Page 77 of Lorcan's Obsession

Rolling my eyes, I gently pushed him away and kept on eating. Maybe the court case had taken more out of Fayed than I thought. He wasn’t being himself. As if in answer to my thought, he placed his hand on my arm, lightly stroking it. I lowered my chopsticks and gave him my full attention.

“What now?”

“I heard that between the twins, Alia is not good in bed, and Chase is an all-or-nothing kinda guy. That’s why he’s gotta let them go.”

I moved my hand from under him and pressed it against his forehead.

“What’s gotten into you today? These topics are never on your radar.”

He shrugged, smiling and relaxing in his seat like he’d finished telling a good story. Curtis brought my third drink, and I scrutinized Fayed above the rim of my glass. What was going on with him? The answer strolled right before me: tall, silver-eyed, and dressed in a tailored gray Zegna suit.

All the color drained from my face.

“Hey, baby,” Lorcan said.

29

GRANDE FURIOSO

Two weeks to our court date and the tension at the office was already razor thin. Everyone was on their best behavior, and the employee murmurs in the hallways had vanished days ago.

All my efforts for a mediation with Gremco had flown out the window. The arrogance of the brothers who ran the company; "Jackass One" and "Jackass Two" as I nicknamed them, had left me breathing fire. Their father and mine had founded and run the company with the aim of being the giant in plastics manufacturing without harming the environment. Now that they refused to join the rest of our divisions in going green, I was locked in a lose-lose legal claptrap.

To ease all the straining nerves, I worked with my company’s HR director to arrange an executives’ lunch at Zuma. The whole team welcomed the idea, and I knew I was not the only one who looked forward to the full serving of Japanese whiskey with my meal. God knows I would need it.

Our table for eight was private but provided a view of the entire restaurant. I nursed my first whiskey and listened to our Financial Director continue his books and balances predictions. As I turned my head to signal the waiter, a flash of bright turquoise caught my eye.

For a second, I wondered if I’d drunk enough to be hallucinating Tristen walking into the restaurant. But no. She was real, smoking hot bod and all. Her silken curls bounced over her open shoulders with each step, and her tits rose and fell enough to make me salivate.

Then I noticed the man beside her, and it was like my heart had been crushed to the ground. Why the fuck was Tristen seated here with some dashing local after I’d told her my feelings two days ago?

Had she come willingly with him? Did she give me a hard time and him a free pass? Was that guy the reason she didn’t tell me she liked me back? Was he the reason she refused to invite me to her place?

I was losing my shit.

My eyes incinerated the guy with my woman. Tristen wouldn’t see me unless she turned around. And the chances of that happening were slim to none. Maybe I could smash a glass to get her attention. Yes, that would be making a scene at a vitally important company meeting, but very soon, I wouldn’t give a shit anymore.

Before I could come up with further ideas on how to get Tris away from that interloper, the man mindlessly glanced at our table and came face to face with my murderous gaze. My message was clear: get the fuck away from my woman. He narrowed his eyes, studying me for a beat before sending his own glaring message: you can go fuck yourself.

I raged inside, holding onto my last shred of composure as they ordered drinks, chattering and laughing. It was fucking brutal to watch my woman from afar, relaxed and happy in another man’s company. But it was nothing compared to what the guy did next.

He moved closer to Tris, leaned in, and grazed her ear with his lips.

No. No. No. She. Is. Mine. I slammed the whiskey glass on the table, gaining everyone else’s attention and interrupting the presentation.

“I’m sorry. Please continue.” I motioned to the Financial Director to resume his analysis and summoned the waiter for a refill, ignoring the perplexed looks from my team members.

If I had hoped a second glass of whiskey would soothe my nerves, I was sorely mistaken. A thin sheet of sweat coated my forehead as I planned my attack. The man seemed to be more brains than brawn, and he wasn’t scared off easily. Bar brawls were a bit brutish for me, but if it came to that, I would not hesitate to throw down. I’d do anything to keep my girl.

Then the bastard stroked her arm and gripped her hand with his.

That's it. Enough is enough.

Without a second thought, I apologized to the team, informing them we would pick up the meeting tomorrow. I took a deep breath, buttoned my suit jacket, and briskly walked straight to my woman. “Hey, baby,” I said, watching Tristen’s face pale like she’d seen a ghost.

“Hi,” she murmured, her voice stuck in her throat.

“I was at a meeting with my execs over there when I noticed you sitting you here. Couldn't resist coming over to say hi.”

---