Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 115186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 576(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
She did. Most likely a dozen times before she gave up.
“Tellin’ you… Don’t fuckin’ call her that again.”
Roger’s brow dropped low. “No reason to use profanity.”
“Got every damn reason to use it. You’re disrespectin’ your employee.”
“By telling her to follow the rules? Rules she agreed to when she was hired?”
She didn’t remember any rules about eating out on the floor, but that was neither here nor there right now.
Maddie pulled in a breath and turned, placing a hand on Romeo’s chest. She caught his gaze and widened her eyes at him in a silent plea. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“You fuckin’ mind. You told me that.”
“Rome…” Fuck. “Marvin, I appreciate you standing up for me, but it’s unneeded.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Unneeded? The fuck if it was unneeded.
Romeo’s growing suspicion that ol’ Roger was the source of Maddie’s stress was now confirmed. All she had to tell him was that her boss was a dick. Actually, more than a dick. He was bordering on abusive.
Romeo found that un-fucking-acceptable.
And the fuck if he would let it continue, no matter how much Maddie wanted him to stay out of it.
Fuck that shit.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carter, but it looks like you might not be a good fit for my establishment after all. I’m going to have to ask you to leave since you can’t control yourself. I’ll refund your visit today if you’ve already paid.”
Romeo spun on the man, making him lurch back a step. Even pale slightly like the little bitch he was. “You think I ain’t in control? I’m fuckin’ in control. You wouldn’t want to see me when I lose my shit.”
Smith was the kind of pussy-ass bitch who’d press charges if Romeo even poked him with a finger.
But he certainly wouldn’t be poking the guy. He’d be hauling off and planting a fist right in her boss’s mouth. And once he was down, maybe even crushing that motherfucker’s face with one of his boots.
But Romeo was in control.
Barely.
It was time to leave before that changed and shit went sideways. He normally didn’t wear any jewelry, so cold metal cuffs were not his style.
When he turned towards Maddie, he noticed she was frozen in place. Not only that, he didn’t think she was aware she held the peach in a death grip and its juice was dripping off her fingers and onto the floor mats.
Smith must have spotted that at the same time, too.
“You made a mess, Mad. Now go get something to clean it up. This is a perfect example on why food isn’t allowed out on the floor.”
Romeo pulled in a deep breath, jerked his head to the left, then to the right to crack his neck, then forced his fingers to uncurl.
The asshole didn’t know when to shut the fuck up.
Smith was also pushing his luck by calling Maddie “Mad” after Romeo made it quite fucking clear not to do that again.
When Maddie lifted her hand, her face changed the second she saw what she did. Her eyes flicked to the floor.
“Now!” Smith barked. “Someone could slip and fall on that mess, and you know who will be getting sued? Not you.”
“Sorry.” The second she jerked into action, so did Romeo. But not to haul off and teach Smith a lesson.
Not here, not now.
When the man least expected it. When there wouldn’t be witnesses. Some would call it a “random” act of violence. Romeo would call it karma.
Smith’s time was coming.
Tick motherfucking tock.
He strode after Maddie as she headed toward the back of the building.
“Mr. Carter, you need to leave. You’re heading the wrong way.”
Romeo ignored Smith and instead called out, “Maddie!”
When she stopped and turned, she lifted her hand with the mangled peach. “I need to throw this out.”
“In a second.” Closing the gap between them, he tucked his thumb under her chin to lift her face to his and lowered his voice. “Gonna go before I end up locked in a concrete box, but want you to go, too.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I need this job.”
Romeo sucked on his teeth and a muscle jumped in his cheek. “If you couldn’t tell, that wasn’t me askin’ you, woman. That was me tellin’ you. So, gonna make it fuckin’ clear… you ain’t stayin’ here. Plenty of other jobs out there. Don’t gotta deal with his bullshit.”
“I told you why I stay,” she whispered more fiercely. “He’s got important connections in the industry. I only have to hold on a little longer.”
“How much longer?”
He was making a point because even Romeo knew it was a crapshoot whether this job would end up leading her to bigger and better things. Her boss was a narcissistic dickhead. That was never going to change. He was the kind of motherfucker who only did anything that would benefit himself, not others.
In the short time he’d been coming to her job, it was pretty damn clear her boss ruled his employees with fear, not respect. At first, Romeo hadn’t seen it with Maddie, but now that he had…