Rogan had given me driving lessons, but I left early for my meeting with Dallas Monroe because Boston's one-way streets and jammed traffic boggled my country-girl mind. Wouldn't taking the subway be so much easier than this? Although, if I'd be working late nights, the subway might not be the safest place, and I'd be glad I had my truck. I drove into the employee lot at Siege ten minutes early. Lux met me at the back entrance and guided me through a huge main room in the club that looked almost like an empty mechanic's garage. The walls were covered in riveted metal and adorned with art made out of screws and bolts. Above my head, private balconies shrouded by rustic canvas ringed the edges of the dance floor.

He led me to the rear of the club and up a metal staircase. He knocked on a solid black door at the top of the stairs.

"Enter," a deep voice called.

Lux let me in, and the man I presumed to be Dallas Monroe stood from behind his desk. I hesitated and my hand flew to my chest. Cyan's staggeringly large husband crowded the room even though he was the only one in it. He wore a sleek suit and tie, his dark hair slicked back. A sooty shadow covered his jaw and a jagged scar ran from his eyebrow to his hairline.

"I'm Dallas Monroe. Pleasure to meet you, Tessa. Have a seat." He pointed to a chair in front of his glossy chrome desk with a glass top. The contradiction of his ultra-modern office against the industrial look of the club threw me for a second.

I managed to gather myself and take the steps to the leather chair. "Mr. Monroe, I—"

"Call me Dallas." He sat down across from me.

"Oh. Okay."

"I could use your help here with VIP accounts. You'll be booking parties, setting up the booths before they arrive, and providing whatever they need. Here's a list of clients."

He handed me a sheet of paper full of names and dates. "Get familiar with their files. VIP hostess is a coveted position here at Siege. I trust you to keep the list and anything that happens related to your work confidential. You'll sign a non-disclosure agreement. Be careful not to let anything slip, particularly with other employees. Bring any issues to Lux. You can also come directly to Brock, Rogan, or me, but no one else."

"Okay." Wow, Dallas was entrusting me with all this responsibility, and he didn't even know me.

"Go downstairs and Jovanna will get you set up with a uniform, paperwork, and show you the ropes. You can start tomorrow night. Oh, and Tessa?"

"Mmm?" I managed to get a sound out even if words failed me.

"Set your limits with club patrons and don't hesitate to stick to them. They aren't allowed to touch you, and you aren't obligated to entertain or interact with them outside of working hours. If they give you any trouble, go straight to security personnel."

His striking blue eyes glinted as he sat back in his chair, and a dimple matching his brother's appeared in his cheek with his smile. Oh boy, no wonder Cyan said she was happy to have him watching over her. With Dallas protecting you, you'd never feel afraid.

"Okay. Thank you for the truck, and the money, as well as this chance to work here."

Dallas rose too and looked down at me with a knowing smile. "I'm happy to help."

"Why? Why would you help me?"

He rounded his desk and walked toward me. "We all need assistance sometimes. Making a change is tough. I admire you."

"Me? But I'm... I mean I'm so out of place here. I don't have any experience, and you're giving me this opportunity?"

"You worked at the drugstore—handled money?"

"I did, but..."

"You worked in a kitchen?"

"Yes."

"That's experience. You raised children?"

"Yes."

"One of the hardest jobs in the world. Taking care of little ones, raising them up healthy and strong and seeing to their needs. You'll be great at this job. The VIPs are a bunch of babies anyway."

I giggled and watched him twist his wedding ring like Cyan had done.

"No matter what they told me, I always believed there were men out there who could love only one woman."

"Absolutely. Cyan is the only woman I have ever and will ever love." He sat on the desk and crossed his ankle over his knee. "I could never lay with another woman besides my wife. I wouldn't want her to think of me with another woman, much less be forced to allow it under the same roof. It must have been difficult to see your mother go through that. And I'm glad you escaped before it became your future."

"Me too. I never wanted that life."

Wow. Dallas represents the ideal I'd always dreamed existed. A man could be loyal. He could love one woman unconditionally and support her while allowing her to be free. Exactly what I wanted. Dallas was taken, but I yearned for someone like him to love me someday.

"I know what it's like to be forced into a life you don't believe in. It's my pleasure to give you this job and get you started on your career. No one should suffer like you have."

"If it wasn't for Rogan..."

"Rogan's a good man."

"Yes. I think he is."

***

"I'm off now. If you need anything else, Jovanna will help you." I smiled at Enrique, the handsome Latino singer I'd been working with tonight.

"Don't leave, mamacita. Party's just getting started." His eyes scanned the growing crowd in his VIP booth.

"Oh. I'm exhausted. Maybe next time. Thank you for being the ideal first client."

"You did a fantastic job. Very accommodating. I love this club. I'll tell my associates to ask for you."

"Bye."

"Adios."

And with that, I had more proof that the secular world was not filled with evil. Enrique was a kind man and there was no way he'd be going to hell.

I left the employee exit with a smile on my face. My father would hate my flirty Siege uniform— a pink-camo miniskirt and a black V-neck tee that said Siege in metallic pink letters swirling across my boobs. I loved it.

As I rounded the corner, an ominous figure emerged from the employee lot. A cold tremor shivered down my spine. I braced my feet and positioned my keys like spikes between my fingers. If he came at me, I couldn't outrun him in these heels. He stepped out of the shadows and...

"Rogan! You scared the bejeezus outta me!"

My shoes scuffed on the pavement as I sauntered past him to my truck. He followed me silently and propped his hands on his hips as I grabbed the handle directly above the door and hoisted my butt up into my seat. When I turned to wave to him, he was gone.

I surveyed the dark lot. No Rogan. As I drove out, I felt his eyes on my truck.