Page 32 of Velvet Sin (Elite Men of Los Angeles #5)

ELEANOR

“A re you sure you gave me the right address?” I swear, if this is a joke, it might be the last straw. It might be what breaks me.

It had been a week since everything fell apart. A week I had spent working my ass off to find a job, any job. I had decided to go the employment agency route, performing a few skill tests to show I wasn’t lying when I said I could type and handle basic office software.

“That’s the place,” the agent confirmed when I rattled off the number on the front of the office building. It didn’t look like anyone worked there. The first floor was empty behind big, plate glass windows. There were no curtains or blinds on any of the windows spanning the three upper floors.

“I don’t feel good about this,” I confessed.

Frankly, I was starting to not feel good about any of it.

I had no information about the company or what the job would entail beyond office work.

That could’ve meant anything. “Can you maybe reach out to them and ask if there’s someplace a little more public we can meet up?

There’s a café two doors down. I would happily meet them there. ”

“I can try.” She didn’t sound very sure of herself. “But the interview does start in ten minutes, so they might consider it short notice. I’ll put you on hold and try to get in touch with them.”

I thanked her, chewing my lip and looking up at the obviously empty building.

I was desperate for a job, but was I this desperate?

Was it too much to ask for an interview conducted in an actual office setting rather than some empty building, even if it was the middle of the afternoon?

Or was I looking a gift horse in the mouth?

The line clicked. “Eleanor? They’re waiting for you inside.

Trust me,” she insisted when I groaned. “If I thought this sounded like trouble, I wouldn’t send you.

They’re in the process of opening one main central location for their business, but they have locations across the country.

That’s really all I can tell you as per their request.”

This was getting stranger by the second. What wasn’t strange was the balance in my bank account. No, that was bleak. Dire. I decided to keep my phone in hand, prepared to call 9-1-1 the second things seemed sketchy.

The large glass door was unlocked and heavy enough that it took effort to pull open. The air inside was chilly, telling me the air conditioning was working—a good sign. If everything had been hot and musty, I would’ve gotten the hell out in a heartbeat.

Still, there was nobody inside, as far as I could tell. “Hello?” I called out. Was this ridiculous? I should’ve known an administrative job in a large company was too good to be true.

Somehow, the sound of footsteps didn’t make me feel much better.

I peered farther back, squinting against the darkness there, afraid to step deeper inside what would eventually be a lobby.

It seemed safer to keep close to the door.

“I’m here for an interview,” I called out.

Amazing. I didn’t sound terrified at all.

A deep voice responded. “I know. I arranged it.”

My heart plummeted. I should’ve known. I really should have.

It was too good to be true, after all. “Dammit, Dante,” I whispered as he stepped into the light streaming through the front windows.

The son of a bitch was even more handsome like being without me for a week was good for him.

Sex on two legs, wearing one of his bespoke suits, every dark hair perfectly in place.

Almost as if he was conducting an actual interview with a job candidate, projecting the image of confidence.

I couldn’t say the same for myself. It took a hell of a lot of magic in the form of moisturizers, concealers, and highlighters to make myself look semi-human after a week of misery over our fight and my dead-end life.

“Sue me,” he muttered, shrugging once he came to a stop. It was a good thing he stayed far away, even if my body wasn’t a fan of the distance. I wanted him close, yearning for him in a way I never did when we first broke up years ago. It was deeper now. All-consuming.

Before I could ask, he explained, “Don’t blame Chloe for doing a little detective work for me.”

Now I knew how he found my employment agency.

“She’s not looking for new work, is she?

” I asked. I thought there was something funny about her reaching out to see how my job search was going.

There I was, trying to be helpful when she’d confessed she was thinking about leaving the club.

I should’ve seen it from the beginning. One of Dante’s schemes to get what he wanted, just like he tricked me into fucking him in front of Cameron. “You’ll never change, will you?”

His jaw twitched, but that was the extent of his reaction, murmuring, “I do what I have to if it means getting what I want, and I will not apologize for it.”

