For the rest of my shift, I had to wear the ridiculous jacket. I wanted nothing more than to pull it off, but I remembered Darius’ threat and I knew that I had no choice but to deal with it. He made sure to sit at one of the booths for the rest of the night as if he were making sure that I stayed decently dressed. It was infuriating and embarrassing because it looked like I had a babysitter and it drew unnecessary attention towards me.
Towards the end of my shift, Ian made his way over to the bar to refill the drinks on his table. I tried to ignore him and pretend like I didn’t see him but Serena was swamped with work and I had no other choice but to attend to him. By the time I got to the counter, I could see that he was fighting a smirk.
“At least the jacket looks good on you,” he said as his way of greeting.
“What do you want, Ian?”
I grabbed the two bottles of beer that I knew he had come for and handed them over to him. I turned to leave expecting that to be all when he cleared his throat. I gritted my teeth but turned to him because I was still on the clock and I was obligated to serve him.
“You forgot to open it,”
I muttered some words under my breath that would have made a sailor proud and opened his drinks for him. He opened his mouth to speak but I glanced at the wall and realized that my shift had just officially ended. I pulled back from the counter and smiled at him.
“It looks like I am off the clock. You might have to wait for the next bartender to arrive.”
He had a look on his face that was akin to pride but before I could analyze it, he quickly wiped it off and took his drinks to the table. Serena and I wiped down the bar and quietly exited as soon as the girls taking the next shift arrived. I had never bothered to learn their names because I never really cared. While Serena was speaking to them, I made my way over to where Darius was sitting.
I shrugged off the jacket and placed it directly in front of him. He refused to pick it up however and just raised a brow at me in confusion.
“You can have your jacket back,” I explained. “My shift is over and I am going home.”
I turned to leave but he reached out and grabbed my arm effectively keeping me in place. His hold was firm and just like earlier, sparks and goosebumps danced across my skin. It felt like my body was alive with a million currents and I quickly pulled my hand away because I did not understand the feeling. It was foreign and the worst part was it felt good.
“You are not walking out in the street like that.” He frowned at my outfit in distaste and pushed the jacket back into my hold.
I could feel eyes on us and I knew that if I wanted to avoid a scene then the smart thing to do would be to grab the jacket and leave but I was not going to let him get away with talking to me or treating me like I was an infant so I dropped the jacket back on the table.
“I am not your kid and as of right now, I am not working so you cannot order me around.”
I didn’t want for him to respond because I did not want to get upset more than I already was. I turned on my heels and stormed out of the bar making sure to slam the door hard on my way out.
I walked over to the car while muttering choice words under my breath. I reached forward to open my car when a hand came out and slammed into the hood keeping me trapped between a warm body and a car. I knew it was Darius from the aura of his presence and his scent that infiltrated my nose. There was barely an inch of space between us and it felt like my head was clouded and I could not breathe.
“Darius move,” I intended for my voice to come out as a warning but it came out sounding more like a breathy whisper and I hated it.
“Put the fucking jacket on,” he instructed and I felt him drape it over my shoulder but I shrugged it off making it fall to the ground.
I felt a bit guilty because I knew that jacket had to be expensive. It felt like luxury on my skin when I wore it earlier but I couldn’t bring myself to show an ounce of remorse in front of Darius. I turned to him and was shocked at how close we were.
He was tall- I knew that- but up close, the height difference between us was more defined. The top of my head barely grazed his shoulders and I had to crane my neck to look him directly in the eye. His eyes held intensity and there was something dark lurking beneath them, something akin to want but I refused to believe that Darius Lunar wanted me- it made no sense. He wanted the idea of me; he wanted another notch in his belt but there was no way that I was the one he wanted.
He leaned down so our noses were brushing and we were practically sharing a breath. His other hand came around the other side of my head to cage me into the car. I let out a sharp breath hoping he wouldn’t notice but he did. His eyes narrowed in on me and with his eyes firmly on me, he leaned down and picked up the jacket.
“Put it on.”
I opened my mouth to refuse but no words would come out. His presence was overwhelming and it had stripped away my ability to speak. Darius smirked as if he knew why I was not speaking and he placed the jacket in my arms. This time I did not let it fall to the ground.
“I will throw it into the trash the first chance I get,” I warned and he laughed.
I realized it was the first time I was going to see any expression on his face that was not bland or smug. He had smile lines around his eyes when he laughed and there was the hint of a dimple on his left cheek that I couldn’t help but zone into.
“I have more than enough money to get another jacket, Leindra,” he told me as if it was the simplest thing in the entire world.
I rolled my eyes. “Move, I need to get home.”
He didn’t move. He leaned down until his hot breath was fanning my ears and I held my breath to prevent any sounds from leaving my lips.
“If you don’t come in dressed just the way I want, then I will carry you out over my shoulder and make sure you change. Is that clear?”
“You can’t govern what I wear.”
“I can when you work in my establishment.”
“I’ll get a job elsewhere.”
He pulled back and stared me deep in the eyes as he spoke. “I would like to see you try. I own this town Leindra and if I don’t want you working for anyone but me then you will not work for anyone but me.”
Without waiting for a response from me, he turned on his heels and made his way back into the bar. As he opened the door, I could see that all eyes were on me. I had forgotten that the glass was a one-way mirror so they could see everything that happened. I muttered a curse and kicked a stone. The worst part about everything was that I was still holding the jacket.
In my rage, I made my way over to the nearest trash can and held the jacket over it but I could not bring myself to drop it in. The jacket was comfortable and it was expensive. If I decided to keep it, it would help when the weather got cold and if I decided to sell it, I would be able to make some money off it.
Those were much better options than selling it. At least, that is what I told myself as I tucked the jacket under my arm and threw it into the backseat of the car. I got into the driver’s side and let my head fall against the steering wheel. I couldn’t believe I had allowed myself to be cornered and coerced into taking the jacket. It infuriated me and I wanted to get the last word. I knew I couldn’t dress indecently again because Darius would make good on his threat. It meant I needed a new way to get the upper hand in this battle that had been drawn between us.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice someone had walked up to my car until there was a knock on my window. I jumped with a hand on my chest while trying to calm my racing heart. Through the windows, I could see that it was Serena so I rolled down the windows.
“I’m so sorry if I scared you,” she said with a genuine bashful look on her face. “I was trying to call your name but you didn’t seem to hear me.”
“It is fine.” I waved her off. “Can I help you?”
“Well, the bus stop is about five minutes away and even if I leave now, I might miss the bus. I was wondering if you could drop me off. I’m not going straight home so it is a little bit out of your way. I understand if-”
“It is no problem, get in.”
She heaved a sigh of relief and rushed into the passenger side. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I started the car and she fell into silence. I didn’t mind going to drop her off, at least it meant I would have more time to think about how I could make sure that Darius Lunar regretted the moment he tried to tell me what to do.