Throughout the night, every time Kallie moved or bent over to set drinks on a table, Sasha’s eyes were on her. He had the look of a hunter and a lion at the same time. When the bar was finally closed for the evening, he sat waiting at the bar as she carried empty glasses over. His gaze swept over her body, leaving her instantly warm and out of breath.

He reached out and a finger touched her arm. “Can I come by so we can talk about this thing?”

It amazed her how just that little bit of contact set her on fire. He transmitted an ache so deep within her. It astonished and excited her. “Which thing is that?” she asked coyly. She wrapped her arms around herself and pressed into the bar, trying to cool herself. Was he referring to the incident that happened today at the bar, or what happened between them at the house? She was betting on the latter.

He smiled, clearly playing along. “Umm, the thing that happened between us earlier and the thing that just happened here tonight.”

“You just want to talk?” She giggled. “Or you going to role-play and pretend to be a customer and I serve you?”

“It’s not funny,” he growled, sounding jealous. “He had his hands all over you. You don’t even know the guy.”

The teasing instantly left as Kallie raised her brows and waited for what he said to sink in. What? He was going to go off the deep end because some guy tried groping her ass while she worked? How many barmaids had that happened to in the life of this bar? He wanted to make it like this was her fault? “Really?” she paused, letting him think about what he’d said, “You do realize I don’t really know you either, right?”

“Hey.” He sighed and motioned to her clothes. “This is just asking for trouble.”

“Then you’d better talk to Sal about our outfits. This is not my fault.”

He stood and moved close to her. Extremely close. Kallie could feel the heat of his body brush against her skin. She swallowed. He raised his brows and stared at her face, and at the same time he placed his warm hand on her breast rising from the push-up of the bustier. “I kinda like this on you,” he whispered.

Kallie stepped back, trying to gain back some of her composure. This man could be so infuriating one moment, and then seductive in the next breath. “See you there, Sasha.” She turned to untie her apron.

“Oh, you will,” he said wickedly, his words warm on her neck as he moved closer to her again. “I’m taking you there.”

“You going to give me a ride, big guy?” she asked, clearing meaning two things.

He growled and spun her around, his hands pressing on her hips. “I’m about to throw you over my shoulders and hike up your skirt. Take you on the bar if I want to.” His eyes smoldered with desire. He grinned cockily when she sucked in a sharp breath. “Too bold?” he teased.

She knew her face was burning and hoped the low lights in the bar hid it. “Nah,” she fibbed with amusement. “Not the least bit over the top.” She didn’t want to admit part of her wished he would do as he said, even if people could see them.

He ran his hand over the side of her ribcage, feather-light with his fingertips. “Go. Finish up. I’ll have the car brought ‘round to the front.” He turned and left without another word.

Kallie watched him go, her teeth pressing against her lower lip, and she caught herself sighing.

“Careful with that one, love,” Sal warned from behind the bar.

She turned to look at him and he winked. “What do you mean?”

“Just be careful.” Sal seemed suddenly very interested in the glass he was wiping dry.

She shrugged and hurried to finish before clocking out.

Sasha hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d have the car waiting out front. A driver sat waiting in the front seat, and Kallie assumed Sasha sat in the back behind the dark windows. She wanted to rib him that he wasn’t taking her, the driver was. She hesitated before opening the door. Something about getting in the back of the Town Car made her pause; a sense of danger made her shiver. Like riding in the back with someone she didn’t really know could only bring trouble. She pushed it away. Sasha was a good man, crazy hot, and he wanted to come back to the place he’d set her up in. A safe place that was massive! She didn’t need to be afraid. The man was built to make people feel safe—or scared, depending on what side of him you were on.

He was on the phone as she crawled in and didn’t notice her hesitation. Clicking the phone off, Sasha gave instructions to the driver in Russian.

Kallie laughed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“It kind of sounds like you’re speaking backwards.” She settled in close beside him, enjoying the touch of his thigh against hers and the leather of the seat on the backs of her legs.

He gripped the sensitive part of her knee firmly, making her squeal. “Oh really?” he challenged.

Kallie giggled. She was extremely ticklish there and on her feet. “Stop! Please!” she cried. “Mercy!”

“Baby,” he kidded before his voice grew dark, “if you’re looking for mercy, you’ve come to the wrong guy.”

