I give him another grin. The one he hates.
Oh my God, this is so much fun.
I’m massively intimidated and bonered-up, which leaves me wondering if the wetness in my boxers is precum or a tiny bit of pee.
Exciting stuff.
“Dr. Laghari.”
I ignore his distress. “As I was saying, the only time a man ever gets to tell me anything is in bed. And you and I are not in bed, Mr. Edgerton. Second, I absolutely refuse to have one-on-one security. It's suffocating and awful, and I'm not going to do it.”
“Dr. Laghari, you must let me protect you. This is an incredibly dangerous situation. You have no idea what this man wants to do.”
So vigilant.
“You can secure my building, Mr. Edgerton, and I'll even give up my favorite coffee. We’ll negotiate on the subway. But there is no negotiation on the bodyguard.”
Bodyguards only benefit the person they answer to, which would not be me. My last bodyguard ensured my father knew I was gay, and he sure as fuck didn't protect me from the consequences. So yeah, that’s forever a big no in my book.
“Dr. Laghari.”
“Tell me, what kind of name is Edgerton? It’s not Italian.”
“Dr. Laghari, I fail to see—”
I cut him off. “Answer the question.”
“My mother is English, if you must know. But, Dr. Laghari—”
“You took your mother's last name?”
He throws up his hands. “My mother was a low-level whore for Luca’s father. Happy? I have no clue who my father is.”
Ooh, so that’s his tragic backstory. And he says it so matter-of-factly. No wonder he’s all sharp edges.
I shouldn’t be turned on by any of this, but here we are.
It’s definitely precum, by the way.
“Okay then. I know Luca calls you by your first name—what is it again?”
I know his first name but spinning him up is fun for me.
He lets out a frustrated huff. “Dr. Laghari—”
“Answer the question, or I’ll fire you before you’ve even begun.” I keep an even tone to my voice, even though it strains my neck to stand before him and look him in the eyes.
He practically growls while towering over me, and I stifle a shiver. Barely.
“Fine. It’s Anthony.”
“Thank you, Anthony. It’s company policy to call my employees by their first name, and I expect the same in return. You are Anthony, and I am Mads, and I swear to the entire pantheon of Indian gods I will fire you if you call me Dr. Laghari ever again. That understood, Anthony?”
He squares his shoulders and somehow seems even taller and broader than before. And I have to admit, frustration looks really fucking sexy on him. Like—split me in two, Daddy, uhgn sexy.
He takes a calming breath and appears to be counting backward from ten, then magnetizes me to the spot with seriously intense eye contact. Oof. My nipples are suddenly very aware of my T-shirt material, and it occurs to me that Anthony doesn’t like taking charge, he is taking charge. Like, at a molecular level.
Wonder how much I’d have to poke this bear to have him poke me back.