Fighting for Control (Against the Cage Book 3) (8 page)

W
ednesday had come and gone, and still no sign of Nikko with those damn forms. The office was about to close, and Violet had spent the afternoon watching the clock, fully expecting him to walk through the door any moment. She asked him to return the paperwork she’d given him no later than today. The infuriating man was making it glaringly obvious that, while he may intend to cooperate, it would only be under his terms. Which meant if she wanted to do her job and have any chance of going over his psych eval before his appointment tomorrow morning, she was going to have to concede another battle and go to Carboni’s to get those papers.

At the thought of seeing Nikko tonight, little butterflies woke in the pit of her stomach. She quickly netted those traitorous little rascals by telling herself this was a business meeting only—a get-in-and-get-out mission. It wasn’t a date, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to dress up for him. Although those new skinny jeans she just bought did make her ass look pretty incredible, and if she wore them, then she had to wear her black boots with those pirate buckles. Damn, those butterflies were back, and this time there was no containing them.

If she were smart, she would send Pen to get those papers. It’d serve him right for trying to manipulate her. But then the thought of Pen and Nikko having dinner together made her want to throw up. She may not be able to have Nikko herself, but that didn’t mean she was willing to hand him over to her friend. Nor did she think she could sit home all night, wondering what they were talking about, what they were doing—and how many different ways they might be
doing it. She loved Pen, she really did, but her friend wasn’t selfish with
her lady bits, and if she actually thought Nikko was fair game, then the gloves would come off and that guy wouldn’t know what hit him.

Vi didn’t know Nikko well enough to gamble that he wouldn’t take Pen up on an offer, especially if he were angry at Vi for standing him up. But, on the other hand, nothing good could come from Vi seeing him out of the office. At least behind a desk she was the one calling the shots, the one in control. Then again, she was starting to wonder if, when it came to Nikko Del Toro, maybe that control was nothing but an illusion.

It was already pushing six. Her session with Bob had run late—again. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to get him to disclose the identity of his love interest. Getting him to leave was always a chore when he knew she didn’t have other patients waiting. She suspected he was purposely slotting himself into the last appointment of the day so he could keep her late. She would have to tell Pen not to let him have that opening anymore. Maybe she’d ask Nikko if he could start filling that spot. She could use a Bob buffer for the next month.

In a way, Pen was right. Nikko wasn’t like her other patients. None
of the MMA fighters were. For the most part, she was a hoop they needed to jump through in order to get their contracts signed. And as hard as she was trying to do the right thing here, as much as she
wanted to toe the line of ethics, it didn’t change the fact that she knew Nikko in another capacity, and it was really hard for her to start seeing
him in any other way. No matter how many times she reminded
her
self otherwise, or tried to convince herself this was wrong, there was something about that man that intrigued her, drawing her in like
a
moth to a flame. She just hoped she didn’t end up getting burned.

“Ugh . . . Bob is finally gone,” Pen sighed dramatically from the doorway. “I didn’t think that guy was ever going to leave. You about ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Vi shut down her computer and grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk. “I didn’t realize you were still here. I thought you’d left.”

“Of course I’m still here. You didn’t think I’d leave you here alone with Bonkers Bob, did you?”

“Pen . . .” she scolded. “Don’t call him that.”

“Why not? It’s true, and I’m officially off the clock, so I can tell you that guy gives me the ever-loving creeps. He’s Looney Tunes, straight up Elmer Fudd style.”

The truth of Pen’s words unnerved her a bit. She didn’t have many patients that sent her hackles up, but Bob Miller was one of them. Not only was he obsessive compulsive and manic, but the longer she treated him the more she was starting to see underlying tendencies of grandiose ideologies and borderline personality disorder.

“I was going to mention not to let Bob book the last appointment of the day anymore. I’d prefer early or late morning, if possible.”

Pen nodded her agreement. “I noticed he started doing that, and I was going to say something to you about it. I don’t like the idea of him hanging around here at the end of the day.”

Vi stood and glanced up at the clock. Shit, she was going to be late if she didn’t hurry. She wanted to go home and change before heading to Carboni’s. “Check his future appointments and reschedule any he has for the morning, will ya?”

“Sure. You in a hurry to go somewhere?”

“What?” Vi came around the desk and began digging in her purse for her keys. It was a lot easier to lie to her friend when she didn’t have to look her in the face.

“You’re looking at the clock like you’re running late. What’s up? You got a hot date tonight or what?”

“Of course not.” She kept pawing through her purse as she walked past Pen and out the door. “It’s just been a long day and I’m ready to go home, that’s all. Lock the door behind you?”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

It was a quarter after seven by the time Vi pulled into the parking lot. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, and her stomach was doing this twisted little knot thing that made her feel borderline nauseous. For crying out loud, her palms were sweaty. Why was she so nervous? For all she knew, he wasn’t even here, or maybe he’d left. She was late, and Nikko didn’t exactly strike her as the kind of guy who’d sit around and patiently wait for anyone.

