No! Stop thinking about that.
Macie pushed all of those negative thoughts out of her head. She didn’t have time for them. Wilson would never hurt her like that.
Sinking her head back on the seat, she stared up at the roof of the taxi, feeling … odd.
She didn’t know if Wilson would follow her, or ignore her now that he’d gotten what he wanted.
“We’re here, miss,” the driver said.
After the way he looked at her, she knew she shouldn’t give him a tip, but she did so anyway. She knew what he was thinking after she gave him her address. What was a girl like that doing in such a grand place?
After climbing out of the car, she didn’t linger, wanting out of the cold, knowing her small apartment would still be freezing.
With shaking hands, she pushed the door open, not surprised to see the security lock was once again broken.
She took the steps, not even bothering with the elevator. It had been broken so many times, and often with people in it.
The stairs were a lot faster.
She got to her floor, and she tried the key in the lock of her room. It took her three attempts to finally get it in and flick the lock.
As she entered her apartment, there was no difference in temperature. She quickly moved toward the heating, flicking the switch and knowing it wouldn’t be warm at all.
To get warm, she had to keep moving.
Bouncing on the tips of her feet, making sure she didn’t actually make a sound, just moving her body up and down, she rushed to her bedroom and grabbed her spare uniform, which was just as stained as the one she wore.
In quick, easy movements, the dress was on the floor, and she pulled the other over her head. It was a little squeeze, but it fit.
Her tiny repair sewing kit was on the single, threadbare chair she owned, along with a quilt. After wrapping it around herself, she grabbed the kit and the thread, trying to find as close to a matching one as she could.
She didn’t have the color and so settled for a light one.
Slowly, she started to repair the dress, reattaching the buttons. She couldn’t afford a new uniform and she knew Carl didn’t have any spares. When he put an order in for a uniform, they demanded a bulk sale.
He had asked all of his waitresses to try to keep their uniforms for as long as possible. She hated the idea of being the first one who hadn’t been able to keep hers for as long as possible.
With the five buttons secured, she looked through her tiny stash of buttons and found a few more. They weren’t an exact fit, but they would do for her.
She attached them and started to work on the hole that had been created when there was a sudden bang on her door.
She jumped, losing her needle in the process.
Glancing down at the floor, she saw it had slid between the slats of the floor, and she groaned. How many needles did the floor hold?
Getting to her feet, she went to her door. There was no way of knowing who was outside, and she opened it up, only to come face to face with a very angry-looking Wilson.
Chapter Four
Wilson couldn’t remember anyone stepping out on him like Macie had. All he had to do was make a couple of calls. They’d been on his list of things to do, and seeing as Macie was sleeping, he figured he’d get them done. Seeing her gone when he was finished, and rewinding to watch the security footage, he was surprised.
She’d snuck out on him like a pro.
“Wilson,” she said.
He pushed on the door, opening it wider and stepping inside.
The main door was broken. Anyone could walk inside, and he noticed the bare minimum in the heating. Her apartment was small.
He knew a great deal about her, seeing as he had his little obsession to deal with. Wilson had figured the more he knew about her, the less he’d want to do with her. That hadn’t been the case, not by a long shot.
Now, he looked at her, and this place, it just wasn’t good enough.
Slamming the door closed, he stared at her.
She wore the same uniform, but this wasn’t one he’d destroyed with his need to see her naked. This was still an old uniform with plenty of stains. There was also a discoloration on the hem, but he had to figure this was the worst of the two uniforms.
“Why did you leave?” he asked.
Her face heated. “I have to get to work, and I needed to fix my uniform.”
Wilson didn’t want her to go back to the diner. He’d seen the way some of the traveling men had looked at her. They wanted her, and there was no way he was going to allow her to work there. Not anymore.
He noted the uniform next to a faded blanket.
“Your apartment isn’t warm. There is no way you can live here.” His mind was made up. It didn’t take him long to figure out which one was her room.
Macie didn’t have many possessions. She also didn’t own a suitcase.
Dumping her few outfits on the bed, which again was laughable, he went to the kitchen, grabbed a bag, and returned to the bedroom. Each time Macie tried to talk to him, she ended up stumbling as he moved.
Within a matter of minutes, he had her few belongings packed into three small grocery bags.
“Wait a minute,” she said. She put a hand on his chest.
“Macie, this place is a death trap. I’m surprised you haven’t been sick. It’s not warm enough either.” He shook his head, disgusted by the state of the apartment. “How much rent do you pay a month?” he asked.
She gave him a figure that pissed him off. There were much better places that were secure and warm.
“I can’t come with you,” she said.
Wilson put her bags on the floor at the door and turned toward her. Her hands opened and closed, and she nibbled on her lip.
“Yes, you can, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“You got what you wanted, didn’t you? Isn’t this what men want? A good time and not to be bugged by the woman afterward?” she asked.
He hated that she thought that. Every other woman he’d been with, this was the outcome he wanted, the woman gone without a hitch.
Staring at Macie, he didn’t want her to be gone. He closed the distance between them, cupped her face, tilted her head back, and slammed his lips down on hers, kissing her hard.
She didn’t fight him. Macie wrapped her arms around him, and he couldn’t help but press her up against the wall. As he did, he gripped her wrist and placed it above her head, only to pause as the wall dented beneath his touch.
Macie broke the kiss, avoiding looking at him, and he wanted to hurt something. Instead, he took a deep breath.
“I’m not done with you.” He grabbed her hip, pulling her against him, so she had no choice but to feel the evidence of his erection. “Do you feel that? Feel what you do to me. I’m not done with you. I want to fuck you, Macie, and show you how good it can be.”
“And when it is over?” she asked. “What then? You cannot take me away from my home and my job. That’s not fair.”
He had no plans to get rid of it, but he also didn’t want to scare her away with his need for her. “I’ll help you,” he said. “I will not kick you out, nor will I let you leave.” He stroked her cheek. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She tilted her head toward his palm.
“But you’re not staying here, Macie.”