Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Charlotte Mitchell

T he sound of his voice tickles me in all the right places. It’s rough and scratchy but somehow slides over me like warm water. Blonde wavy hair is styled in a messy fashion, and a five-o’clock shadow graces the hard edges of his face along with that square jaw to just below those high cheekbones.

Even though it’s fall, his skin has a natural golden glow. It’s a beautiful contrast to the color of his hair and his piercing, bright blue eyes that certainly never miss anything. I know this because I swear to God he stares into my soul while holding eye contact with me.

He screams sin with his expensive leather jacket, faded black jeans that have holes just above the knee, and Converse shoes. Under his jacket is a tight-fitted white shirt that accentuates every single muscle I’d love to see for myself.

This is the kind of man who only lives in my wet dreams, and yet he stands before me, involved in an operation that I’m starting to realize I can’t fully understand. At least, in this moment, while he waits for me to say something. Do something. Anything. And because I don’t and I only gape at him openly, his lips twitch in what can only be agitation. Or maybe it’s the beginning of a smirk.

I let loose a breath real slow because, with any luck, this guy is just here to witness my interview . . . or whatever this is. Chances are I’ll never see him again.

Somehow, that comforts me. I clear my throat to disrupt my obvious ogling and say, “Nice to meet you both,” as confidently as I can.

Andre’s face widens like one of those ridiculous cartoon, wanna-be baddies, and he releases his steepled fingers. He gestures to the seat directly across from him. The man holding my elbow lets me go, and keenly aware of Nix studying my every move, I step up to the chair, pull it out, and gingerly take a seat.

I spare a glance at Nix, and we hold each other’s gaze for a split second, and in that split second, I swallow thickly. He’s intimidating, dangerous, and yet, all it does is turn me on. I can tell right now, without even knowing him, that getting too close to him will burn me in ways I cannot even fathom. I mentally make it a point, because of my interest in his appearance and the alpha vibes he gives off, to steer clear of him if I ever run into him in this business again. He’ll only get me into trouble, I just know it.

When I look away, Nix says, “Eyes on me. He’s only here for show.”

A shiver crawls down my spine as his voice caresses me in ways no other man’s voice ever has. I scowl anyway because, the way this is set up, Andre looks to be the one to be in charge. “I thought – ”

“You thought wrong,” Nix interrupts, but it’s not in a chiding way. It’s just a matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s true,” Andre grumbles, disappointment coloring his words. “As much as I’d like to have you in more ways than one, it’s Nix you’re here to see.”

Shit. Will Nix be my boss? My stomach sinks a little because staying away from him just went out the window. With a little hope, maybe – just maybe – he’ll hand me to someone else, but I know that’s a fool's dream. Already, I can tell that Nix likes to handle things himself. Andre may be in the business suit, but it’s clear Nix holds the power in this room. Hell, probably any room he walks into.

So what is Andre? Is he the head guy? No, that can’t be. Nix would have a better chance of being the head guy than Andre, but deep down, I know that neither of them is. They’re just pawns in the grand scheme of things because there’s no way that I’d meet the head of this dual operation on the first night.

I look back and forth between them, ignoring the tingle between my thighs as Nix’s eyes bore into mine, exposing every secret that I’ve built up for myself. “Okay. So what do you need to know about me? How does this work?”

Andre leans back in his seat and crosses a leg over the other to rest his ankle on his knee, and then he flourishes his hand at Nix to take chargein a rich person sort of way.

“You can leave,” Nix says to him in warning.

“Not a chance in hell,” Andre responds sweetly.

His eyes narrow, and my attention ping-pongs between the two of them as they begin their battle of wills. “I have no need for you here.”

Andre shrugs, crinkling his suit for a second. “I’ll stay just the same.”

I’ll give him credit, Nix may be annoyed with it, but he has enough patience to let him stay, even though every vibe he gives off right now is basically telling Andre to fuck off.

