“Um, actually, I don’t think I want to meet him. I’m going to go find us some dessert,” Bri’s husband mutters before stepping away from us.
“Chicken!” Bri calls after him.
I want to laugh at their exchange, but I’m too busy trying to keep my tongue in my mouth.
I didn’t know I was attracted to over-the-top, brutish behavior, but it turns out I am.
I really am.
I have to press my thighs together under my dress as my boss scurries away from Dominic.
Whatever was said between them was clearly enough to scare Mr. Ritz half to death. Obviously, I can’t work for him anymore after this. Maybe he can pretend nothing happened, but all I’ll see if I look at him are Dominic’s broad shoulders and the way it made me feel all hot inside.
As Dominic says something to two men who are clearly his, I glance at the people around them.
Dom never raised his voice. And the movements between him and Mr. Ritz were subtle, but the interaction didn’t go unnoticed. But no one is shouting. And no one even has their phones out to record the incident.
No one cares.
Or maybe no one here wants to do anything to cross Dominic Gonzalez.
More than one set of eyes turn my way, and they’re looking at me because I’m his.
And he’s mine.
It only takes a second after Dom stops talking to his men before he finds my gaze.
And just like that, I’m over this party. I want to go home and be alone together.
Dominic’s chest expands, and my eyes drop to look at his chest through his white button-down shirt. I wonder if I can convince him to step into the shower fully dressed. Just so I can see the material cling to his inked body.
My eyes lower as he moves closer.
And I picture how his Til Death tattoo must look underneath his clothing while he walks like that. His hips twisting with each step. The movement pulling his skin tight over his muscles.
And then I think about the designs that trail down his legs.
My mouth starts to water, and I lift my root beer, taking a sip in an attempt to quench my new thirst.
I know what I want for Christmas. And it’s a calendar full of nude photos of Dominic. Hard and ready and for my eyes only.
Bri snaps me out of my daydream when she smooths out the skirt of her red dress next to me, a much more appropriate color for tonight than my yellow. Except Dominic is looking at me like he wants to consume me, so I’m feeling like I made the right choice in wearing this.
He stops before me, and I can’t stop my smile. “Everything okay over there?”
Dom inclines his chin. “Of course. Though it does seem as though you’ll be getting a new boss.”
“Oh?”
“Something about him quitting tonight and never coming back.” Dom’s mouth pulls to the side, and he gives a small shake of his head. “Never can tell with people, can you?”
I raise my brows and similarly shake my head. “So weird.”
His eyes stay on mine. “You look perfect.”
This man.
I twist from side to side, letting the skirt dance around my knees. “This old thing?”
Dom’s lids lower, and I’m suddenly afraid he might just sling me over his shoulder and carry me out of here like a warrior with his prize.
I hold my hand out toward Bri, who has been silently standing at my side. “Dominic, this is Bri. My friend.” I tack on that last part and hope it sounds sincere. Because I really do consider Bri a friend now, and I want Dom to know that she’s not just some work acquaintance. “Bri, this is Dom.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” Dom holds out his large hand, and Bri takes it. “Any friend of Valentine’s is a friend of mine.”
When I look over at Bri, I expect her to be beaming, but the look on her face is so serious.
“Thank you.” And her voice is just as serious.
Dom nods his head, then lets her hand go, and I realize serious is probably the right tone. I think Dominic just offered her the protection of the mafia, and she accepted it.
“I hear congratulations are in order as well,” Dom says to Bri, even as he holds his arm out for me, and I tuck myself into his side. “Is your new husband here?”
Bri smiles this time. “He is. But I think he got a little too intimidated because he’s trying to hide over by the Christmas tree.”
Dom huffs a little laugh and tips his head. “Looks like my man found him anyway.”
We all turn just in time to see Rob patting Bri’s husband on the back, startling him so much he drops the cupcake he was trying to take a bite of.
“Did you want to hit up the buffet before we go?” Dom squeezes my side.
I narrow my eyes up at him. “How much of our conversation were you eavesdropping on today?”
He looks down at me with zero guilt in his expression. “Learn to pay attention to your surroundings and you’d know the answer to that.”
Bri tries to cover her laugh with a cough.
“For your information, we ate when we got here,” I tell him.
“Good.” Dominic turns to Bri. “It was nice to meet you.” Then, without another word to anyone, he guides me toward the elevators.
