Fear the Boss Read online

  “Do you like your job?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “It pays the bills, and it beats doing anything else.”

  “Why don’t you let anyone get close to you?”

  “Why are you asking so many questions?”

  “I’m interested about you.”

  Glancing at his chest, she tried to get her thoughts into focus. Nothing was making any sense to her.

  “You must be confusing me with someone else.”

  How did a man who owned a nightclub get bruises that were clearly from a fight? What was he hiding that he didn’t want her to know?

  “You’re thinking too hard.” He pressed a thumb between her brows. “Stop thinking and allow your body to feel.”

  She didn’t trust her body. Her mind was much more reliable than anything else. Caleb was not all what he seemed. Donna knew he was going to hurt her heart if she let him, and the only way to stay in control was to try to push him away.

  Chapter Four

  Donna’s body was soft against his. Caleb ran his fingers up and down her spine, going a little lower each time. She rested her head against his chest, and he closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds to simply enjoy the feel of her. Never in all of his life had he enjoyed a woman being so close to him.

  Her friends were far away. From the look in Lydia’s eyes, Caleb knew she was going to cause them trouble. He had files on both of Lydia and Darren. Getting what he wanted required information. He knew the only way to get Donna was to find her friends’ weaknesses. Lydia had a lot of debt from a previous relationship. She ran up credit card bills along with a few medical bills.

  Darren wasn’t much of a concern. He was Lydia’s latest beau and didn’t show any signs of wanting to be anything more.

  The song moved into another more upbeat one. Caleb didn’t stop holding her close even as others looked his way annoyed. He shot them a glare. Most of the people in the club knew who he was.

  “You’ve got to give me a chance,” he said.

  She looked up toward him. Once again he was blown away by the intensity of her blue eyes.

  “Why?”

  “Haven’t you ever just wanted to do something crazy that was against all of your other plans?” he asked.

  Donna bit her lip but didn’t look away.

  “Give me a chance to be more.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You asked for a date to leave me alone. What more do you want?”

  “I want the chance to do this.” He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers then tilted her head back. Dropping his head down, he covered her lips with his own. He didn’t give her time to think as he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips.

  She moaned. The sound vibrated through her body. Wrapping both arms around her, he cupped her full, round ass and drew her close. Rubbing his rock hard cock against her front, he felt her squirm in his arms. He didn’t want the contact to end. Donna opened her lips on a gasp, and he plundered her mouth, tasting her.

  Deepening the kiss, he refused to release her. He wanted her naked, open and ready to take his cock.

  “Boss,” Henry said, interrupting the moment.

  Pulling away, he kept hold of her as he turned to look at his friend.

  “What?” he asked.

  “We’ve got a few problems in the back.” Henry raised a brow, waiting.

  “I’m coming.” Taking hold of Donna’s hand he walked her back to the VIP section. Lydia was frowning at him as he placed Donna back in her seat. “Please feel free to drink and dance to your heart’s content.” Turning his attention to his woman, he focused on her. “Don’t leave until we finish our discussion.”

  “There was nothing to discuss.”

  “There was plenty to discuss. Don’t leave.”

  He waited for her to nod then followed Henry back down to the main floor. The brothel part of the club was located on the back side of the building near the warehouses. Men who were willing to pay knew how to get access.

  “You’re making a mistake with her,” Henry said.

  “I told you that you were making a mistake fucking endless whores, but you still did it and you got an infection.” Caleb rolled down his sleeves covering up his ink. He’d forgotten about his ink while in Donna’s company. She’d not even taken the time to look at them.

  “There’s a difference.”

  “What?” Caleb asked, pressing the button of the elevator toward the top floor.

  “I’m not at risk of falling in love with the whores I’m with. You are.”

  “Your point?”

  “Donna Smith is not a whore. You’d have to be blind not to see the difference between her and all the other women you’ve been with. Donna’s a kitten in comparison to the lionesses you’ve been with.”

  Caleb chuckled at Henry’s comparison. “I like her.”

  “In our business it’s dangerous to like and fall in love. We’re strong, Caleb. We keep our shit together, but we still have weaknesses. There are men out there who would do anything to get our club, our girls, and our trade. I’m not willing to risk our livelihood for a woman you know nothing about.”

  “I know her.”

  “No, you don’t. She’s a woman, Caleb.”

  “I’m not in love with her, Henry. I’m only interested in fucking her, and I’d rather not hear about how much you’re worried. I’ve never let a pussy rule my decision. I’m not about to start now, not even for Donna.” Caleb was intrigued by the blonde beauty, nothing more.

  He wanted to know if her cunt was as tight as he imagined. Her tits reeled him in, and all he could imagine doing was sucking and fucking them. There was more to her than he wanted to believe.

  “Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Henry said.

  The scent of cheap perfume overwhelmed Caleb as he entered the brothel part of their business. He tried to keep this as much a secret as possible. It helped to have a couple of men who were members of the police force who liked to get their rocks off. Caleb wasn’t picky. He’d blackmailed plenty of the cops to keep them off his back. Some men couldn’t be bought no matter how much he wanted to. Women walked past him in different states of undress. They tried to capture his attention, but he wasn’t interested.

