Don't you dare

"Don't you dare lay your hand on her!" 

Jessica saw the face before she heard the voice and her eyes widened in shock. 

"He has been inside there all along? What is he doing there?" Jessica wondered as she looked at Bryan who had appeared from the store, suddenly. He was the one who had held the man's hand. 

"Let go of my hand, man!" The man said to Bryan, angrily. 

"I need to teach this bitch, a lesson." He added. 

"Bitch? Who is the bitch here? I am of the opinion we rather have an asshole here!" Bryan snarled at him and kept twisting his hand, painfully. 

"What the fuck, man? What is she to you? Are you fucking her? Is that why you are getting involved in what is completely none of your business?" The man gritted out and groaned in pain. 

"That is none of your business. What you should know is that, she is not someone you can mess with. Understand that and you will be able to keep your head on your neck throughout your stay here!" Bryan informed the man, furiously. 

"Fine! I have heard you, just let go of my hand now! I am in pain." The man pleaded unabashedly. 

"How can an ordinary be this strong? Just one hand and I am in severe pain? I didn't know I am this weak until now!" He muttered regrettably. 

"Please let him just go!" Jessica said to Bryan, pleadingly as she couldn't withstand seeing the man writhing in agony. 

"Now, run along and stay far away from her. The next time I catch you messing with her, I will make you attend your own funeral!" Bryan warned him after he released his hand. The man trotted out of the kitchen. 

"And you, just why are you being so reckless? You stood up to him when you know you can't lift a finger to him, really?Why do you keep provoking men like him? His type won't hesitate to beat you up and there is no how you will overpower him all by yourself. Do you want to get beaten up that badly?" Bryan told her, angrily. Jessica's mouth was agape. She didn't understand why he was angry at her. 

"Can anybody tell me why is he angry because of that? What concern him if I get beaten up?" Jessica wondered inwardly. 

"Thank you very much!" She appreciated him for coming to her aid, and couldn't care about him chiding her. 

"Let us just get out of here, okay!" Bryan said and grabbed her hand, ready to drag her out of the kitchen. It happened so fast and Jessica couldn't process what was happening until they were almost at the door. 

"Wait ..." She stopped him, abruptly. 

"I can't leave like this!" She told him. 

"Then, how do you want to leave? You want to walk on a fucking red carpet?" He asked her sarcastically. He was still angry. Jessica heaved a sigh. 

"You know that is surely not what I meant. I am not done here, yet. I need to finish up my task before retiring to bed, so it won't affect me t ..." She was trying to explain to him but he cut her short. 

"You still want to work in this situation? Woman, are you really thinking straight?" He snapped at her, furiously. 

"I need to. You don't know how things work in the kitchen. The guards in charge won't let me off the hook if I rebel and didn't finish my task and that also means I won't earn as much as I have calculated. You can go in, I will quickly round up here and join up, soon." She explained to him calmly, because she wanted to understand he was protecting her, even though him being that furious was getting on her nerves. 

"I don't understand why he is so furious. What has gotten into him today?" She wondered inwardly. 

"Don't you think he might come back to meet you after I leave? Do you not value your dignity as a woman and would rather stand here, get trampled on and mistreated, just because you want to finish your task and get paid some measly amount? Are you not scared of getting harmed by one of those brainless men?" He asked her, furiously. 

"You do know that before any of the guards would come to your rescue, you would have been dealt with? What kind of senseless bravery is this? Are you thin..." He was still rambling on, angrily when Jessica decided she had heard enough and butt in. 

"Enough!" She shouted at him and yanked off her hand from his hold. He looked bewildered. 

"Did you just shout at me?" He inquired, with disbelief. 

"Yes. I said, that is enough!" She repeated for him to hear her clearly. He did but he couldn't believe it. He was taken aback. 

"Why are you being so aggressive today? I told you I can take care of myself, so why are you stopping me from working? I mean, you are not always like this? And this is not any of your business! So, what is going on?" She inquired. Her question seemed to make Bryan realized what he was doing and he took a step backward from her. 

"Fuck me! What the hell am I doing? Why am I being aggressively protective of her?" He facepalmed mentally. 

"Hey..." She wanted to ask him what was wrong with him when he wasn't talking anymore and seemed lost in thought, but he beat her to that and spoke up first. 

"Listen, whether you get beaten up or harmed is actually none of my business. I guess I am being aggressive because I am in an edgy mood today. Expose yourself to danger and do whatever you like, just ensure any of its outcome won't affect how you serve me. I am still your master, after all." He informed her angrily and walked out of the kitchen.