Page 18 of Wrecked By You
“I got it.” Tiffany removed the dishcloth from my hand and gave me a nudge. “When the boss demands that you jump, the right response is ‘How high?’”
“That’s good advice,” Johannes said, spinning around and stalking off, his message that he expected me to follow as clear as the view through a freshly polished pane of glass.
I trudged after him, my mind racing at a million miles an hour, running scenarios on the best way to approach this conversation. Let him talk and follow his lead, or demand that he explain himself? Or somewhere in between? As selfish as it sounded, I dreaded losing my job on the first day, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I truly, with a hundred percent certainty, believed I’d witnessed a man assaulting a woman and I didn’t step in and do the right thing.
I entered Johannes’s office to find him perched on the edge of his desk. He pointed to the same chair I’d sat on twice before, but I shook my head.
“I prefer to stand.”
A lie, given that my feet were killing me after being on them for eight hours straight, but this way, we were more equal in height, if not in status.
“Suit yourself.” He moved around his desk and folded his elegant frame into his high-backed leather chair. “I want to talk about earlier.”
“It’s none of my business.”
“True, but considering the way you looked at me as if I were some kind of sexual predator, I feel I have no choice but to explain myself.”
“I-I don’t—”
His hand came up. “Please don’t insult either of us by denying it.”
I shut my mouth and waited for him to continue. He inhaled a deep breath, expelling it through his nose.
“Justine, the girl—woman—you saw me with has been coming on to me for weeks, making it abundantly clear that she’s available. I tried ignoring her, but the more I did, the more she flirted with other guys, some considerably older than she is, in a bid to get my attention.”
A dubious expression must have flitted across my face because he gave me a faint smile.
“I’m not being egotistical, just factual.”
“Right. I mean, okay.”
“She’s just a kid, and she’s playing with fire. Lately, her behavior has escalated, and some of her chosen companions have concerned me enough that I’ve had one of my security detail follow her home when she leaves with these men to make sure nothing happens to her.”
I sucked in a breath, and it sounded like a gasp. I hardly knew this guy, having only met him today, but my first impressions had been of a dour, broody, hard-nosed businessman who put his own interests first—always—and cared for no one other than himself.
First impressions weren’t always right—and on this occasion, I’d been way off the mark. This woman had potentially made a nuisance of herself, and he clearly wasn’t interested in a fling or anything more with her, yet he’d cared enough to make sure she got home safely.
Which meant I could have been mistaken in regard to what I’d seen earlier.
“So, before…” I coaxed.
“That was me sending a warning of what she risked if she carried on in this vein. My methods might be blunt, but they’re effective.”
“I see.” I wasn’t sure I did, but from the look in his eyes and the set of his jaw, he’d finished explaining himself.
I grazed my teeth over my lip. “Thank you for explaining it to me.”
The merest hint of a smile touched his lips, disappearing by the time I’d blinked. “I don’t need the police crawling all over my club. It’s bad for business.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have called the police.” Except if I hadn’t believed his explanation, I probably would have, even if it cost me. Just like Johannes didn’t want the police sniffing around his club, I didn’t want them sniffing around me. Staying under the radar was key to keeping one step ahead of Mateo, and that meant staying away from the authorities.
Back in Oklahoma, Mateo had the police in his pocket. For all I knew, the same could be said of Los Angeles. I had no idea how far my husband’s influence reached, and I was glad I wouldn’t have to take the risk of finding out.
Johannes didn’t respond to my denial, just eased that tall, elegant frame of his out of the chair and gestured to the door.
Guess that’s my cue to leave.
“Well, um, I’d better go and help the guys clean up. I’ll see you tomorrow?.” My tone lifted, making it sound more like a question than a statement.