  He heard the yelling before he even got there.

  Tensing up he rounded the corner and found what he was looking for. A man in his late twenties or early thirties was throwing shit around and yelling. Caleb saw the whore on the ground cupping her nose. Blood poured from the wound, and he was pissed off.

  “What the fuck is going on here?”

  The man rounded on him. “That fucking bitch wouldn’t give me what I fucking paid for.” Spittle flew out of the man’s mouth. Taking his time, Caleb looked around the man and glanced at the girl on the floor.

  “What did he want?”

  “I wanted fucking anal!”

  The girl cried out as the customer grabbed her arm and hauled her up. Caleb lost his temper. Landing the blow to the man’s mouth, he shoved him making sure the other man wasn’t holding onto the girl.

  Henry took hold of the girl as Caleb had the man trapped against the wall.

  “I was letting him have what he wanted, but he didn’t want to use a rubber or lube. I’m not going to do anal without a rubber and lube.” The girl was sobbing. Caleb recognized her as Roxie, one of his good workers.

  “We’ve got rules here, fucker.”

  “It’s a whorehouse. There are no rules. These bitches fuck for money. I can get better service on the fucking streets.”

  Caleb smiled. “Then go out to the streets.”

  “I want my money.”

  “You damaged one of my girls. Henry, get me a knife.” Caleb didn’t let the man go.

  “What the fuck you going to do? Is this to scare me?”

  Laughing, Caleb shook his head. “No, it’s not to scare you. It’s to send a message.”

  “What message?”

  The knife landed in his hand. Staring at the man in front of him, Caleb felt a sense of peace as he looked at the bastard who’d scared one of the women he’d sworn to protect.

  Sliding the blade across his face, Caleb struck. “No man touches one of my girls and gets away with it.”

  He worked the blade from the man’s cheek, up his head then across. The screams from the women could be heard in the background as he went to work. After he was finished with the knife, he dropped the blade and slammed his fist into the guy’s ribs. Over and over, Caleb stuck to his reputation of being a hard assed man. He wasn’t going to let anyone think they could poach on his territory. The girls in Ecstasy were his, and no one got a chance to touch or look at them without abiding by the rules. These girls were all his, and he’d protect them for as long as they needed it. Henry didn’t stop him.

  When his message had gotten across, he turned toward his man. “Get rid of the body and make sure those bitches know to keep their fucking mouths shut.” His hands were shaking, and he was covered in blood from the sudden attack.

  “They know not to say anything,” Henry said.

  “Why didn’t you take care of this?” Caleb unbuttoned his shirt. Blood stained the cuffs and the main breast of his shirt.

  “To remind you of who you are.”

  He paused and looked at his friend. “What?”

  “You’re forgetting where you come from. We’re not the kind of men to make a joke out of something like this. Donna, she seems like a nice woman, but we’re not nice men. Think about that before you allow yourself the chance to be with her.”

  “I’ll fuck whoever I want.”

  “When it interferes with our job, it becomes my business.” Henry moved toward one of the wardrobes and pulled out a shirt. “Put this on.”

  Caleb knew he wasn’t going to end it. At least, he wasn’t going to end it until he’d gotten a taste of her.

  ****

  Taking a sip of her drink, Donna glanced around the club enjoying the beat of the music as it pulsed. The energy in the air was addictive, and she loved watching people dance. She’d enjoyed being in Caleb’s arms a lot more than she liked. He knew how to hold her and to lead her into a dance that made her not want to stop. She’d been disappointed when he brought her to her seat.

  “Donna, do you know what you’re doing?” Lydia asked.

  Donna looked toward her friend, seeing the worry on her face. “It’s just a date.”

  “No, it’s more than that. You didn’t see the way you two were dancing.”

  “Lydia, stop,” Darren said. “You don’t have to talk about this.”

  Donna glanced toward Darren seeing the concern of his face.

  “No, I will talk about it. She’s never been on a single date, and all of a sudden this guy comes out of nowhere and pretty much tells her to date him. He’s creepy, and I don’t agree with it.”

  “It’s okay, Lydia. You said I should go out dating more.”

  “Grow the fuck up, Donna. He’s forcing you to be here.”

  She stared down at her lap and wished her friend wouldn’t make any more of a scene.

  “Donna,” Caleb said, drawing all of their attention back to him.

  Jerking in her seat, she turned to see him standing, in a different shirt, staring at her. The shirt he’d worn before had white buttons whereas the one he was wearing now had black buttons and looked wrinkled.

  “Hey.”

  “Would you like to go home?” he asked.

  She looked back to her friends. Darren was whispering in Lydia’s ear.

  The last conversation hadn’t made her want to stay in the club.

  “Yes, if you don’t mind.” She put her soda down on the table and smiled at her friend. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

  “Look, I’m sorry.”

  Holding her hand up, Donna tried to push her concern away.

  “Don’t worry about it. I know you care.” She leaned down to hug her friend before standing up. “Take care of her.”