This is not a date, this is not a date
. . . she reminded herself over and over, trying to calm her nerves. It didn’t work. Taking a deep breath, Vi slid her palms down her thighs, drying her hands before climbing out of her car. Slipping her purse over her shoulder, she tossed her platinum hair behind her and strode into the restaurant with a confident poise she didn’t possess. The moment Vi stepped inside, she felt Nikko’s eyes light on her. She couldn’t see him yet, only knew that he was here somewhere watching her. She knew that all-too-familiar feeling, the heat of his stare. It did crazy things to her body, making her skin feel flushed and too tight. How was it possible for a look to ignite her like this? It was insane—

There he was, sitting off in a quiet corner at a table for two. Her breath froze in her lungs when their gazes clashed. Mercy, he was gorgeous—everything about him—from his raven hair to his olive-tone skin. Not even the scar streaking down the side of his face could detract from his masculine beauty. But of all the qualities that made Nikko Del Toro a stunning man, it was his eyes that took her breath away—gray with flecks of sapphire and a ring of silver around his pupil—eyes that were intelligent and calculating, taking everything in and giving nothing back.

Without realizing she was moving, Vi’s feet were propelling her toward him, her heart hammering in her chest as she struggled to hide his effect on her. Nikko rose before she reached the table and stood beside her chair. He was tall—taller than she remembered. And he smelled fantastic—a little woodsy, with just a hint of spice. It was the kind of scent that made a woman want to wrap her fists in a guy’s shirt and pull him in close so she could bury her face in the side of his neck and breathe him deep into her lungs.

He was dressed casually in a midnight-blue T-shirt with a modest V and relaxed-fit jeans that hugged him in all the right places. He pulled out her chair as she approached, his top lip curving up to what she suspected for him was a smile. “I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said in way of a greeting.

“I’m not sure I should have,” she confessed, sitting in the chair he held out for her. Instead of scooting her forward and dragging her chair against the tile, her feet left the ground as he lifted her up, setting her back down gently.

She didn’t realized how close he stood behind her until his low, throaty chuckle rumbled beside her ear. “I’m glad you did.”

“Do you have my papers?” she asked, just in case he thought she was here for another reason.

“I do. What do you like to drink?” Nikko asked, returning to his seat but making no move to produce said papers. Instead, he reached for the wine list in the center of the table. “Do you prefer red or white?”

“I’ve recently switched to red.” Why was he doing this? What did he want from her? Curiosity gave her the justification to let this play out. Perhaps he’d be more forthcoming outside of the office. Maybe she’d learn a thing or two about Nikko Del Toro she could pass on to Jim for their therapy sessions. She was just doing her job by being a compassionate, dedicated therapist. Oh, yeah, and she was lying her ass off, but that was okay, as long as her gullible self kept buying every word of it.

“Dry or sweet?” he asked, glancing up at her over the menu.

“Sweet.”

“Sweet and red, huh? Lambrusco all right?”

“It’s fine. Nikko, what are you doing?”

His brow arched at her question. “I’m going to order a bottle of wine.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m thirsty and you seem like you could use a glass yourself. Tough day at the office?”

And just like that he managed to strip away all of her bravado. “Is it that obvious?” She dropped her face into her hands, suddenly feeling out of place and self-conscious. Did she really look that bad? True, she’d had a long day, and she had hardly slept at all the last two nights. When she wasn’t lying awake thinking about Nikko and wrestling with the moral dilemma of wanting him, he was playing a starring role in her erotic fantasies.

His hand wrapped around her wrist, sending a jolt of heat racing up her arm. “That wasn’t what I meant, Clover. You look beautiful. You just seem . . .” He shrugged. “Really tense, is all.”

“That’s because I shouldn’t be here, Nikko.”

He scowled, his voice dipping lower. “Then why did you come?”

“Because you wouldn’t turn in your papers and I need them before tomorrow.”

His thumb swept over her wrist in a gentle caress. How could a simple touch make her body go so haywire? The chaotic pounding of her pulse reverberated in her ears.

“Is that the only reason?”

“It’s the only one I’ll admit to.”

This time he smiled—a real, genuine, white-toothed grin that nearly knocked her off her chair. Holy shit, was that a dimple? She thought this man was gorgeous before, but with that smile, he was absolutely mesmerizing. “Why did you ask me here?” she demanded.

He looked at her for a long time, studying her with that inscrutable stare. She almost thought he wasn’t going to answer her when he finally said, “I really don’t know.”

She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting him to say, but that was not it. At least his answer was honest, though Nikko didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who would lie. He might keep himself closed off and guarded, but as far as she could tell, he was a straight shooter who rarely minced his words. She liked that about him, found it refreshing to be around someone that had an authenticity rarely found in men these days, especially in her line of work. There was a small part of her that took comfort in knowing that whatever this was brewing between them, it seemed to baffle Nikko as much as it did her.

“The last thing I was expecting when I walked into that office Monday was to see you sitting behind that desk. I don’t know . . .”
He shrugged. “I guess I thought, maybe if I saw you again . . .”

What? Saw me again what?
She bit her bottom lip to keep from
blurting out the question. Her body tensed, anticipating his response,
hope blooming in the pit of her stomach, because, dammit, as much
as she didn’t want to like him, she did. And as much as she wished she
wasn’t attracted to him, she was. And if she wasn’t careful, there was a
very real possibility that Nikko Del Toro was going to break her heart.