What else did I expect? Anger bordering on fury made my vision go red. “So, what? You’ve decided I’m what you want after you practically accused me of prostituting myself for a place to live? I'm supposed to believe that’s not what you really think of me?”

“Lenny—”

“Eleanor! Dammit, when will you call me by my actual name?”

“Because to me, you're Lenny. I already told you. If it will make you happy, Eleanor ,” he continued, emphasizing the word. “We both said things that day. I was hurt. I don’t have any experience when it comes to this relationship stuff, how to… what do they call it? Fighting fair? Not a clue.” He even chuckled, giving me a weak shrug.

“My parents sure as hell never fought fair. And please, don’t insult me and insist you didn’t feel ashamed after that brunch.

Or else why would you have cried the way you did? ”

It was ugly, it was shameful, but it was true.

“I’ve done a lot of thinking about it,” I admitted, quieter now as we faced off in the bare lobby.

“And you’re right. You were right about everything.

I was ashamed. Still stuck on having something to prove to anyone even when they don’t have a place in my life anymore.

You helped me see it, and I’m grateful. But that doesn’t mean we can forget everything we said. ”

“What if I offered you a job?”

I was going to get whiplash if this kept up. “What if I accused you of treating me like a baby? Giving me a lollipop, knowing it will shut me up.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. God, I missed his mouth. “I can see how you would take it that way, but the truth is, I need you.”

Could he have picked three words that wouldn’t make my heart swell and my throat close up? “Why would you need me? What, is Chloe really quitting?”

“Forget about that,” he snapped, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

His head fell back so he could stare at the ceiling.

“Dammit, will you ever get tired of talking over me? I’m trying to explain.

You have a degree in business. You’re smart.

You’re organized and professional. You are exactly the person I need to help me run the overall business. ”

I was too busy gaping at him to ask what the hell he was talking about, so he took advantage of my silence by explaining, “I bought this building to house my offices. No more flying back and forth across the country all the time, with a separate admin staff for each club. Yes, obviously, the people who work in-house will be specific to their locations, but the admin work will be run out of this office on the top floor. I figured I would lease the other floors, make a little more money.” He never missed a trick, did he?

“And where do I come in?” I asked. There was no point in pretending to be cool or collected at a time like this.

“I need a level head around here. No offense to Blake, but…”

“… but he is a complete shit show when something goes wrong,” I finished for him.

He snorted, nodding. “Not the words I was going to use, but that’s the idea.

I need someone who will keep things organized, especially if I plan on expanding further.

I’m seriously considering the concept of specializing in various kinks from one club to the other in Vegas, but I’ve already learned there is too much for Blake and me to handle on our own.

And if you want,” he added. “I’d be happy to discuss furthering your education. ”

“Slow down,” I begged, holding up my hands in surrender. He was throwing so much at me all at once that my head spun. “Is this your way of buying me back?”

“It’s not a bribe. Listen to me,” he insisted when I could only snicker. “I’ve done a lot of thinking about this. When I started out, I had big visions, but the underlying infrastructure wasn’t in place. It still isn’t. I need you to help me put it in place.”

“Where would you be in the middle of all of this?” I didn’t want him to see how the idea excited me, obviously. He didn’t need to know about the nervous fluttering in my stomach. It would give him all the leverage, as always. I wanted the upper hand for a change.

“For the foreseeable future, I’ll be flying between here and Manhattan,” he explained. “We’re looking to secure a different location for the club out there. The building’s ancient, the basement’s rotting, it’s a headache.”

He would be there. I would be here. That might be safer. No matter how my heart ached at the idea of him being so far away.

“You realize I have the company jet,” he pointed out in a low voice, smirking when I couldn’t hide my surprise. Why would I be surprised that he could read my thoughts? “I could fly every few days, so I’ll never be away for long. I wouldn’t want to be too far from you.”

Though my heart leaped and the room suddenly got a lot sunnier, I had to shake my head. “Wait a second. That’s not?—”