, you don’t deserve it but you’re not the first.”
I sucked in another breath and informed him, “I know that.”
His head tipped to the side, he smiled a nasty smile and he asked, “So, you’re okay with the charity?” My body got tight. “’Course you are, baby.” He took a step toward me, I took a step into the hall, bracing for flight and he stopped. “Comes with the good shit. The apartment. He buy you clothes yet? A car?”
I stared at him as my heart started beating faster.
“No car,” he muttered, watching me closely. “Knight, he likes it like that. Sees the pretty ones with the cheap shoes and twenty dollar haircuts. Wantin’ more. Got a streak in him, acts on it. Shows ‘em good. Shows ‘em sweet. Steaks. Nice clothes. Satin sheets. Gets off on it. Advice? Hang on tight for the car, baby. He’ll let you keep it.”
I ignored this, for now, and stated, “You obviously have keys. It’s likely Knight would want you to return those to me right before you leave, which would be about now.”
“Don’t get lost,” he whispered, leaning into me, watching me closely. “Don’t think he’ll keep you. He gets bored with his charity cases and he does it easy. Could be days. Could be weeks. Could be longer. Anya, with you, I bet he keeps you around a while. But he’ll get tired of you. He’ll scrape you off. And you’ll have the car, the clothes but you’ll be precisely where you started and Knight won’t look back. He never looks back. He just waits for the next pretty one to show at Slade in a dress someone else wore before her and shoes she hopes no one notices and then he’ll give it to her sweet. Until he’s done with her too.”
I tried to calm my breathing, lifted my hand, palm up and demanded, “Keys.”
He walked to me.
I stepped back to give him plenty of room then braced as he stopped in the hall with me.
“Just sayin’, I know it’s sloppy seconds to my f**kin’ brother but, he gets done with you, find me. I’ll give you sweet too and it’ll also last a while.”
“Keys,” I hissed.
He lifted his hand and dropped the keys but did it purposefully so they missed my palm and hit the floor. I kept my eyes to his not about to go for them with him still there.
Then I jumped to the side as his leg went back and he kicked the keys. I didn’t watch them but I listened to them sail across the floor and bump down the stairs into the sunken living room.
“Fuck him good, Anya, and when you come to me, you can show me how my brother likes it,” he whispered to me.
“Now’s your time to leave,” I whispered back
He glared at me.
Then he turned and took his time walking to the door.
Knight’s door locked automatically. I heard it catch then I ran to it and turned the deadbolt.
Then I stood at the door.
Charity case.
Clothes.
Steaks.
Car.
Car.
“Shit car, babe. Gotta get you something decent.”
He said that, not straight out saying he’d buy me one but hinting at it and he barely f**king knew me.
Nick knew.
The steaks.
The stupid steaks.
Nick knew.
Knight Sebring looked at my shoes, fifteen minutes later walked through my apartment and he got himself a live one.
Nick knew.
Knight hadn’t even f**ked me and he spent thousands of dollars on me.
I should have known in his luxury condo with his Aston Martin and his shit-hot club that Knight Sebring who could have anybody would not chose me unless there was some jacked reason why.
“Wars fought over a face like this.”
Bullshit.
I wondered how many woman he’d said that to.
I closed my eyes tight.
Then I turned, moving stiffly, I reached in and flipped the switch on the light in the study and the windowless room went black. Then, like I’d be graded for the endeavor, I carefully closed the door.
Then I walked slowly down the hall to the bedroom.
Then I got dressed, shoved my PJs in my overnight bag, went to the kitchen, grabbed my purse from the counter and dug out the keys to Knight’s apartment. I dropped them on the counter, pulled on my jacket and grabbed my bag and purse.
Then I got the heck out of there.
The covers were yanked off, my eyes flew open and my first thought was that he busted through the chain.
I knew it was him.
And I knew this because the room was filled with vibrating, searing heat.
“Knight –” I whispered but that was all I got out before I was out of bed, moved, tugged and positioned until I was straddling him as he sat on the side. His arm locked around my hips, his other hand fisted in my hair holding my face an inch from his
“It’s f**kin’ three thirty in the morning and I drove here from my place where I found my bed empty. Then I got here and the chain was f**kin’ on. One word answer,” he bit out. “Yes or no. You forget where you were supposed to sleep and who was gonna be sleepin’ beside you? And, babe, warning, the answer better be yes.”
I stared into his shadowed face.
Then I said, “No.”
He instantly started to swing me out.
But I clamped on and snapped, “Knight! No. You don’t get to punish me. We’re over.”
He stilled.
Completely.
“What the f**k?” he whispered.
“Nick came over tonight.” His body, already still, went solid under me. “He had a key. We had a chat. I know.”
“You know,” he clipped then, “You know what?”
“I know about your charity cases.”
Silence.