  Darren nodded.

  Taking hold of Caleb’s hand, she followed him down to the main part of the club and then through the exit.

  “Your friend’s wrong.”

  She turned toward Caleb. “What happened to your shirt?”

  He tensed up. It was only the slightest of movements that she detected, but it was there.

  “Business.”

  A car was waiting beside the road. Caleb helped her into the passenger side before he climbed into the driver’s side.

  “Lydia means well.”

  “Your friend needs to learn not to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong.” He put the car into gear.

  Donna decided to stay quiet as he’d gotten snappy with her within minutes of being back in his company. She stared out of the window knowing any kind of future with him was going to be a mistake.

  “You can talk to me,” he said.

  Turning to look at him, she shook her head. “I’m good. I’m happy just to go home.” She frowned when she realized she’d not told him where she lived, yet he was driving in the right direction. “I’ve not given you my home address.”

  “I know what I need to know.”

  “How?”

  “I just do.”

  Lydia was right. Donna didn’t know anything about this guy, and he’d invaded her life.

  “After you drop me off home I don’t want to see you again.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do.” She wasn’t into being yelled out or snapped at by a guy she barely knew. Caleb was new to her. She hadn’t known him longer than a week, and the time they’d spent together could be easily rounded up to a couple of hours.

  “Fuck!” He slammed his palm against the wheel of the car.

  She cried out as the car swerved nearly hitting another vehicle coming toward them.

  “Will you stop? You’re going to get us both killed.”

  “I can take care of a fucking car.”

  “You’re a jerk.”

  Tightening her hands into fists, she tried her best to get her emotions in check. Her heart was racing.

  Caleb pulled up outside of her apartment block. Without waiting for him, she opened the door and ran toward the door. He was on her within seconds.

  “Donna, stop.”

  “No, you’re insane, crazy even.”

  Grabbing her key from inside her purse, she didn’t look behind her as she ran for her front door. He continued to call her.

  Opening her door she was about to slam it closed when he stopped her with a palm on her door.

  “Leave me alone,” she said.

  “Let me in. I don’t want to leave shit like this.”

  “You’ve got bad manners. You’re rude and unfair. I’ve done nothing wrong, and yet you were treating me like crap. I’m not letting you inside my apartment. I’m not letting you near me.”

  His gaze darkened, became lethal almost.

  Caleb showed her that he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He shoved the door, and she stepped out of the way, dropping her bag and keys in the process.

  In one motion he had the door closed and was standing within her apartment glaring at her.

  She was alone with no one else to save her.

  Her heart raced, and she watched as he ran fingers through his hair.

  “You’re scared?”

  “You’ve just forced your way into my apartment. Of course I’m scared.” She took a step back and paused as he followed her.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “No? I doubt it. I don’t know anything about you.” She held her hand up in front as if to ward him of.

  He took a step closer.

  “You’ve got bloody knuckles. I know the only way to get them is a fight. You’ve hit someone recently. I don’t want to get in the way of whatever your problem is.” She was shaking.

  Caleb stood inside her apartment, and Pearl was nowhere to be found. Her cat was probably hiding in her wardrobe or sleeping.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, but I’m not going to accept the fact you’re not going to see me again.”

  “I don’t want to see you. You promised if I came to the club, which I did, you’d leave me alone. I did my part, and I’m asking you to leave.”

  For several seconds he simply stared at her without talking.

  “Fine, you want me to leave then I’ll leave, but first I want something from you.”

  “What?” Part of her was disappointed that he was just going to leave. He scared her and excited her at the same time. Not once had she felt this alive, this exhilarated.

  You’re a freak.

  He took a step closer, and she took a step away.

  “Stop moving away.”

  “Tell me what you want and I’ll stop.”

  “It doesn’t work like that, pet.”

  She forced herself to stop and stare at him. “What do you want?” Fisting her palms at her side, she waited for him to make the first move.

  He closed the distance between them.

  Caleb reached out, sinking his fingers into her hair. “You’re incredibly beautiful. Do you know that?”

  She shook her head.

  “From the first moment I looked at you, I knew I wanted you. Then I looked into your eyes and saw something, I don’t fucking know what I saw. I’m not going to let this go, and after this, you can tell me to leave.”

  His lips crushed against hers stopping all kind of thought from her mind. She gripped his shoulders and moaned as he plundered her mouth with his tongue. His other hand cupped her ass drawing her closer.

  She felt the hard length of his cock pressing against her stomach.

  “You feel that, Donna. That’s what you do to me. When we were looking at bracelets for the whore I was fucking, I was thinking about you. I wanted to spread you out and look at that virginal pussy. You are a virgin, aren’t you, baby?”

  Donna whimpered.

  He claimed her mouth as his hand went back up her body and around to cup her breast.

  She gasped as he pinched her nipple.

  “You’re into this as much as I am.” He walked her back until the wall stopped them. Caleb pushed her shirt down revealing her bra-covered breast. He pushed the bra out of the way until her breast was naked for him to touch and see.

  -->