everything to her and that she could call back if she had questions.
Then, I looked up at him. "Can I help you, Mr. Delaney?"
"I got a notice that my payment was late! I'm on auto-billing."
"Yes, sir," I assured him as I opened up his account. He was supposed to be charged automatically, and this was really more Ashley's department than mine, but I wasn't dumb enough to make him wait. The problem was that his account showed the transaction had been declined. "Sir, is it possible the card you have on file is expired?"
He lifted his upper lip and leaned even closer. "If it was, then I should've been told."
"That's all automated. You should receive an email when the card associated with your account is close to the expiration date. I'd be happy to -"
"No!" he yelled, thumping the desk one more time. "I'm not paying a late fee because of this. Henry told me I wouldn't have to deal with idiots like you in here, and your kind makes me sick."
My kind? Racist asshole. Without thinking, I lifted my chin and met his eyes. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, Mr. Delaney, but I'm trying to tell you how we can fix this."
"What you're trying to do, young lady, is get on my last nerve!" With a growl, he swiped at the things on my desk, sending half of them to the floor. "We don't need your type in here. It's supposed to be for us!"
I jerked back, jumping to my feet in a single motion just as Ashley rushed into the room, but she wasn't the only one. Outside, Lane was making his way in, and he'd seen it all through the glass. He hit the door hard enough to bang it against the wall and didn't stop. In two steps, he grabbed Sampson and spun him around, towering over the older man.
"Never," Lane growled, "go near her without my permission, do you understand?"
"The woman?" Sampson asked, making it sound like a slur.
"My woman," Lane warned him.
"Elena?" Ashley called, gesturing for me to come with her. "Let Lane deal with that. He's security."
But Sampson was still going. "I don't like her kind in here."
"Don't care what you like," Lane replied. "I promise, you will go before she does. And if you ever think about touching either her or anything of hers again, I will break you first, then throw you out on the street. I don't care how old you are. I don't care who you know or what you paid. These are the rules, and you will follow them. Am I clear?"
Then Ashley pushed me into her office, cutting off the conversation behind us. "Are you ok?" she asked.
I just let out a heavy breath. "I wasn't expecting that today." Then I dropped into the chair before her desk. "Or here, for that matter. It's ok, though. I'm used to it. Been a 'stupid Mexican' my whole life."
She reached over to squeeze my shoulder. "Well, if he gives you any more problems, tell me, ok? I'll terminate his lease in a heartbeat." Then she tipped her head back to the other room. "And Lane's job is to be our bouncer. Never had to use him before, but I'm going to bet he's enjoying this."
"Yeah," I mumbled, still a bit shocked. "But that doesn't get his rent problem taken care of."
"Don't worry about it," Ashley told me. "Sampson's a grown man, and you're not his mother. If he doesn't pay, he gets kicked out. Not our problem. Besides, serves him right for talking to you like that."
Which meant she really did care more about having my back than anything else. All I could do was nod. "Thanks, Ash."
Before she could answer, Lane walked in, not stopping until he knelt before me, his hands on my knees. "You ok? Did he scare you?"
"I'm fine." I rubbed his arm lightly. "Thank you, Lane."
"I told you," he said, his voice turning so soft and deep, "we won't hurt you. We also won't let anyone else do it either." Then he leaned in just a little more and kissed me.
Just like that first time, it was soft, almost sweet, but amazing. This time, I realized that he was trying to be gentle, not timid. Lane was a big, intimidatingly strong man. He was also a beautiful one with a heart of gold. Not caring that Ashley was standing just a few feet away, I pressed a little harder, letting my lips