No communication outside of the home without permission.
No leaving the premises for any reason.
No, no, no…
I paced in my large bedroom, back and forth from the door to the window I figured was locked somehow so I couldn’t escape. And even if I did, the alarm would probably go off. My hands shook on the list I held.
Joseph Barringer’s rules. He’d taken away every single freedom I had.
No leaving the premises for any reason? Seriously? I had a job. Okay, I was taking a leave of absence, but I planned on going back. Soon.
What had Tom done? He hadn’t found me a safe place to stay—he’d found me a prison.
I needed to call him. Right now. This wasn’t going to work at all.
I grabbed my purse off my bed and pulled out my cell phone. Then hesitated. No communication outside of the home without permission.
No fucking way. I was not going to follow that rule. I’d call my friends if I wanted to, and I’d definitely call my brother.
But when I heard footsteps in the hallway, I still jumped guiltily. Davies appeared at the doorway, his hands tucked behind his back. His eyes dropped to the cell phone and he cleared his throat.
“I know,” I said, shaking my head. “No communication and all that. But I want to call my brother and let him know I’m here and okay. And—and—” I broke off and sighed. I just wanted to hear a familiar voice.
For someone to remind me I was doing this for a reason.
Davies nodded. “I understand. Mr. Barringer called to say he will be returning home early this afternoon. You can discuss this with him then if you’d like.”
Which was his nice version of saying, Please, don’t get me in trouble.
I didn’t want Davies to be in trouble, so I set my phone on the dresser. I’d call Tom later and discuss this with him, too, after I told Joseph just what I thought of his rules.
“If you would like,” Davies said, “I can show you around the premises for a distraction.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’d like that.”
We spent the next hour walking through the huge house. Room after room of plush bedding and expensive fabrics and antique furniture. Half a dozen bathrooms and an office—not Joseph’s because his was off-limits—and an indoor basketball court and pool.
When we reached the wine cellar, I trailed my finger over the bottles and asked Davies, “Does someone dust all these?”
He smiled and linked his hands behind his back. “Yes.”
“You?”
“No.”
“But other people work here, right? Maids or—or—” What was I supposed to call them? I didn’t want to be rude. “Other people?”
“Yes, Mr. Barringer keeps staff on hand. A chef—he’ll be preparing our dinner tonight—and staff to tidy up, manage the landscaping, and for upkeep of the vehicles among other things.” He smiled. “They’re around.”
“They’re discreet,” I said.
Davies nodded. “They are. However, Mr. Barringer gave most of them the day off so you would have time to settle in.”
“He did?”
“Yes, Miss Tolson.”
I dropped my chin. Okay, that was nice of him, right? Or had he sent them all home without pay? Was he as much of a tyrant as he seemed, or had I just gotten the wrong impression?
Before I could say anything else, we heard footsteps. I spun around to find Joseph standing in the doorway to the room.
“I see you’ve found the wine,” he said.
“It’s—uh…quite the collection.”
He gave a brief nod. “You’re welcome to pick something to go with dinner. I’d suggest…” He turned and scanned the shelves. “Something from here.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but he abruptly turned to Davies. “Please tell the chef I’d like dinner early tonight. Six thirty.”
He spun on his heel without another word.
“Wait, Joseph—”
Damn, was I supposed to call him that? Did I call one of my brother’s closest friends Mr. Barringer? I mean, I barely knew the guy. But still…
He continued to walk, a brisk pace to the stairs. “Miss Tolson.”
“Call me Sam. I need to talk to you about the rules.”
He glanced over just briefly. “We’ll discuss this at dinner.”
Dismissed.
He strolled away as I stood there in shock for the second time that day. Seriously? He didn’t actually think it was acceptable to treat people that way.
“Miss Tolson.” Davies appeared at my side. “Would you like that cup of tea now?”
I gritted my teeth. “No. Actually, I don’t. I’m going to deal with this now.”
“Uh—Miss Tolson. Dinner is soon and—”
“No.” I shook my head, whipping the printed list out of my pocket. “This can’t wait.”