“Aww,” she mewed. She knew he was just being funny but, again, what he said made her think. She didn’t know him. Was he the wrong kind of guy?

He kissed the top of her head. “It was a joke, Kallie.”

The long, luxurious car pulled up in front of her new place. Kallie felt like she was arriving in a carriage, like she should be wearing one of her vintage Halston gowns. She mused over a role-play where she really was a princess and Sasha her prince; maybe more like her black knight.

Again, he spoke to the driver in Russian. Kallie sat as the two of them chatted until, finally, Sasha reached over and opened his door and then helped her out. Once they were on the walk approaching the front door, she asked him, “Doesn’t he speak English?”

Sasha reached around her to unlock the door. She had a key but he took charge, it appeared, whenever he could. “He does,” he answered plainly.

Kallie waited for an explanation, but that was all Sasha had to say on the subject. “Well, okay then,” she said. The words had a slight bite to them, probably because she was tired, and maybe because it annoyed her that if the driver spoke English, it was kind of rude of Sasha and him to converse in Russian in front of her.

“Good, I got you’re okay,” he said, his tone matching hers.

She opened her mouth, ready to argue, when he suddenly swept her up and moved up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m tucking you into bed and then we will have a conversation,” he said in a clipped tone. He came to a graceful stop when he arrived at her bedroom. It was such a regally appointed room with silvery curtains sweeping to either side above the headboard. The white bed linen was simple and understated, with tailored lines and faint silver stripes.

Kallie was used to fine things, but the elegance of the town home felt overwhelming after the dump she’d been living in.

In a single move, Sasha had the bar’s uniform off her. A negative thought flickered in her mind that he must have had a lot of practice. She didn’t like thinking that way, especially before sex. She loved the magical spontaneity of how they came together. It was so good it was addictive. It would be difficult to measure up to that kind of magic after this. He pressed his lips to the base of her neck and lit her body with erotic shivers.

He needed a shave, but against her neck it felt teasingly sexy. On her cheek, though, it felt sharp and she shifted away from the tender touch.

He chuckled. “Did I get you there?” He quickly kissed the spot he’d agitated.

“I think you get me every time.” She trembled as she whispered the words.

He needed no more encouragement. A hunger filled his eyes as he dropped her onto the bed. His hands roamed over her, resting on the flatness of her stomach, stroking the imaginary line up to her breasts.

Kallie noticed he wasn’t undressing. Before she could ask why, his mouth was on hers.

He tasted so good. Too good. He’d had a drink or two at the bar and it made his mouth taste sweet. As he plunged his tongue in and claimed her, her arousal swiftly rose. She was hot and tingling all at once. He strummed the length of her torso, each time turning around lower and lower until his fingers were on the spot where she most craved them to be.

The lightness in his touch vanished. He was firm and sure as he cupped her. His tongue found her ear; he nuzzled her hair as he worked her, pleasuring her.

Kallie arched upward, her desire escalating. All other thoughts were erased from her mind as she closed her eyes and focused on reaching that one point, that pinnacle that would send her flying. When his motions slowed, she opened her eyes and caught him watching her.

She needed more, so she helped him, swinging her hips to and fro purposefully. Then she pressed her hand over his and directed him.

“Show me,” Sasha whispered hoarsely as he withdrew his hand and watched her.

Kallie was momentarily self-conscious but then she went for it. With the lightest contact, but constant motion, she brought herself to climax. She’d never been so bold in front of a man before.

He growled his approval then turned her chin with his finger and asked her to look at him.

Her eyes were heavy-lidded from passion but she was hiding from him in her own way. She wasn’t as courageous as she thought. How she got this far so fast, with this man, was a mystery to her. Now reality began to set in as she came back down to earth. It wasn’t just this fact that made it tough for her to face him. He was an overwhelming presence. She’d dealt with tough clients before, ones who carried major clout, but this was different. He was crazy intense, and it took all her nerve to look him in the eyes.

Sasha traced his leathery fingertip on the surface of her soft skin. He was rolling in money, or gave that impression, but his hands were rough like that of laborer. He spoke to her with his eyes—those dark blue, amazing eyes, with those heavy, long lashes.

Kallie knew what was about to happen. She sensed it before he spoke. This guy could have his pick of women, and she was sure he was about to let her down easy. To give her the ‘this was just fun’ lecture.

