Grumpy Boss, Hamel, B. [free novels to read TXT] 📗

wordlessly. That kiss hung between us, heavy as a thousand year old glacier, deep and passionate, breaking beneath the surface, down into the crust of the earth. I wanted to study her more, to taste her again, slower, lips lingering on her throat, feel her hips under my palms, feeling her breath against my chest, hear her gasp and pant my name, but god, shit, this was what we were supposed to avoid, this attachment.

It was meant to be business, after all.

Jack’s office was several doors down, not quite as large as mine, but very well proportioned. Millie sat silently in a chair in front of his deck, and I leaned up against a filing cabinet.

“What’s up?” I asked him, taking all those feeling for Millie, the deep, dangerous physical need I felt for her, and packed it all away in some tiny hole in the back of my head, shoveling it all away into the darkness. If I didn’t do that, I’d never be able to concentrate again.

“It’s Desmond again,” he said, and I noticed a small bead of sweat run down the side of his face. “And it’s bad.” He stared at me like an entire herd of baby deer were just run over.

“Tell me,” I said, glancing at Millie, but she gave me nothing.

He sighed and turned his screen to face us.

The website was one of those business gossip blogs that plagued the financial industry. They weren’t as flash or exciting as their celebrity counterparts, and their readership was much smaller, but the stories could have massive impacts. It was like TMZ with a 401k. The headline was big and bold, black letters over a white background: REES COURT COURTS LADY FLUKE. Below was a picture of my meeting with her, Fluke sitting in the hotel restaurant, me sitting across from her, smiling like a sleaze ball, and Millie barely in the frame.

“Shit,” I said, because nothing else could sum up exactly what this meant.

“I agree,” Jack said, turning the screen back to him. “You probably don’t need to read the details.”

“The headline says it all, doesn’t it.” I looked at Millie then shook my head before I began to pace. “She’s going to be livid. Fluke hates scandal, but being involved in scandal is even worse.”

“This has to be Desmond,” Millie said. “Who knew about our meeting with her?”

“Nobody,” I said. “Her assistant. Lady Fluke herself. So unless Desmond had someone following us around—“ I stopped pacing and looked at Jack. He groaned and wiped at his forehead with his sleeve.

“He’d do it,” Jack said. “He has the money. A good PI could tail you without being seen pretty easily.”

“Even across the country?” I shook my head, arms crossed, fingers digging into my arm biceps.

“He could’ve hired someone local. Probably does, wherever you go.”

“Fuck,” I said, then walked to his filing cabinet and kick it. “Fuck,” I yelled, and kicked it again. My toe hurt like shit and his lower drawer had a little dent, but he only frowned at me.

“Rees,” Millie said. “You don’t need to break your foot. That’s not going to help anything.”

“She’s right,” Jack said. “Don’t do something stupid. I know Desmond’s gone too far—“

“Fluke’s going to murder me,” I said, miming a knife into my heart. “Don’t you get it? That woman is distantly related to royalty or some shit. I bet she knows a ton of English hitmen.”

“That’s a little much,” Millie said.

“I’m exaggerating, but she’s going to be so angry.” I threw up my hands and balled them into fists, trying to do anything to work out this rage that made my back tremble. “We have to do something about Desmond. He’s going to sabotage this whole thing. I mean, shit, who’s going to meet with me now, after this garbage?”

“We’ll do damage control,” Jack said. “Put out a statement. Sue the shit out of whoever runs this trash blog.”

“Way too late for that,” I said, gesturing at the computer. “Search it. I bet it’s all over the lace.”

He frowned, but started typing, and only frowned some more.

This was bad. Lady Fluke might never forgive me, and now I’d lose one of my only friends in this whole world because Desmond couldn’t get over himself. I could handle losing the SPAC and failing to make as much money as I wanted, but I couldn’t afford to have another friendship crumble.

I was toxic, and I was broken, but god damn it, I wasn’t so bad if Lady Fluke could stand me. That woman couldn’t stand anyone.

And now I’d crossed her, and I knew I’d pay.

“Fuck,” I said, and slumped down into a chair. I leaned back, staring at the ceiling, then squeezed my eyes shut.

“Are you okay?” Millie asked, and there was a real worried quality to her voice. “I can talk to her. I think she likes me. Maybe—“

“It won’t help,” I said, then opened my eyes and looked at Jack. “Desmond has to pay for this.”

“We’ll think of something,” Jack said.

“Really, do you two think hitting him back is the best thing?” Millie asked. “Wouldn’t it be better if we focused on the SPAC? That’s what he’s trying to destroy. The best revenge would be to succeed, despite him.”

I shook my head once. “The SPAC is important, but breaking Desmond takes priority now. He went too far.”

“Just think about it,” Millie said. “This is what he wants. The whole game is to distract you.”

“Then it’s working,” I said, and stood up. “Millie, I understand if you don’t want to be a part of this anymore, but I’ve got new priorities.”

She said something, but I didn’t hear her. I left Jack’s office, rode the elevators down to the lobby, and walked out into the city. I lost myself in the foot traffic, and turned my mind to one thing: destroying Desmond.

13

Millie

I didn’t think it as possible for Rees to be that upset. The whole thing left me dizzy and breathless—one second, we were kissing, the best kiss of