I ignored that and all it exposed and assured him, “Anyway, I’m fine. Good. Or I will be on the phone front in a couple of weeks.”
He didn’t say anything for a few beats then, softly, he ordered, “Anya, take the phone.”
“Knight –”
“Take the phone.”
“I don’t –”
“Babe, take the f**king phone.”
“Did you beat up Steve?”
I blurted that and I didn’t know why. If he didn’t, it was a rude thing to assume. If he did, I didn’t want to know.
But he didn’t hesitate to reply, “No.”
I felt relief sweep through me.
“But I sent the boys who did,” he finished.
My entire body got tight but I forced through stiff lips my, “What?”
“Though,” he amended, “it wasn’t me taking shots at that motherfucker only because I had other shit to do.”
I said nothing and stared.
Knight got more impatient. “Anya, got shit to do now too. Take the f**kin’ phone.”
“Why’d you have boys beat up Steve?” I asked and again didn’t know why. I didn’t want to know. But I asked anyway and he answered.
“Babe, your building, a fire hazard. One flight of steps for a building that size? Fuck no,” he bit out, now not sounding impatient but pissed. “A fire could cut off from your escape route, you only got one. And the door open for any motherfucker to walk through? They see you, trail you, you’re f**ked. Totally. Not only because you only got one set of stairs, and it’s the one furthest away from the front door, but also, once you get up to your hall, it’s dark and your door’s got a lock, one boot to it, it’ll pop right open. That’s bullshit. Your rent isn’t steep but it isn’t shit either. You pay for a workin’ fuckin’ elevator and a secured door. I sent my boys to have a word. The words your landlord returned they didn’t like much. They gave me a call, I gave them the go-ahead, you got a secured door, lighting and a f**king lock that might give you enough time to at least dial 911 before some motherfucker is on you.”
Okay, that explained that.
At the same time it absolutely did not.
“Why?” I whispered.
“What?” Knight didn’t whisper.
“Why? Why did you take that trouble or, I mean, send boys to do it? You barely know me.”
And that was when Knight Sebring laid it out and when he did, I didn’t feel tingles. I felt shivers. I just didn’t know what the shivers meant.
“Babe, your clothes. Shit. But you work ‘em and you do because you’ve got one serious fantastic body, your hair is even better and your face is a face that launches a thousand hard-ons. Trust me, any man you’ve looked at probably since you were thirteen has jacked off thinkin’ of you. All this is a recipe for disaster if you live alone in an unsecured building with a lock like the one you got. Someone had to step up. Seein’ as you aren’t the only one who lives here and my guess, at least one person in that building bitched and nothin’ got done, so I stepped up. It took my boys an hour. Your landlord was a dick so it was an hour they enjoyed. Not a big deal. Now take the f**kin’ phone.”
“Trust me, any man you’ve looked at probably since you were thirteen has jacked off thinkin’ of you.”
Did this mean him too?
Oh my God!
“Anya,” he growled, it was a scary growl so I lifted my hand immediately and took the box.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
“I don’t know what to do to thank you,” I muttered back.