“I don’t know if I want you to work for me anymore,” he said softly.

Kallie popped up on her elbows. That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. “Pardon me?”

“I don’t want to you to work for me,” he repeated.

He was going to kick her out? Because of earlier tonight? Or because of...this? “I heard what you said,” she replied sharply. “It was more like I dare to you to say it again.” She was naked, and for a moment didn’t care. “I work for Sal, not you. He hired me.”

He flashed a charming smile and kissed her on the nose. “That’s a technicality, as we discussed.”

A technicality? Really? “So, whatever you say goes?” she challenged.

“Ooh, you’re cute when you’re riled,” he teased, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She wanted to smack his hand away, she was that livid. Without any sense of bashfulness, she rolled off the bed and began grabbing her clothes.

“What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Packing,” she snipped. “I wish you hadn’t given me a job and a place to stay just so you could sleep with me. I get the conquest thing and all, but seriously?”

“What are you talking about?”

She ignored his question. “But I don’t get why you’re firing me. You know what? Forget it! That’s okay. I have some savings and I can find something else.” She began frantically looking around, trying to see how much she could carry.

“Kallie,” he commanded.

She ignored him.

He repeated himself, this time with such sternness she was compelled to acknowledge. He patted the bed, inviting her to come back beside him. “Sit. Please.”

She refused.

“Don’t make me come to you,” he stated with an arched brow.

“You can bring my body over there maybe, Sasha. But my mind won’t follow,” she threatened. “You’re an ass, you know that?”

He stared at her like she was being ridiculous.

She conceded to herself that the delivery might have been silly, but she meant every bit of it. She began the self-battery at how quickly she’d let this man into every aspect of her life.

“I just want to explain myself.” He frowned as he watched her. “Sit. Now.”

“Do I have a choice?” she asked sarcastically. She finally complied, albeit reluctantly. Suddenly, she realized how naked she was and drew the sheet around herself. She glared at him. “What? What do you want to say?”

“First of all, you think I have to give you a house and a job to sleep with me?”

He was teasing her but she flew off the handle anyway. She was ready to charge off the bed again, but this time he grabbed her so she couldn’t go anywhere. “I don’t like that you’re bigger than me,” she said half-heartedly.

“You do like it,” he gently argued, but he released her hand. “Just stop being angry for one second. Please? I wasn’t booting you out the door. And I didn’t say I wouldn’t take care of you.” He kissed her bare shoulder.

She hated that the touch made her body want more. “You just fired me, Sasha.”

“I don’t think I can have you working in that place—”

“That’s your bar or Sal’s bar—somebody’s bar. You hang out there. So, what’s the problem?”

A strange expression passed over his face, almost like he was going to be ill.

It took her a moment, but Kallie realized it was vulnerability.

“It’s not about the bar. I don’t give a shit about that. I was trying to say that I want to take care of you. I want you to be my woman,” he stated quietly.

The revelation blindsided her.

They barely knew each other. It seemed so out of the blue, so unfiltered, it felt wrong to hear. In fact, it was the last thing she’d expected from him. He didn’t know her. Yeah, there was chemistry between the two of them, but still... She wondered if this was his usual speed; whether the man always moved this fast. She had no response. Not a thing to say, or a way to react.

She didn’t know what to make of his words.

He pulled her back against him, so he could look her in the eye. Then he laughed at her expression.

She knew it. There was no denying her expression had to look insanely shocked.

“You can think about it, you know. Have you ever been a kept woman before?” he asked as he began to toy with the inside of her elbow with the tip of his tongue.

She clenched as though he just gave her a shock of electricity. His hot mouth found her naked breast, and drew. The pressure released molten heat to the pit of her stomach.

Sasha might as well have handed her a pill, she was that high and turned on.

“So, what do you say?” he asked huskily.

“What if I say no?” she rasped.

“We can deal with that when it actually happens,” he said with a wink.

“I’m serious,” she countered. “I need to work.”

“Didn’t you say you just had a rough time personally?”

His head was between her breasts and she was having a hard time concentrating. “Yeah.” The mention of her past raised her level of stress instantly.

“I can see it in your face,” he said, brushing her cheek gently as his hand came up to cup her breast. “Why not take some time to recover?”

