Page 11 of Heartless Boss

The doors whistle open, and we step inside. Gunner hits the button for the forty-seventh floor and the doors ding closed. “Driving home to Bedford is a pain in my ass, so I crash here on workdays,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Your rent is free.”

“Um, no. I’m not living here for free.”

I sigh. “Yes, you will.”

“I’ll pay you something.”

I’m not depending on him to keep his word. For all I know he might get mad at me and toss my poor butt out on the street like I’m moldy Chinese food. I don’t trust men, especially Gunner. I wouldn’t trust him with a butter knife. Not because he has done anything to me, but because he has a lot of power. If he wants to, he can rape or beat me and get away with it.

“I have more money than I need. Your little money isn’t gonna break me, Rainbow.”

“Well, I’m still paying you.” I exhale. “My current rent is around a thousand a month.”

“Hundred bucks.” He folds his arms over his hard chest.

“Deal.”

“Do you always have to have the last word on everything?”

“It depends on the topic,” I say.

The only man I ever lived with was my ex. For one year it felt like I was living in the House of a Thousand Corpses.

Rage. Violence. And sorrow.

Nervousness covers me like a blanket, and I don’t know what to expect from living with Gunner. What if he’s a neat freak who likes everything in order? Or worse, a slob who leaves stained underwear in the middle of the bathroom floor? What if he brings home a woman, and they traumatize my ears by making me listen to them screwing like rabbits? Yeah, no one wants to hear that.

“Can I make a request?”

He tilts his head to the side. “You can make any request you want.”

“Please don’t bring any of your sluts home while I’m staying here. I don’t want to see or hear you humping another person.”

“Duly noted.” He rolls his eyes.

“You’re not going to ask me not to do the same thing?”

Shaking his head, he says, “You’re not fucking anyone.”

“How do you know?” I arch my eyebrow.

“Oh, I know, believe me.”

“I have a boyfriend, Gunner.”

As he takes long strides closer to me, I walk backward until my back brushes against the cold wall. Gunner plants both hands above my head, caging me in like a wild animal. His eyes stare down at me with pools of anger. My heart pounds loud in my ears, deafening my thoughts.

We hate Gunner,I say inwardly to my heart.

We don’t want to have anything to do with him.

Please, don’t fail me like you did nine years ago.

Remember how I had to resuscitate you from heartbreak?

Well, don’t fall for him.

“Where is he? I’d like to bash his skull for allowing his woman to go homeless.” His tone scares me because it’s as calm as the ocean on a sunny day, and his breath tickles my forehead.