Stretching, I look at him and frown, noticing he hasn’t moved. “Sven,” I repeat, walking toward his desk. “Hey.” I snap my fingers close to his ear, making him jump.
“Are you okay?” he asks, running his hands through his hair.
“I need food. Would you like anything?” I repeat, looking at the clock on the wall and seeing it’s a little after eleven.
“Sure,” he mutters, reaching into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet, and holding it out toward me.
“Do you have any preference?” I ask, ignoring his outstretched hand.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he says, taking a hundred dollar bill from his wallet, attempting to hand it to me instead.
“Are you sure you want to eat what I’m eating?” I inquire as he frowns, studying me then the money in his hand.
Shaking his hand, he shoves the money toward me again. “I’m sure, now take the money.”
“I can buy my own food.” I grab my cell phone from the top of his desk, where I plugged it in to charge.
“You’re not paying,” he states, standing.
Ignoring him, I turn on my heel and leave the office, hearing his curse as I head to the bottom of the stairs, where I make a call to one of my favorite Indian restaurants before heading through the club to wait outside for the delivery.
“Does Boss Man know you’re out here?” Teo asks me as I step through the doors and to the side, smiling at a group of men who say hi as they pass me on their way inside the club.
“He knows I’m getting food,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around myself as the night air moves across my exposed skin, sending a chill through me. I met Teo the first night I showed up here after my sister was attacked. He took a hundred dollars from me and let me into the club. The second time I came back, he took another hundred from me, but on the third he gave me all my money back.
“Didn’t jump anyone on your way out?” he questions with a grin before taking money from a couple in line.
“Ha, ha. Very funny,” I mutter, but feel my cheeks burn at the thought of what happened yesterday when I was here.
“Just asking.” He laughs as I lean back against the wall, cringing when three women step to the front of the line wearing what looks like skimpy lingerie. This is Vegas, so their choice of attire doesn’t really surprise me, but as a woman, I will never understand the need to wear clothes that leave nothing to the imagination.
“Did that guy get arrested?” I ask quietly as the women head into the club.
“He got arrested and is still waiting bond.”
“That’s good,” I say, letting out a relieved breath that at least one creep is off the streets for now.
“How’s your sister?” he asks, folding his large body in half as he sits on a small metal stool that looks ready to give out under his weight.
“She’s doing better,” I respond softly, leaning my head back to look up at the night sky.
“Here.”
I look down at his extended hand and the card he’s holding out to me. “What’s this?” I ask, taking the card from him. The front is blank, and the back only has a phone number.
“If your sister wants help, I know some people who can give it to her,” he says quietly, and I study him for a long-time, wondering how he knows. Tears fill my eyes as I nod holding the card tightly in my hand, wishing it were as easy as making a phone call.
“Sometimes, you don’t have a choice and you have to let go,” he mutters, but lucky for me, I don’t have to respond because the delivery driver for the food I ordered pulls up just in time. Paying for the food with a fifty, I tell the driver to keep the change then walk past Teo, giving him a short wave as I head back into the building and around the packed club floor. Spotting Zack, Sven’s head of security, at the bottom of the stairs that lead to his office, I feel a smile form on my lips as his eyes lock on mine.
“Hey, Maggie,” he greets softly, leaning in to press a light kiss to my cheek. Zack is a beautiful black man, with large, bulky muscles, dark, creamy skin, a bald head, and soft, soulful eyes. He is the kind of man I normally find myself dating, and is the opposite of my current boyfriend of seven months, Wyatt.
I met Wyatt on a photo shoot we did together when I was working on an ad campaign for one of my favorite plus-size brands. Wyatt is the boy-next-door type, with sun kissed skin, dark blond hair, and blue eyes. He’s not much taller than me, and I can never wear heels when we go out, but his smile and gentle manner make being with him easy.
“You okay?”
“Great.”
I smile then feel my spine stiffen when a woman asks in a squeaky voice, “Is Sven upstairs?” Looking at her I notice she’s one of the women from outside wearing lingerie. Grinning, her friends come to stand on either side of her.
“Sorry, doll. He’s not accepting company at this time,” Zack says, and something in my chest pinches.
“Well, I brought my friends this time. Can’t you call and ask him to look down here? Maybe he’ll change his mind when he sees us,” she says with a pout.
“I’m gonna head up,” I say softly, getting a soft look and a nod from Zack as I head up the stairs as quickly as my heels will take me. Getting to the door at the top, I take a deep breath push it open and step inside.
“Is it safe to walk barefoot in here?” I ask Sven, who stands from behind his desk as I turn to shut the door behind me.