“Well, that’s what I was kind of doing. I mean, I know it wasn’t the best place to live but, in my mind, the apartment was simple.” He knew nothing about her, and yet it felt like he could read inside her mind.

“You want to go back to that place?” His fingers stopped their torment on her nipple and he lifted his head to look at her.

“No...If it were safe, maybe. I don’t know! But we know it’s not safe and this is a nice place.”

“It’s a really nice place. And you deserve a really nice place,” he said.

She tilted her head. “Why me?”

“Are you fishing for a compliment? You’re beautiful, you’re hot, you irresistible, and you deserve it,” he stated.

She liked hearing those things even though something told her he might feel a little obligated to say them. “Do you give all the ladies who wander into your path a break like this?”

He kissed her lazily, then pulled away. “Can’t it be just what it is?”

“Forgive me for asking, but I’ve been told if it’s too good to be true it usually is,” she retorted with a smile.

He shook his head. “No. Generosity is its own reward, and I’m in the position to be generous. We’re... uniquely powerful together, aren’t we?”

“You are.” It was all him. It never occurred to her that it could be her, too. He’d said it...It was them. “What about the last girl?”

Sasha propped his head up on his hand, and smiled like he was toying with her. “The last girl?” he challenged.

“Yeah, you know, the woman you hired me to replace,” she said.

“Are you asking if I had sex with the last woman I hired and then fired her, too?” he dared with a grin on his face.

“So, you are firing me,” she confirmed.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Right now, it’s a conversation.”

She really didn’t know what to make of this. “No,” Kallie lied. “I don’t think that you slept with the last woman you hired and then fired her. But did you?”

Sasha let out a deep, rich laugh.

Her face grew hot with embarrassment.

“See, I thought that’s what you were asking. It’s a perfectly reasonable question,” he said. “No, the last girl we hired was Angie. And she and Sal were together before she came aboard and they like working together.” He chuckled. “Nice color,” he noted her blush. “So, you want to know...do I hit on the cocktail waitresses at Darkness or any other place I own?”

It didn’t occur to Kallie he might own other bars and now she felt more insecure. “If you have other places, then what’s the problem with me keeping my job?”

“Because the next guy who isn’t me who puts his hands on you is going down, and I don’t feel like spending the rest of my life in jail.” He winked, but his voice held a tone of seriousness.

“Thanks,” she kidded. “I think.”

“Yes,” he said plainly.

Kallie was lost. “Yes what?”

“Over the years, I’ve been with both employees or customers. It has been both fun and complicated.”

“So, I’m in the kept woman’s pad?”

“No. And that’s not what this is. This is an investment. I rent it out now and then. I live here occasionally. I let friends stay here. I did let a girlfriend stay here once before briefly, but that was years ago.”

His honesty shouldn’t have stung but it did. She was thinking that if she didn’t want to hear the answers, she shouldn’t ask. “Fair enough.

His head rose. “I’m not doing this for sport,” he assured her. “But I do think it’d be incredibly fun. I could spoil you.” He moved against her sensually and with heat.

It made Kallie moan involuntarily.

His voice was in her ear, softly vibrating, “The offer is on the table. No rush. No hurry. And if you decide you don’t want to have a sexual relationship with me, that’s fine,” he said the words, stroking her stomach and moving down as he spoke. “This house is no strings attached. But if you do decide to stay on at the bar, one of us will have to go. If it’s not you, then it’ll have to be me.”

She’d stopped listening or focusing about the time he said sexual and his fingers stroked and slipped inside of her. “D-Definitely have to think about th-this. I’m not ready to get a different job. But I’m not sure if I’m ready to not work. I’ve never had anyone take care of me.”

“The idea does take a little getting used to.” His fingers continued to torture her.

“Well, let me ask you...” She bit her lip trying hard to focus. “Would you let me take care of you?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I would.” His fingers stopped their torment. “You offering?”

The man who ran off with everything she owned let her take care of him. Kallie had liked it for a while. Then she grew resentful. She didn’t want that to happen with Sasha. She brought her hand on top of his, motioning him to finish what he’d started. He obliged and bent down to suck her nipple into his mouth.

Sasha bit her before letting the rounded bud slip out with a loud pop. His thumb pressed against her clit as his fingers worked inside of her.

She came hard, gasping for air and crying out his name as she convulsed against his hand.

“How about I take care of you...for now?” he whispered as she struggled to catch her breath.