Nix turns his focus back to me. “Where’s your phone?”

“Excuse me?” I blink a few times.

He looks behind me and nods to the man who ushered me in. “Give him your phone.”

“Why?” My tone is a little defensive because my life is on that phone. I don’t know these men, and I sure as hell don’t want them looking through my life, especially when it has so many things on there that could give me away.

Fuck. I should have left it at home.

Panic settles in my gut when the man holds out his hand, waiting for me to give in to the order.

“Any time you walk through that door, love, you’ll be passing over any belongings that could possibly listen in or record,” Andre says lovingly.

I hide my gulp well as I open my clutch and produce my phone, gently and regretfully setting it in the man’s hand. My heart thunders in my chest when he swaggers toward the kitchen with it, but I keep my face settled on Nix’s to prove that I’m not afraid of whatever he’ll find, even though I truly am.

However, I break that contact when I startle because a few loud and quick bangs vibrate the space behind me. I quickly turn in my seat and watch as this man pounds my phone with a meat tenderizer on the floor.

“What the fuck?” I whisper when he’s done. The phone is nothing but a crumpled piece of useless technology. He kicks it aside like the garbage it now is.

“You won’t be needing that,” Nix says in way of explanation.

I whip back around to face him and glare as hard as I can muster. “My entire life was on that phone.”

His lazy shrug should piss me off, but damn if his muscles bunching in his chest quenches that rage. “Not anymore.”

I clench my jaw and look down at the table so I don’t give him a piece of my mind. Who the hell does he think he is? Scratch that. I know who he is. He’s the one in charge right now. I can tell just by our brief encounter that he enjoys being in charge, strives for it in everything he does. My phone would be no different.

“Eyes on me,” he murmurs. It’s said gruffly, and I can’t refuse the order.

I slowly lift my gaze to him, and we stare at one another for a long pause. I see him for what he is. Does he see me for what I am? Who I truly am? Something tells me he does. Something tells me he knows I don’t belong, and that’s confirmed when he asks, “Why are you here?”

“For a job,” I answer right away. “I need the money.”

“Don’t we all,” Andre says jovially, but neither Nix nor myself break eye contact. For all it’s worth, he could be invisible right now because Nix consumes me, consumes the space.

“You know what this job entails?” he implores with a slight flex to his jaw when he’s finished.

I nod. “I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“There are other ways to make money.” Is he trying to convince me to walk away? Not a chance. Not when I am this close to getting in, my virtue be damned.

“I suppose there is.”

“Then walk out that door.”

A curl breaks loose from the others when I shake my head. “No.” My answer is firm and final and definitely more confident than I feel.

He steps forward, places his hands on the table, and leans toward me. His scent swirls around my immediate space, and my eyelids flutter closed as my favorite aroma fills my nose: Leather. “What’s your last name, Charlie?”

“Smith,” I answer right away, tasting the lie on my tongue and wondering if he can smell it on my breath.

“Sounds fake.”

“Maybe it is.”

He studies my face, moving between the grooves and plains and valleys that make me all that I am.

“Do we normally hire bigger women?” the man behind me asks, and I bristle.

“You have no idea the market there is for thicker women,” Andre says cheerfully. “And with looks like hers . . .”

But Nix doesn’t take his gaze off my face until he sweeps the slope of my neck and down my entire body as if he can see everything underneath my black dress. I can’t help it. My nipples harden, and I have no doubt they’re peeking through both my bra and my dress because, for a second, Nix’s eyes linger there before they return to mine. Everywhere his gaze touched scorched me.

I need to get away from this man.

“I should take offense to that,” I whisper because a whisper is all I can manage under the weight of his scrutiny.

“Don’t,” Nix whispers back.

“Why?” I’m fishing for a compliment, I know I am, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. I shouldn’t give a shit what Nix thinks about me or my appearance. But I asked it anyway; it popped right out, and now I can’t take it back.

