I headed upstairs to my office, exhausted but satisfied with the flawless execution of the club’s grand opening. My brothers had disappeared, but I knew they’d resurface soon enough since they’d never leave without letting me know. Emily and Lucy, however, had left a few hours ago with Alec, Dominic’s driver. The rest of the staff had gone home, leaving the cleanup crew downstairs under Delilah’s supervision.
The month of planning, the late nights, and the intense arguments with Delilah had paid off, big time. She didn’t quit or walk away during the process, when things got tough; she’d stuck it out until the job was done.
Tonight, though, was the only time she threatened to leave, and I knew it was my fault. A blind man could see that the guy was flirting with her, and instead of letting it slide, I overreacted like I did with Daniel. Delilah may not have been mine to claim yet, but I’d be damned if another man would flirt with her under my nose and get away with it. I knew the opening would’ve turned out differently if it wasn’t for her, as much as I hated to admit it.
But the highlight of my night was walking into my office earlier and seeing Lucy and Delilah on the floor making those paper dolls together. Delilah didn’t hesitate to kick off her shoes and have sequins and glue stuck to her beautiful dress while entertaining Lucy. No woman I had ever been with would’ve sat on the floor in their designer dresses and manicured nails to entertain Lucy—not that I’d have trusted any of them with her, anyway.
When I stepped into my office, my brothers were scattered around the room, on chairs, pressed against the table or leaning against the wall. They rose to their feet, smiles on their faces and glasses in their hands. The office felt too small for us six-foot-tall men, but no one seemed to care. Dominic held two glasses in his hand, walked over to me, handed me one and patted me on the back.
“To the man of the hour! I can’t speak for the others—” Dominic began.
Axel raised an eyebrow and interrupted, “Since when?”
Everyone chuckled.
“Fine,” Dominic smiled broadly. “I’ll say it. On behalf of all of us, this may not be your first grand opening, and knowing you, it won't be your last, but we're proud of you and this milestone that you’ve overcome. Cheers to more success. To Seb!”
The others cheered in unison. “To Seb!”
The glasses clinked, and then my brothers took turns shaking my hand. When the congratulations subsided, I turned to face them.
“You guys could’ve been anywhere else tonight, but you chose to be here, to support me. Thank you, I appreciate every one of you.”
“And we appreciate you too, for bringing those fine babes tonight,” Axel smirked, raising his glass again.
“Do you think of anything else besides your next lay?” Leo asked amused.
“Of course, I do, but tonight wasn’t about business for me. It was about pleasure, or at least it will be, once I leave here.” A wide grin spread across Axel’s face, and I shook my head.
“How many numbers did you get tonight?” I asked, curious.
“Fifteen,” Axel stated proudly.
Vincent scoffed, “Only?”
“Wait,” Axel, clearly shocked by Vincent’s response, demanded, “You were collecting numbers too?”
“Do ducks have feathers?” Vincent smirked.
Axel’s tone was dead serious. “Listen, we’ve got to make sure that we don’t have the same numbers for the same girls. Remember what happened last time.”
Nate looked between Axel and Vincent. “What happened last time?”
“Nothing,” Vincent and Axel stated in unison.
They huddled in a corner of the office and pulled napkins filled with numbers out of their pockets to compare them. The rest of us shook our heads and chuckled.
“Seb, you know, a few months ago when you told us about the protection fee and the threats to trash your clubs if you didn’t pay, I thought you’d delay the opening of this club. Being a business owner is risky, especially for someone as successful as you. But you didn’t give in to their demands, you stood your ground and kept your eye on the prize. I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”
Dominic’s approval had always mattered to me, and now was no different. But it also made me realize how important it was to handle the club’s issues alone. He was right; being a business owner came with risks, like having a target on your back, but that didn’t mean you should fold your business and give in.
Which made me wonder what made Dean give in.
Change is the only constant in life. You adapt, you learn, and you grow. Over the past few months, I revisited the drawing board more than once to protect what I’d built, and I’d continue to do so until the threat is eradicated.
“Seb, have you received any more threats since then?” Nate asked, a brief wave of concern flashing across his face.
“Nothing I can’t handle. Being a club owner isn’t for the weak, and as a Quantum man, the word weak isn’t in my vocabulary.”