I strode off as he was in the middle of trying to convince me otherwise. I felt bad for Davies. He was just trying to do his job. But I was trying to live my life, and right now it felt like Joseph was trying to take that away from me.
I hurried in the direction he walked, figuring he was headed to his office or his bedroom. I’d catch up with him and insist on talking now.
But when I reached the main floor, he was nowhere to be found. Shit. I turned and walked down the opposite hallway. The door on the end was open. His office.
With a deep breath, I walked straight inside, and then froze.
Joseph stood at his desk, his tie loose and shirt unbutton at the collar. Just enough to see a light tuft of hair in the vee. Enough to make my mouth water despite the anger that pulsed through me.
“I—uh—I’m sorry to interrupt, but—”
“This room is off limits,” he snapped, walking around his desk.
“But I need to talk to you about this list.”
“I said we’d talk at dinner.”
I exhaled, then shook my head. “No.”
His head snapped up. “Excuse me?”
“I said no. Listen, I appreciate you letting me stay here, but you can’t treat me like this. I can’t be shut in here like some prisoner.”
He folded his arms, lips pressed into a firm line. “Is that so?”
“Yes, it’s so. I didn’t come here to put myself into another bad situation, so no, I won’t be following your rules. You—”
I broke off when he unfolded his arms and stepped forward, eyes blazing with something akin to fury.
“Is that what you think this is?” he asked. “A prison?”
My throat dried when he stalked toward me, equal parts fear and longing shooting through my body. He walked like a predator. But not one out for the kill. He walked to me like he wanted to taste, to sample.
No, I had to be reading that wrong. It was simple anger smoldering in his gaze. Of course it was. I’d insulted him in his own house—a house he’d offered to let me stay in. But I wasn’t going to back down.
“I need to be able to call Tom,” I whispered.
Joseph considered this. “Davies will find you a secure line. You can’t use your cell phone.”
All right. A compromise. I hadn’t expected this. “And I need to be able to leave. I—I have a job and—”
“No.”
“What?”
He shook his head. “I informed your boss yesterday that you won’t be returning.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“You don’t work there anymore.”
“You can’t just—no, that’s not—” My breath came out in a rush, cheeks blazing from barely veiled fury. I swiveled to the door. “I’m going there right now to fix what you did.”
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me. Close enough I stepped on his shoes, nearly running into him.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Fear rushed over me, reminding me of all those times I’d cowered in front of Don, waiting for the blow I knew was coming.
My lips trembled. “Joseph.”
Something flickered in his gaze. Just a flash of a softer side before he stepped around me and walked to his desk. “Come here,” he murmured.
I stayed where I was, facing the door and still frozen by shock and doubt.
“Samantha,” he snapped.
I jumped and then whipped around.
He gestured to his desk. “I need to show you something.”
Pulse racing, I walked around the desk and stood next to him. He pressed the screen of his computer and pulled up a video.
I leaned in. “That’s…that my job. I…”
It was the office I used to work at. A clean shot of the lobby. The camera switched views when someone walked in, and my heart lodged in my throat.
“Don.”
Joseph leaned in next to me, his cologne swirling around me and making me dizzy. His shoulder brushed mine when he opened another file from a different day.
“And again,” Joseph said, his voice a low rumble beside me. It rattled my insides. “More than three times since you filed for the restraining over, he’s come into your work looking for you.”
I clasped my hands together, squeezing them until my knuckles turned white.
“This is why there are rules,” Joseph said.
I licked my lips, my brain whirling. I thought I was safe. I thought after I filed the restraining order Don would leave me alone.
What an idiot. He’d told me before that he’d never let me leave, but I hadn’t believed him.
Joseph reached out, trapping my chin between his thumb and forefinger, his black gaze capturing mine. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Your brother asked me to make sure you’re safe, and I’m not going to let him down.”
His grip softened, and his thumb brushed my bottom lip just slightly. Or had I imagined that? Then his hand fell away, and he stepped back.
“This is why there are rules,” Joseph repeated. “And I expect you to follow them.”