He focuses on my lips for a second before pushing off the table and standing fully upright, crossing his arms as he does. I feel the loss of him immediately, but all the same, I take a deep breath and exhale it through my nose .

“Do you use?” he asks me, scanning my bare arms for track marks.

I look with him before I shake my head. “Never have.” And because of my past, I certainly never will.

“You may want to consider it to cope with what you’re getting involved in.”

“Not a chance.”

“We can supply you.”

“Why are you so pushy on me refusing drugs?” I demand, looking at Andre for a second just to get a break from Nix.

Andre takes it upon himself to answer. “Stronger women have broken without it, love.”

I bristle at the nickname he’s given me, and completely done talking to the sleaze-ball who is eyeing me like a snack, I turn my attention back to Nix. “I won’t be using drugs.”

“Suit yourself,” he says after a moment, lifting his shoulder and letting it fall.

“I’ll be fine.”

He shrugs again. “You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself and not me.”

I narrow my gaze at him once more. I don’t care how hot he is. I won’t give him the satisfaction that I’d buckle and use because he suggests it.

His eyebrows lift in a challenging sort of way. It’s the most expression I’ve seen him wear since I got here. “Have you ever recorded yourself?”

With my eyes still narrowed, I answer, “No.”

Nix’s jaw ticks again, but it’s Andre who says something. “Everyone loves raw material, Nix.”

I spare him a glance. Just one.

“So they do,” he agrees. To me, he asks, “Are you clean? ”

“I already told you I don’t do drugs.” My shoulders deflate from all the questions. I knew there’d be many, but by the way this is going, it sounds like they think I’m not the right fit for whatever they’re looking for.

“I’m not talking about drugs,” Nix says, slowly shaking his head.

“Oh,” I breathe out when it clicks with me. “I’ve only ever had one partner in my life, and I was his only partner as well. But if you need proof . . .” I open my clutch again and take out a folded piece of paper that has my STD test results printed on it. It’s fake, obviously, but they don’t need to know that. I know I’m clean, and, according to Peyton, I needed proof that I am.

I pass him the paper, and he unfolds it to read the results. Satisfied, he drops it on the table as if it means nothing to him now. It’s almost as though he’s trying to find reasons not to bring me on, but I don’t allow the disappointment to curdle what little I ate for supper. This is my only way in, and I need them to accept me.

“This place will eat you alive,” he mutters.

“Give her a chance,” Andre interjects. “If you don’t, I will.”

Nix’s nostrils flare, and he grinds his teeth. For a second, I wonder what Andre does because maybe it’d be easier than recorded sex.

“Please,” I whisper to Nix. “I need the job.” I’m not above begging at this point. I can’t go home with my tail tucked between my legs.

He looks away from me long enough to pop his neck in contemplation and to clearly relieve the tension that slithered in after Andre’s proclamation. Whatever Andre does, Nix doesn’t want me anywhere near it because he says, “Follow me.”

Slowly, I stand from my chair, confusion etched into every line of my face. He isn’t kicking me out like I anticipated, but where the hell would we go in this house?

He starts to walk out of the dining room, kicks my phone out of his way, and disappears down the hall to the foyer.

I look at Andre for a second, who is wearing a grin. “I’d follow him if you want the job.”

“To where?”

“To the second part of your interview.” He cocks his head at me as my eyebrows pull down into a deep frown. “You didn’t think you’d get through this without getting naked and showing us what you got, did you?”

I swallow thickly, and my stomach does a flip-flop behind my ribs.

He makes a shooing motion at the same time I hear Nix’s footfalls echo on the stairs. “Go, or you’ll be shown out.”

I can do this , I say in my head. I slowly swivel and take the first step to follow Nix. It’s just sex. I knew this would happen eventually, but I sure as shit wasn’t prepared for it to happen tonight.

I take another step, and in this moment, I’m entirely grateful that my glasses don’t have a camera.