Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
My stomach turns.
“Our relationship is strictly professional,” I say as calmly as I can. “He’s my boss and I take care of his schedule. That’s as exciting as our late nights get. Now, I should probably get back to the ballroom.”
I try to step around him, but his hand catches my arm. Not hard, yet the look on his face says it wouldn’t take much for him to hurt me. I drop my gaze to his fingers, then lift it back to his face.
“Let go of me,” I say firmly.
That wolfish grin is back on his face, making him look predatory.
“Careful, Ms. Bellini. You should know by now that your job often requires enthusiastic compliance.”
I pull my arm out of his grasp as hard as I can, suppressing the urge to stomp on his foot.
“Actually,” I nearly spit, “that’s not in my job description.”
His brows lift, and his hands move to my waist.
“Mr. Armand,” I say in as intimidating of a tone as I can manage, “you need to let me get back to the ballroom.”
“You’re in over your head,” he says, leaning down to whisper into my ear. “You know that, don’t you?”
He backs me up against a wall, until there’s no possible way for me to wriggle out of his grasp. The motion knocks the air out of me.
“Dominic should know better than to bring pretty things around me,” he growls into my ear.
Underneath the immense fear comes an anger so powerful, it bursts out of me.
“And you should know how to keep your hands to yourself,” I say, pushing him off of me with both hands.
He stumbles back, and for a second I think I must be stronger than I knew. Then he’s thrown unnaturally to the side, and I see Dominic standing over him, unbridled fury on his face.
“Like the lady said,” he snarls, “you need to keep your hands to yourself.”
Kevin twists to look at him and puts his hands up in surrender.
“This isn’t what it looks like, Dominic,” he says carefully. “That bitch basically begged me to bring her to a quiet spot.”
Dominic doesn’t entertain the lie for a moment. He punches him hard enough that the man falls back onto the floor, clutching his face. I flinch.
Rafe appears at the end of the hall. Elena shows up behind him, one hand clamped over her mouth. Dominic doesn’t look at either of them, but I feel like a spectacle. My heart races and my head spins.
“Are you hurt?” Dominic asks me.
I shake my head. “I’m fine,” I insist, but my voice sounds awful.
Kevin chuckles darkly as he gets up from the floor. “She’s fine,” he hisses. “I’m the one who’ll be suing the shit out of you.”
Dominic turns back to him, and for the first time since I met him, I see the man under the perfectly crafted veneer. The CEO is just a costume. The man underneath is dangerous.
Rafe steps in, putting himself between Dominic and Kevin.
“There are three witnesses,” Rafe says darkly. “And they all saw you fall. It would be your word against Dominic’s.”
Kevin’s anger flickers briefly before it’s replaced by fear.
“I fell.” He nods, clutching his jaw where Dominic hit him. “But this dinner is over.”
“The dinner will continue,” Dominic says quietly. “Your guests will leave satisfied, and when they ask why tonight went so well, you’ll tell them it’s because my assistant saved the night from your incompetence. You will never look at or speak to Sofia again. If you do, you’ll get much worse than a punch in the face.”
Kevin’s jaw clenches.
Rafe leans in. “This is the part where you nod and tell Dominic, ‘Thank you.’”
Kevin nods and grumbles a quick “Thank you” under his breath. I’m left speechless. Who the hell do I work for?
Rafe escorts Kevin toward the kitchen, and Elena moves toward me.
“Sofia, are you okay?” she asks with genuine concern. “Jesus Christ, what a fucking pervert. I’m going to make sure he never gets a quality event planner in this town ever again.”
“I’m okay,” I tell her automatically, even though I feel shaken to the bone.
She looks at Dominic, then back to me. “I have a room upstairs. You can use it for tonight and just decompress.”
“No,” I answer too quickly. “I have to see the event through.”
Dominic’s eyes sharpen on me. “Absolutely not,” he says. “You’re done for the night.”
“No, I’m not,” I argue.
“Sofia,” he says sharply.
“No,” I say more firmly. “I’m not leaving because that pig tried to attack me. That gives him too much power.”
Dominic looks like he wants to argue with me, but he knows it would be pointless.
“I’ll stay with her all night,” Elena offers. “She won’t be alone at any point.”
His jaw flexes. “Fine,” he says reluctantly. “But the moment this godforsaken event ends, I’m putting you in a car to send you home.”