“And the rest is owing. You got three payments to make. You missed the last two, so no bike.”
“That’s fucking robbery! And I’m not leaving until I get my damn bike.”
“That so?” Sav drawled.
This was going nowhere good. She scooted around the asshole and got between the two men.
“Tabby,” Sav warned.
“It’s time you left,” she said to the drunk boar. “You’re getting nowhere here.”
“Listen, bitch, I’m not leaving until I get my bike.”
“It’s not here,” Sav told him. “Tabby, get over here.”
She shook her head. If she moved, she was worried about what Sav would do. This guy wasn’t leaving without force, and she couldn’t let Sav make the first move.
“Where the fuck is he?” The other guy swayed, unsteady on his feet. Just how drunk was he?
“Razor isn’t here. And you need to go before I call the cops and have them escort you off the premises.” She crossed her fingers behind her back, knowing she wouldn’t call the police.
“Nobody is making me fucking leave.”
He swung out with his fist. But he was slow and clumsy and she was used to ducking punches. She crouched and then moved to the side.
She felt rather than heard Sav move. The big, drunk guy let out an enraged roar that quickly turned into a high-pitched squeal.
Turning, her heart raced as she saw that Sav had the asshole pinned to her desk. His face was squished against the wood as Sav held his arm twisted against his back.
“Get Dart, babe,” he told her.
Nodding, she raced out of the office and into the shop. The music was pumping, and they didn’t have a clear view of the office, so she guessed they hadn’t heard the drunk guy’s yells.
She had to be thankful that Sav had come in when he had, or she hated to think what might have happened. She always had pepper spray in her handbag, as well as a stun gun, but her bag was locked in a drawer.
Maybe she should start carrying some pepper spray in her pocket.
Just as she started toward the garage, she heard a truck behind her, turning she saw it was Razor. Relief filled her. She rushed over to him as he got out, Luna beside him. He was staring at the red truck parked in front of the office.
“Razor! There’s a drunk man inside. He’s very insistent on seeing you. Sav is in there. He might need help.”
“Fuck! Stay out here. Luna, stay with Tabby.” Razor rushed inside.
Screw that. Tabby quickly put Luna back in the cab of Razor’s truck then ran in after him. Inside, she found Sav still had the asshole pinned down. He didn’t look strained at all.
Razor half-turned, frowning at her. “Tabby, I told you to stay outside.”
Yeah. She wasn’t doing that.
“Let me go!” the smelly boar yelled.
“What’s going on?” Razor demanded.
She moved up beside him.
“Tabby, stay behind me.”
“Let me go, asshole!” the jerk yelled.
“Shut up,” Razor said in such a cold voice that she actually felt a chill. She stayed beside him, though. It wasn’t like this guy was going anywhere. He wasn’t a threat.
“He came in, stinking of alcohol and yelling, then he tried to hit Tabby,” Sav explained.
“What? Are you hurt?” Razor turned to her. “Where did he touch you? What happened?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t hit me.”
“Grabbed her arm, though.”
Darkness entered Razor’s gaze and she gulped at the sight. She’d been around evil. Razor wasn’t evil, but he definitely looked like he was about to commit murder.
“He didn’t hurt me. I swear, I’m fine.” She glared over at Sav. What was he trying to do? Rile Razor up? Couldn’t he see he was near the edge of his control?
“I just want my fucking bike! It’s mine!”
“Tabby, go outside,” Razor told her calmly.
Oh no, she didn’t think that was a good idea. She shook her head. She needed to be here to make sure Razor and Sav were okay. And that they didn’t do anything crazy.
Sav raised his eyebrows as he stared at her then up to Razor to see what he was going to do.
“Tabby, go outside.”
“I’ll stay.”
“You’ll go outside. Now.”
Shock filled her at the dominant tone of his voice. She’d never heard him talk like that. Not even when he was telling her off for starting work too early.
“What are you going to do?”
Razor turned and opened the door. Then he just stared at her.
Frowning, she kept her gaze down so he couldn’t see the disgruntled look on her face. He was still her boss.
But she just wanted to help. To protect them. What if they needed a witness? Well, she could still lie and say she was there.
A taxi pulled up outside and sat there as she stood by the truck. Just as she was going to go ask the driver if he needed something, the door to the office opened and Razor walked out with the surprisingly subdued drunk man. He was walking kind of funny, leaning against Razor as though he couldn’t stand on his own.
Razor gave her a firm look. As though telling her to stay put.
She got it. He didn’t want her anywhere near the guy. The asshole turned to glare at her. Razor drew him close and whispered something in his ear that made him pale. A terrified look entered his eyes.
The jerk got into the taxi without a word. Razor said something to the driver, then the taxi left. He turned and looked at her.
Uh-oh.
She got the feeling she was in trouble.
Razor was trying very, very hard not to lose it.
She’d already been exposed to enough anger and violence today. She had to have been terrified by that asshole’s behavior.