“But I hope the word precaution is.” Leo folded his arms across his broad chest and locked eyes with me. “Seb, a colleague of mine from the police force informed me that Eso was murdered. I’ve done my calculations, and based on the time frame, Eso couldn’t be the one who sent you the threats as you originally thought,” Leo grimaced.
I took a sip of my whiskey but said nothing.
Dominic’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at me. “Based on the look on your face, you already knew that.”
“I did. I’m looking into Eso’s murder as we speak. I figure I owe him that much.”
My brothers nodded, neither of them bothering to try to persuade me to back off from investigating it.
“If you need us, you know where to find us,” Vincent stated as he and Axel rejoined the group.
“I do,” I replied with a nod of agreement.
“And on that note,” Dominic added with a smile, “I’ll leave you bachelors to enjoy the rest of your night. I’ve got a family to get home to.”
He patted each of us on the back and exited the office, his footsteps fading down the hallway.
Leonardo, Nathaniel, Axel, Vincent and I hung out for a bit, then one by one, they said their goodbyes.
Just as I settled into the chair behind my desk and closed my eyes, a knock echoed on the door before it opened.
“Mr. Quantum.” Delilah stood in the doorway. She looked as tired as I felt. “The cleaning crew is finished, and I’ve locked up. I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving.”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s midnight. I’ll take you home.”
“You don’t need to. I’ll—”
“I insist.” I cut her off, my tone firm.
Delilah closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply before her tired gaze met mine. She stepped into the office and grabbed her clutch from the shelf. Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
She turned and walked outside before I could say anything else. The fact that she was exhausted and still felt the need to be stubborn stirred something in me.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I stood up, ensuring I had my phone and my keys. I locked my office behind me, and after double checking that all the offices upstairs were locked, I made my way downstairs.
As I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Delilah leaning against the wall at the entrance. Her shoulder was against it, her arms crossed in front of her, one hand holding the opposite wrist. Her clutch hung loosely in her hand as her head leaned against the wall.
When I got closer, I realized her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and even. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Delilah was sleeping on her feet.
It took everything in me not to walk up to her, nuzzle her neck, and inhale that perfume that had been driving me crazy all night. My cock stirred at the fleeting thought of pressing her against the wall where she stood and pressing my lips against hers. I couldn’t help but wonder if her lips tasted like peaches.
I inhaled deeply and gently placed my hand on her arm. What I didn’t expect was for her eyes to snap open as panic etched on her face. Or for her clutch to swing toward me. My arm shot up just in time to grab her wrist, preventing the bag from slamming into the side of my head.
Who the fuck did she think I was?
“Ms. Malone, it’s just me.” My voice was gentle, yet firm.
This couldn’t be a reflexive reaction based on where she lived. The way she reacted told me there was something more.
Her breathing was short and ragged as she tried to register where she was. Slowly, I lowered her wrist but didn’t let go, closing the gap between us as I cupped the side of her face.
“You’re safe, Delilah. I’d never let anything happen to you.”
My eyes never left hers. I didn't know why, but I felt the need to reassure her. As my words sank in, she leaned into my hand.
I didn’t rush her. I waited until her breathing had steadied.
“Are you ready to leave?”
When she nodded, I placed my hand on the small of her back and guided her across the parking lot to my car.
The only other car in the parking lot was Tony’s. Once Delilah was safely inside, I made my way to the driver’s seat. Tony and the other security guard climbed into the black SUV and pulled out of the parking lot after I did.
“So, if I allowed you to drive home, would you’ve fallen asleep behind the wheel like you did against the wall?” I asked flatly.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Delilah stiffen. “I’ve never fallen asleep behind the wheel of my car, and don’t plan on starting now.”
“To prevent any future accidents, I’ve decided to include a car and an apartment nearby as part of the company perks for when you start to work for me permanently on Monday.”
Delilah scoffed, shaking her head. “I never gave you an answer on that offer, did I? And now that your grand opening is over, you are no longer my boss, which means I can call you by your first name. So, Sebastien , as much as I need the money, I’ll never work for someone as arrogant and self-centered as you. It’s not worth it.”
