Page 36 of It's Never Not Been You

“Madison needed to get to work this morning,” I answered, making his brows jump.

“Two nights in a row, huh?”

“I wish,” I sighed, dropping my paperwork on the table. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s not?” he asked as he tossed his own reports on the table next to mine. “What’s it like, then?”

“I’m pretty sure that I held her against her will last night,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair.

After screaming at Madison to stay in our bed, I’d taken her three more times, each time more frenzied than the last. I’d been out of my mind, and I had practically torn her apart. When we’d gotten up this morning for work, she’d been a wincing mess, moving gingerly as she gathered her stuff to go home for a much-needed shower. I’d taken her in anger, and I’d never done that before. Sure, we’d had angry sex before, but not like last night. Last night, I had fucked her to punish her, and she’d taken it because that’s what she did when we needed each other.

“Uhm…pretty sure if Maddie felt that way, you’d be in handcuffs right now, and not in a good way,” Caspian replied. “Madison isn’t the type to put up with that kind of shit, Raddix.”

“I told her I’d burn the house down with us in it if she left our bed,” I drawled out.

The fucker laughed.

“Okay, well…yeah, I can see her not wanting to get burned alive.”

“You’re a dick.”

“And you’re letting your guilt get the best of you,” he replied, seriously this time. “If Madison stayed in bed with you, it’s because she wanted to. While Madison might get off on your testosterone trips, she’d stab you in the face before letting you abuse her, Rad.”

“How fucking early am I?” We both turned to see Troy walking into the room. “I don’t have time for motherfuckers that want to be fashionably late.”

“Raddix threatened to set Madison on fire if she left their bed last night,” Caspian announced with a huge grin on his face.

Troy’s feet paused, but only for a few seconds. “Uhm, so…flowers weren’t an option to get her to stay?”

I flipped them both off.

“Look, take your victories where you can get them, regardless of my earlier advice,” Caspian said. “She’s been in your bed two nights in a row, Raddix. That has to mean something.”

“According to her, it means that she just needs to get laid,” I huffed, still refusing to believe it.

“And she can’t find someone that she doesn’t hate for that?” Troy asked, making me want to punch his face in.

“Fuck off.”

Troy just grinned. “Look, as the legal mind of our little trio, try flowers or candy before you resort to arson. Hell, diamonds are also a better option.”

I shot him a look. “Considering what happened the last time that I gave Madison a diamond, I think I’m safer with arson.”

“He’s got a point,” Caspian said cheerfully.

Before we could discuss the miserable state of my love life any further, Drew Walker, one of our senior secretaries, was walking into the conference room, escorting Geno Raveria, Tomas Morrow, Nancy Dickerson, and Arnold Dickerson into the room for our meeting. Geno, Tomas, Nancy, and Arnold were the co-owners of Seasons Specialties, and they were material suppliers for a lot of construction companies. Geno and Tomas seemed decent enough, and when Nancy wasn’t around, Arnold seemed like a good guy, too. However, Nancy was his wife, and it was clear that she had bullied her way into co-owning the company with her husband, and her personality left a lot to be desired.

“Raddix, Caspian,” Geno greeted as he walked towards us. “Good to see you, too, Troy.”

Everyone shook hands, issuing the standard greetings for meetings like these. While we’d done business before, they were here to see if we’d bring them on as regular suppliers, though we really didn’t need any at the moment. However, when a company had a reputation for aboveboard integrity, it was worth hearing them out. Honestly, they’d probably be bigger than what they were if Nancy weren’t in the picture. Still, for all I knew, she might be the brains behind the green curtain.

“Thanks for meeting with us, Raddix,” Geno said as we all took our seats. “We did our homework, and we’re very aware that McKay Engineering isn’t in need of new suppliers. So, we appreciate your time.”

I nodded. “Not a problem,” I answered honestly. “It’s only good business to open our eyes to what else is out there.”

Before he could say anything more, the door to the conference room opened, and Drew looked like she might be sick. “Uhm…I’m so sorry…uhm, I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. McKay.”

Since she was looking at me and not Caspian, I could only deduce that she was speaking to me. “What is it, Ms. Walker?”

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