He’d left her alone and vulnerable. He sat at his desk and closed his eyes as he thought of everything that could have happened.
What if Sav hadn’t come in then?
What if that jerk had touched her?
What if she hadn’t managed to avoid that punch?
Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
“Razor? Are you all right?”
He opened his eyes to find her still standing across from him. Sav had gone back into the shop. Fuck, he owed the other man big time.
Tabby held a bottle of water in one hand and the rest of her chocolate bar in the other. He’d insisted she take both. Fuck, at this rate, he was going to need to buy shares in a chocolate factory.
“Sit down. Drink your water. Eat your chocolate.”
She gave him a puzzled look but sat. He wished she’d obeyed him that quickly earlier when he’d told her to leave. What had she been thinking? She obviously had no sense of self-preservation. That guy had been dangerous. He could have hurt her and instead of getting herself to safety, she’d dared to shake her head at Razor when he’d given her an order.
He wanted to take her over his knee and spank some sense into her.
Easy, man.
She wasn’t his sub. She’d had trauma in her past. She was his employee.
One he’d failed to keep safe.
“That won’t happen again.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You mean he won’t be back?”
“I mean, you won’t be left alone here in the office again. If I have to leave, one of the boys will come in here with you. If I’m out in the shop, then you can lock the office door and call me if someone arrives.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious!”
He just looked at her.
“You’re serious. Like really serious,” she muttered. “But why? Because of one angry customer? I can handle guys like him.”
He hated the calm way she said that. As though it was an everyday occurrence. She shouldn’t have to put up with shit from guys like Gary.
Razor wished to fuck he could have taken the guy out back and taught him a lesson. In his younger days,
he wouldn’t have hesitated to break the bones in his legs in retaliation for touching something that belonged to him.
Fuck.
Tabby doesn’t belong to you.
But he was possessive over everyone who worked for him. And, of all of them, she was the most vulnerable.
“He touched you.”
“He just grabbed my arm, it was nothing.”
“Sav said you tried to stop him from getting into my office.”
“He thought you were hiding in there from him. As if you’d hide from someone like that. You could easily take him.”
“I’d never hide,” he commented arrogantly. He was pleased with her faith in him. “But you should have just let him in there. You’re not to try and defend me, understand? That’s my job. To protect you.”
She gave him a startled look. “But why?”
“Because you work for me.”
“And you think that means you need to protect me?”
“Exactly.” And she was to obey him when it came to her protection.
“That’s just stupid.”
He stared at her. She flushed red. “Um, I probably could have worded that better.”
Razor placed his arms on the desk and linked his fingers together. “And how could you have worded that?”
“Well, I, um, it’s not your job to protect me,” she blurted out. “That’s not what an employer does.”
“It’s my job to make sure my employees are safe in their workplace. You wouldn’t have been exposed to that asshole if you weren’t working here, correct?”
“I suppose so, but—”
“There are no ‘suppose sos’ or ‘buts’ about it. That’s the damn truth.”
“But you didn’t know he was going to turn up here. Or that he’d be violent or drunk. And it’s probably my fault for not telling anyone that he’d called.”
“Yes, you should have called me straight away then gone and gotten Dart. Anything like this happens again, that’s what you do. You find someone and tell them. You do not try to keep some asshole out of my office. You also don’t situate yourself between said asshole and one of my guys.” She went to speak and he held up his hand. “I’m speaking right now.”
She grumbled something under her breath then put the water and chocolate on his desk before slumping back with her arms folded over her chest.
Damn. That was actually cute. She looked so disgruntled. He wished he could pull her onto his lap and hold her tight, tell her never to do that again.
What was wrong with him?
It’s because you feel responsible for her. That’s all.
“And you definitely do not ignore an order given by me for your safety, understand?”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Understand?” he asked in a lower voice, injecting some Dom into his tone.
She immediately seemed to take notice, sitting up straight and uncrossing her arms. He tried not to read too much into that. Her eyes couldn’t meet his. That was something he’d noticed she did a lot. Dropped her gaze.
But he wasn’t sure why. Because she was a sub? Because that’s what she’d been taught to do? Was it out of fear? He hated that thought.
Or was it that she was trying to hide her true feelings?
“I understand.”
“Good girl.” Shit. If she objected to being called a kid, then she wouldn’t like being called a girl either.
But she didn’t say anything. Then she raised her gaze. “What did you say to him to get him to calm down? He was spitting mad when he got here and he didn’t say boo when he left. Did you hit him?”
He blinked in surprise at her matter-of-fact voice then he remembered her background. Fuck. How much violence had she seen? Experienced?
“I just made a few things crystal clear to him.”
He’d reminded that asshole of who he was, and why he didn’t want to cross him. Then he’d told him exactly what would happen if he ever showed his face here again, came near any of Razor’s people, or so much as breathed in Tabby’s direction.
Asshole had nearly pissed himself by the time Razor had gone into a great deal of detail about what would happen to him if he broke any of the rules.
