Page 31 of Weathering the Storm of the Century

“No, I’m not,” I snapped. “I’m finally recognizing our relationship for what it’s always been, and though I might have been too stupid to treat you better before, I’m fixing that now.”

Aelix let out another calming breath. “Cotter-”

“Cancel your fucking date, or so help me God, I’ll buy this firm and fire the sonofabitch,” I threatened, making her eyes widen in shock again. “Don’t test me on that either, baby.”

“Cotter, you can’t just-”

“I’ll be at your place at six, and you’d better fucking be there,” I said before storming out of her office, knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to keep things civil if I stayed any longer.

Chapter 8

Aelix~

Shock was the only reason that I hadn’t told Cotter to go screw himself, and I still felt a bit taken aback by what had just happened. Never, not from the moment that Cotter had approached me two years ago, had I ever imagined that he might want more with me. He hadn’t ever said a word, nor had he ever deviated from our routine.

Sitting at my desk, I was smart enough to realize where this was all coming from, and while flattered that it had bothered Cotter to see me having lunch with Kent, I wasn’t exactly impressed by Cotter’s motives. He’d been jealous, and though the very idea of Cotter Moore being jealous sounded ludicrous, that’s what he’d been and that’d been the reason behind his visit.

Nonetheless, I couldn’t lie and say that my mind wasn’t going places that it’d never gone before. I was imagining what it’d be like to actually date Cotter Moore, but I was coming up with nothing since I had no point of reference. Even before I’d officially met Cotter, there’d never been anything on the internet or in the tabloids about his love life. As far as I knew, Cotter Moore’s never had a girlfriend that he’d ever gone public with.

Sure, I wouldn’t have to worry about the sex, but what about the rest of it? Would it still be a by-appointment-only relationship? Did the man even have time to take me to dinner? Could I even blame him if he forgot anniversaries? I mean, I knew his work schedule as well as his assistant did, so is that the kind of relationship that I’d want?

At any rate, those two years deserved a conversation, even if it was only to make a clean break. Though I wasn’t sure where Cotter and I were going to go from here, he’d always been good to me when we’d been together. He hadn’t ever mistreated me, and despite my references to being his toy, he hadn’t ever treated me like that, either. While he was dominating in the bedroom, everything that he’d ever done to me had been consensual.

Picking up my phone, I dialed Kent because telling him that I changed my mind was not something that should be done over texts. Unlike Cotter, that wasn’t the kind of association that I had with Kent or lots of my coworkers.

“Hey,” he answered on the third ring.

“Hey,” I greeted back.

“Good news,” he said before I could say anything more. “It looks like you’re going to get your taco truck wish after all. Horizons is packed.”

“Well, that’s the reason I’m calling,” I said, trying my best not to sound like an asshole. “Something came up.”

“Oh,” he replied quietly, sounding disappointed. “Are you calling to reschedule or…?”

I let out a heavy sigh, and it was crazy how tired I felt suddenly. “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.

“You’re not sure?” he echoed.

While I wasn’t sure if making my arrangement with Cotter public was the smartest thing to do, Kent deserved the truth. “I’ve been…seeing Cotter Moore for a while now, and I thought that it was a casual thing,” I hedged. “However…uh, he…we spoke earlier, and Cotter was very…uh, adamant that what we were doing wasn’t casual.”

Kent was silent for a while, then he surprised me when he started laughing. Now, while I hadn’t been sure what to expect from this conversation, him cracking up had never crossed my mind. Most guys would be upset or flat out angry at their date cancelling, but Kent didn’t seem upset at all.

“So, he saw us having lunch, got jealous, and when you called him to tell him that we had a date tonight, he lost his shit,” he surmised. “Is that about right?”

I couldn’t help laughing myself. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Look, Aelix,” he said, still chuckling a bit. “I like you, and I really think you’re a great person. However, no offense, I don’t quite like you enough to go up against the likes of Cotter Moore.” Offensive or not, I was just so damn happy that this wasn’t turning awkward. “The last thing that I need is for that man to go after my career because I tried to step onto his territory.”

“Honestly, I’m not even sure what will come of the conversation that he has planned for this evening, but I completely understand where you’re coming from,” I told him. “The Moores aren’t a family that anyone would want to cross.”

“Especially, those twins,” he agreed. “Their reputations aren’t exaggerated.”

“Well, I appreciate your gracious attitude about all this,” I said, sighing again.

“No problem,” he replied good-naturedly. “It’s all good, Aelix.”

As soon as we hung up, I dialed Dexter. While I wasn’t sure how much help he was going to be, I still needed some advice. Luckily for me, he answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”

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