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“Go get some food. I heard your stomach growling for most of the drive.”

Embarrassment heated her skin. “Sorry.”

“Hey.” Noah cupped her chin. “I would have stopped and made you eat something, but we were running late. Go. I can watch the bar.”

“But…”

Noah placed his fingers against her lips. “Go, Kaley.”

That low Dom voice shot vibrations over her spine. “Yes, Sir.”

She slipped around Noah and over to the food table. “Hi, Kaley,” Lara said.

“Hi, Lara. Everything smells heavenly.”

“Fill your plate. I know you work behind the bar so get it now. And if you need something later, flag me down, and I’ll bring you more.”

“Thank you.” Kaley still had trouble accepting how open and helpful everyone at Wicked Sanctuary was. She filled her plate with empanadas, a bagel dog, a spring roll, veggie samosas, and two brownie bars. That should tide her over.

Kaley returned to the bar and set her plate out of the way but couldn’t resist biting into one of the empanadas. The beef melted in her mouth, and she closed her eyes. A chuckle had her opening her eyes. Noah stood there watching her.

“Do I need to take you in hand to make sure you eat more often?”

“I’m good, Sir. I was running late today.”

“Almost every week,” he said. “I may have only been your trainer, but I’m still watching out for you no matter what. So promise me you’ll eat regular meals?”

Kaley’s heart warmed. “I promise. As I said, today was just one of those days.”

“All right. I’ll relieve you at eleven.”

“Okay.”

Noah nodded and walked away. Kaley sighed. She was tired, but tonight she might stay a little later than usual. She didn’t want to cut Oliver and Rose’s time in the club short; most nights they were ready to leave by midnight at the latest. She wanted to sit and watch everyone tonight so she would feel more comfortable.

She’d finished her classes only two months ago; maybe staying later would help her relax a bit and take her mind off her work and everything she had to do tomorrow on her one day off.

* * * *

Anthony strode into Wicked Sanctuary, trying to cope with his failure to reach Kaley. He’d searched for her information online and found her business website. He’d emailed her, and she replied—again—she wasn’t interested in him painting her.

Next, he left her a voicemail. She texted him that she wasn’t going to change her mind. Failure didn’t sit well with him, especially since he couldn’t get her to even agree to see him to chat. The woman had him tied in knots, and he was without a knife to cut them.

“Hey, Payne,” Noah said.

Anthony grinned and shook his friend’s hand. Several of the members called him Payne as a joke since he liked to play with knives, and when he turned eighteen, he started using his biological parents’ last name. “Noah, what’s going on tonight?”

“Not much. It’s pretty quiet tonight for a Saturday.”

“Unusual?” While he’d been a club member for a while, he wasn’t very familiar with how busy they were or weren’t.

“A bit, but it might be the time of year. We’re going into fall, and the kids have gone back to school. Parents are spending more time with school prep and sports.”

Anthony had never thought about that. “I’m going to go hang out at the bar, want to join me?”

“Working the floor right now, but maybe later.”

Anthony nodded and made his way to the bar. He froze when he saw Kaley. His mood lightened. Maybe he could chat her up tonight and show her he wasn’t such a bad guy. Anthony slipped onto one of the stools and waited. Kaley was busy at the other end of the bar.

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