The doors open right as we get there, and the two men who were holding my boss’s arms at the railing are waiting inside. One of them holds my jacket and purse.
Well, that’s convenient.
Rob steps into the elevator behind us, and the five of us ride down to the main level together while I pull my jacket on and take my purse from the man I don’t know.
Just as the cab slows to a stop, four phones sound with notifications. Mine is the only one that stays silent.
Dominic pulls his phone out of his pocket, and I look up, watching his expression harden.
There’s no use asking if something is wrong.
Something is.
Dom slides his phone into his pocket and circles an arm around my shoulders while the elevator doors slide open. “We’re bringing Mrs. Gonzalez home. Then we’re going to the shop.”
Dom has never called me that before. Not like this. And it scares me.
Rob steps out first, his head moving back and forth as he moves through the lobby.
Then it’s Dom, with me at his side. And the other two men behind us.
I hug my purse to my front and move with them, their long strides making me walk faster than I’m used to.
Rob steps through the front doors and onto the sidewalk first.
I’m not sure where we’re going since the parking ramp is on the other side of the building, but then I see a large black SUV idling at the curb in front of the building, with two matte black cars in front of it and two more behind.
A man jumps out of the SUV, circling around to meet us.
“We’re going to the condo first,” Dom tells the man, who simply nods once, then jogs to the car directly in front of the SUV.
I continue to let Dominic guide me forward, only pausing for him to open the rear door of the large vehicle.
I climb in, and when Dominic starts to get in behind me, I scoot over to the middle of the bench seat.
Rob gets in on the other side of me, and the two men I don’t know take the front.
“Seat belt, Angel.” Dom’s voice is soft, and I don’t realize I’m shaking until I try and fail to comply.
Dominic turns toward me, reaching across my body to close his fingers over mine.
His hands are steady as he helps me.
The click fills the car, and I see a strobe of light out the windshield, which I think is our driver flashing his brights. Then the caravan pulls away from the curb.
“Did you come here with all these guys?” I try to keep my voice quiet as I ask Dominic.
He literally just got that text a moment before we exited the building. There’s no way they’d have been able to get here this quickly if something just happened.
“Yeah, Shorty.” Dom places his hand on my knee.
I want to ask more, like why he’s traveling in a five-car lineup, but the tension in the vehicle is so thick I swear I could reach up and touch it. So I stay quiet.
We maneuver through the streets in a row, and I feel bad that all these guys are driving to our place just to drop me off when they clearly have somewhere else they need to be.
But I have a feeling that offering to take an Uber home wouldn’t go over well.
And honestly, if something bad is happening, I’m glad I’m surrounded by big, scary men.
We start to slow, and I look up to see we’re approaching our building.
I unbuckle, but Dom doesn’t open the door right away when we stop.
He waits. And I watch as four men, the passengers from each of the other four vehicles, line up between us and the front door of the building. Facing away from each other, their backs creating a hallway of sorts.
“With me.” Dominic must direct the command at Rob because I hear his door open at the same time Dom opens his.
I’m careful to keep the skirt of my dress down as I slide off the seat. And when my feet touch the ground, Dom takes my hand, and we walk across the wide sidewalk.
It’s late enough that there aren’t a ton of pedestrians around, but there are definitely some. And they’re watching. But Dom’s men ignore them, so I do, too.
I know we’re making quite the scene, but if it keeps me from dying from some invisible threat, I’m okay with it.
Rob follows Dom and me inside, but the other four men stay where they are.
Phil is seated behind the front desk when we walk past, but everything feels too serious to break the silence, so I just raise my hand as we pass.
When Rob follows us onto the elevator, my paranoia creeps up another notch. Dom must be really worried if he’s having someone come all the way to the door with us.
The ride up is silent, and when the doors open, Rob presses the button that will keep them that way.
With Dominic’s palm on the small of my back, I walk toward our door. And since I’m closest, I place my hand on the reader next to the door, but Dom reaches out to open it after it unlocks.
I step inside, then turn to face Dominic. “Be careful,” I tell him, and at the same time he says, “Stay inside.”
Dom grips my chin and lowers his face to mine. “Be a good wife and stay inside. I’ll be fine.” He presses his lips to mine.
Then he’s gone, the door locking behind him.
