Chapter 26

I stare up at Christian’s face at a complete loss for words.

Christian’s expression instantly softens as he sees the true hurt in my eyes. “Shit,” he murmurs, stepping forward and shaking his head, reaching for me. “Iris, I –“

But I take a step back, not wanting him to touch me now. “Is that…is that really what you think of me?” I whisper, horrified.

“No,” he says, his voice tight, and I want to believe him – but then why did he say it? “I’m sorry, Iris – I was pissed, and I said what I knew would hurt your feelings – it was a mistake, that’s not what I think.”

“But it must be,” I murmur, shaking my head and staring at him. “Those thoughts were in your head, Christian –“

“It’s not,” he insists, frowning down at me.

“Well, the words were certainly ready on your lips,” I counter, honestly disappointed in him now. “Christian, there’s nothing wrong with stripping – it’s a job – it pays the bills.”

But Christian just stands up straight and clenches his jaw, slipping his hands into his pockets and not saying a word. I gasp, a hand going to my chest as I stare at him.

“You do have a problem with strippers!” I whisper, shocked. “You hypocrite! You were in the strip club!”

“I was in the strip club for business,” Christian counters, tilting his head to the side, “not for my own pleasure or entertainment. And I do not have a problem with strippers, Iris, I have a problem with –“

But he stops himself, raising a hand to his face and pressing his thumb and forefinger to his eyes, rubbing them softly as he figures out precisely what he wants to say.

“What,” I snap, glaring at him even though he can’t see me. I cross my arms again. “You have a problem with what.”

“I have a problem with you stripping,” he snaps, dropping his hand and fixing that powerful blue-grey gaze on mine.

My breath leaves me for a second as I stare at him, not knowing what to say.

Why – why would he have a problem with me stripping?

“Just as I’d have a problem with a sister,” he says, stepping forward towards me again, “or my mother, or any women in my family stripping.”

“But not a girlfriend?” I hear myself say, my words soft. Inwardly, I flinch. Why would I say that?

“I would never, ever allow any girlfriend of mine on any of those stages,” Christian says, stepping forward again so that he looks down into my face, so that I have to tilt my head back to look up into his. “Which is why I think your Steven was such a god damn scum bag. Letting another man look at you like that? And then taking your profits?”

Christian slowly shakes his head, his dark expression telling me everything I need to know about how he feels about Steven. That he’d see him dead for that alone, despite his actions against the mafia at large, if it were up to him.

Something twists within me at that – fear, but also…heat.

Christian – there’s an intensity to him, a violent verve that I’m…I’m really not sure I can handle.

“I never wanted you to see me dance, Christian,” I whisper, guilt in my eyes now. “I’m not ashamed of it, I won’t be – it’s a job like any other. But…I never wanted you to see me like that.”

Christian raises his hand then, stepping closer and cupping my cheek in his palm. “That’s precisely how I feel about what…what happened last night.”

I start a little, blinking at him, realizing what he’s saying.

“I’m serious, Iris,” Christian says softly, his eyes roving over my face. “I’m not…I’m not ashamed of what I do either. But I don’t want you to be any part of it. If I tell you to go into the bedroom, I need you to trust me that it’s for your own good.”

I stare unblinking at him for a moment, captivated by his dark eyes, the serious set to his mouth, the feel of his calloused hand on my cheek.

“All right,” I whisper, nodding once. “But in exchange…I need more.”

Christian cocks an eyebrow at me. “You can’t have more, Iris. This is it. I’m sorry.”

My eyes go wide – I can’t believe he’s being so stubborn. “You’re…you’re sorry!?” I breathe, my voice shaking, suddenly full of rage. “You’re sorry!?”

“Sorry that you’re living in luxury all day while I work to protect you!?” Christian shouts, throwing his hand to the side. “No, Iris, I’m not fucking sorry!”

I exhale my breathe through my teeth, seething, suddenly hating him a little bit. “Fine,” I snap, and in an instant I bring my hands up and shove him, hard, in the chest. Christian stumbles a little and I close the distance, shoving him again so that his ass lands on the mattress. “Fine!”

“Iris, what are you –“

But I silence him with a hand slapped over his mouth as I grab his tie, pulling him closer to me as I lift one knee onto the mattress alongside his thigh. “This is a business after all, isn’t it, Christian?” I speak in my softest, sultriest stripper voice. “Guess I’d better pay my rent in the only way I know how.”

“Iris!” he shouts, ripping his face away from my hand. But I’m already moving, straddling his lap, using his tie to pull his face close to mine as I look down into his face, slowly starting to grind my lower body into his.

“What, Christian,” I murmur as I drop his tie and slide my hands up his neck, running my hands through his hair as he stares up at me, momentarily speechless. “It’s clear that you don’t respect me as a person who has actual needs – so it makes sense that I’m just your little pet stripper, aren’t I?”

I bring my face close enough to let my lips brush against his as I wrap my fingers in the hair at the base of his neck, tilting his head back, all the while grinding my ass low against him.

“Please, baby,” I murmur, my eyes half-lidded, “if I’m just your little pet, let me make myself useful –“

“What – what the fuck!” he shouts, his voice unsteady, and suddenly his hand is on my waist and his body surges beneath me, twisting and tossing me back onto the bed so that he’s standing, glaring down at me, panting. “You’re going to fucking far, Iris!”

“No, you are, Christian!” I shout back, raising myself up onto my elbows to glare at him. “Which is it!? Am I a person or a pet!? Because if I’m a person, then you’d damn well better start treating me like one!”

Christian just glares at me, clearly pissed and torn between the choices I’ve laid out for him. I just scoff and start to turn away, dragging my eyes from his face down his body –

But my breath catches, a little, when I see…

Well. That he’s…his pants…

My eyes go wide and Christian turns away from me, moving quickly towards his bathroom. “Get out of my room, Iris,” he snaps, slamming the bathroom door shut behind him.

But I just lay on his bed for a long, long moment, my jaw hanging open as I stare at the bathroom door.

Because what…what the hell just happened!?