Delilah looked out the window as I focused on the road ahead. I didn’t let her words bother me, because they were true. I didn’t build my empire by being a polite pushover, and I wouldn’t apologize for it, either.
But now that the grand opening was over, I needed to keep Delilah close, especially after her reaction tonight. I had to figure out a way to get her to accept the job.
As we pulled up to her apartment complex, I switched off the engine and turned to her.
“Ms. Malone.” I didn’t continue until her eyes met mine. “With Dean out of the picture, I can’t just see you living like this and sit back and do nothing. If anything happens to you, and I had a chance to help you and I didn’t, I’d never forgive myself.”
Delilah looked at me strangely and then unbuckled her seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride, Sebastien .”
She stepped out of the car and hustled towards the building, and I followed close on her heels.
“You know it's a good deal. Why are you being so stubborn?” Impatience seeped into my voice as I tried to keep my composure.
She paused at her door, her key already in her hand, but she didn’t unlock it. Instead, she turned and looked up at me. I could see the turmoil in her eyes.
Her voice softened as she spoke. “Because I don’t need your help in the form of handouts. Handouts come at a price, usually at a price I can’t afford.”
There was something about what she just said and the way she said it that struck a nerve. I couldn’t help but feel she was talking about something completely different.
“Delilah,” I placed my hands on her shoulder and felt her breath falter. “You did a great job tonight. This isn’t a handout. This is about you recognizing what you bring to the table and getting rewarded for it. Take the job.”
She sighed. “Good night, Sebastien.”
She looked up at me, her eyes pleading with mine to let her go. Reluctantly, I stepped back and allowed her to enter her apartment. There was no way Delilah was going to refuse my help. Not if I had anything to say about it.
I made my way downstairs and spotted Tony standing near the entrance.
“Tony,” I lowered my voice. “I want extra eyes on Delilah at all times. Got me?”
Tony nodded. “Yes, boss.”
There was more to Delilah’s story than she was willing to share, but with the grand opening out of the way, figuring out what Delilah Malone had gotten herself into made it to the top of my list.
By the time I arrived home, it was a little after three in the morning. Restless, I settled into bed and called Delilah, needing to hear her voice once more before I called it a night. It took a few tries, before she finally answered.
“Sebastien, it’s three a.m. You’d better be on fire to be calling me at this time.”
Her voice was sexy and raspy, sending my imagination into overdrive. Did she sleep in long pajamas or boy shorts? An image flashed through my mind of Delilah’s leg straddled over mine as a hint of her butt cheek hung from her shorts, snuggling in next to me, her knee brushing against my cock, and sent a dangerous longing through me.
“I just wanted to let you know that I got home safe. After dropping you off, that is.”
“Good for you, anything else?” Her annoyance came through as clear as day. Now that she was officially off the clock, she wasn’t holding anything back.
“Have you thought about the job offer?”
“My answer is still no. I’ll clean toilets before coming back to work for you.”
As Delilah snapped at me, I pictured that defiant spark in her eyes and how her lips would press in a thin line, daring me to challenge her. It maddened me but also made her totally irresistible.
My hand instinctively moved to my cock that strained against the fabric confining it and rubbed. I considered returning to Delilah’s place and turning her sharp words into moans as I made her mine.
Mine.
My cock jumped in my hand, and I stifled a growl in my throat.
“Ms. Malone.”
“Mr. Quantum”
Silence.
“I’m going back to bed. Good night,” Delilah stated.
The phone went silent.
I closed my eyes, trying to shake Delilah from my thoughts, but I couldn’t.
I removed my cock from its restraints and wrapped my fingers around my shaft. I rubbed the precum that was already on the head of my cock and stroked myself. I imagined Delilah’s lips wrapped around the head and moaned.
Come on Sebastien, what the hell does this woman have that gets you so riled up that you can’t control yourself? Stop letting Delilah get to you!
But the more I tried to get myself under control the more I pictured Delilah’s hands on me and the warmth of her mouth. My hand moved relentlessly over my shaft, and it wasn’t long before my body shuddered, and I groaned as I reached my climax. But the tension lingered, leaving me more frustrated than when I started.
I lay there for a few moments before heading to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I made my way back to bed. This weekend I had to come up with a plan that ensured Delilah would walk into my office on Monday morning and accept the job offer.