Page 73 of Slumming It

With the table out of the way, I had much more room to move, but not in the direction I wanted because Morgan stillhadn't budged. She held her ground as she told the bouncers, "Now doher!"

I felt the color drain from my face.As in toss me out of the booth?

I was still processing this when I heard a familiar voice – all male and distinctly dangerous – say from somewhere behind me, "If you lay a single hand on her, you will fucking regret it."

Chapter 28

Reese

At the sound of my voice, Emily whirled to face me. In her eyes, I saw relief clouded with fear. The fear drove a spike into my chest that would've hurt like hell if my heart weren't made of ice.

Those fuckers.

All four of them backed away as I stalked forward and circled the booth, now missing its table. I spotted the table a few feet away, lying on its side. It looked no worse for the wear, but decidedly out of place.

What was the story there?

I didn't know, but Iwouldbe finding out.

I stepped between Emily and the four fuckers who'd been hassling her, sizing them up as I moved.

The bouncers would be easy. The girls were more complicated.

As I claimed the space, the four of them backed up a few more feet, giving me plenty of room to move around.Funny, they hadn't been so kind to Emily.

The larger of the two bouncers held up both hands, palms out. "Mister Murdock…we don't want any trouble."

The other one nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we were just doing our jobs."

I hadn't met either of the bouncers until now, but the fact that they'd addressed me by name was no surprise. I got that a lot – the VIP treatment as some might call it.

I called it bullshit if they were hassling my guest.

When I replied with only a hard look, both of the bouncers shifted uneasily and looked toward the girls – two brunettes in short tight dresses.

The girls could've been twins, fraternal, not identical, with long black hair streaked with matching highlights, like they'd gone to the same salon and asked for the same look.

I gave each of them a long, appraising stare. I wasn't impressed and didn't bother hiding it. Cookie-cutter chicks weren't my thing, especially if they were hassling what's mine.

I was still staring when the girl in blue suddenly smiled, showing lots of white teeth and dimples that did nothing to mask her calculating eyes. "I'msosorry," she said, working hard to sound like she meant it. "It was just a little misunderstanding, that's all."

Behind me, I heard Emily snort.

It was a good sign, and I felt my fingers relax. It showed she was okay – and still had a sense of humor even if I didn't.

When I said nothing in reply, the girl in blue kept talking. "I'm Morgan Fairfax by the way." She stood a little straighter, throwing back her shoulders to show off her goods.

The pose was a waste. If she thought I would be distracted by a nice pair of tits, she didn't know who she was dealing with. And hey, I'd seen better – on Emily, come to think of it, even if I'd seen only hints of them through her clothes.

But a guy knew quality when he saw it.

When I still said nothing, the same girl – Morgan – tried again with another smile. "You and I are in the same business."

The hell we were.Coldly, I asked, "And what business is that?"

"You know. Real estate. Hospitality. The whole gamut."

I'd seen her type before – a rich daddy's girl who wouldn't know hard work if it bit her on the ass. "Is that so?"