Part of Razor almost hoped he would. He’d enjoy working a bit of his temper out on that dick.
But not at his place of work. And definitely not with Sav around. He wasn’t risking his parole. Or the other guys who worked here either.
Although, he might have landed a couple of gut punches. In retaliation for the asshole almost hitting his girl.
Not yours.
“Right,” she said skeptically.
This time, she managed to meet his gaze with her own. It only lasted a few seconds, but he took that as a positive sign.
“Now I’ve made that clear, you can gather your stuff up and head home.”
She grew so pale that he nearly jumped up, worried she was about to keel over.
“I’m fired?” she whispered hoarsely.
“What? No! Of course not. I want you to go home and rest.”
“Why?” She looked puzzled.
“Because you’ve just been threatened, and manhandled, and you were nearly hit.” He thought it was obvious why she should go home and rest.
“But he didn’t hit me. I feel fine. I need to finish ordering those supplies.”
“I’ll do it. You’re going home. Do you need someone to drive you? I don’t want you driving if you’re shaky. Eat your chocolate. Drink more water.”
She glanced down at herself as though searching for any shakiness. “I’m fine. I don’t need to go home. And I don’t need chocolate. You know it doesn’t fix everything, right?”
He ignored that. Doing something made him feel better, even if it was just feeding her. “You’re taking the rest of the day off. You’re going to rest. If I see you back here before eight tomorrow morning, I’m not going to be happy.”
“What happens when you’re not happy?”
“You don’t want to find out.” He was hoping she didn’t push him on this, because he really had no way of showing his displeasure. It wasn’t like he could put her in time-out, or make her write lines, or spank her ass.
Yep, highly inappropriate thoughts there, you dick.
“Maybe you should take tomorrow off too. Have a long weekend.”
“I don’t need a long weekend. I don’t need to take tomorrow off.”
“All right, then I’ll see you tomorrow morning. If you wake up and don’t feel up to coming in, then call me.” He stood and moved to the door.
She rose, looking slightly dazed. Moving past him, she gathered up her stuff.
“Sure you can drive? Sav could take you and get a taxi back.”
She just shook her head.
“Words, please,” he said gently.
Her shoulders tightened. Was he pushing too much? Upsetting her? But when she turned to look at him, he was surprised at the temper in her face. He had to bite his lip to hide a smile. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her.
Damn, she was cute, though. She was trying desperately to hide her annoyance. And failing.
It was far better than her usual, closed-off look. He’d much rather see her emotions than try to guess what she was thinking. He figured that she’d learned to hide what she was thinking in order to avoid punishment.
Fuck.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll call you later to check on you. Tabby,” he called out as she reached the door that led outside.
She paused and looked back.
“Rest. Eat. Let me know if you need anything. All right?”
Turning, she muttered something he couldn’t hear and figured wouldn’t be at all flattering. When the door closed, it was safe to let a smile slip free.
Yeah, she was cute.
Tabby was grouchy as she drove home.
What the hell? Why was she being sent home like an errant child? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Feeling out of sorts and needing something to cheer herself up, she pulled into a local mall. She wandered aimlessly through a clothing store. Nothing seemed to interest her. Instead, she walked out and spotted a pet store.
Maybe she should get a fish. Walking over, she stared at all the fish, not having a clue what she wanted.
“Can I help you?”
Turning, she smiled at the assistant. “Yes, I’d like to buy some fish and a fish tank and food. And whatever else I need.”
Over an hour later, she walked out with a receipt for her purchases. The fish tank, accessories, and fish would all be delivered later this afternoon. She was gonna be a fish mama.
Feeling better about everything, she headed towards the exit. She walked past a toy store then stopped.
Snappy could use a companion.
But that was silly, right? A stuffed toy didn’t need a companion. And a twenty-seven-year-old woman didn’t need another toy.
Right? Right.
Only . . .
Turning, she walked in. If anyone asked, she’d tell them she was buying some things for her niece. Besides, she was really just looking. If anywhere could cheer you up, surely it would be a toy store, right?
Right.
But then she found it. The area of her dreams. It was filled with Scooby-Doo toys. There were stuffed animals. Masks. Dress-ups, which would be silly to buy since they were all child-sized. She wondered if it would be possible to find some adult outfits online.
She’d look when she got home. But, for now, she grabbed a stuffed Scooby, a replica of the Mystery Machine van with figurines for all the characters, and a Scooby-Doo money jar and cookie jar.
Feeling like that was probably enough, she rushed through her purchase at the counter then hurried out to her car. As she was driving back to her apartment, her phone rang and she hit accept, thinking it was likely the pet store people.
“Hello?”
“Tabby?” Razor’s voice filled her car. Her entire body relaxed. Damn, she loved that man’s voice. The accent. The calm tone.
She might have to use her vibrator when she got home. They were amazing. The first time she’d used the one with rabbit ears, she’d come three times.
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