Page 86 of Playboy Boss

His eyes snapped to hers.

Scottie silently dared him to be angry. He had no right.

Standing straighter, he said, “After we got together.”

“You mean after we fucked in your office the first time?” She was being crude because the hurt had taken over.

“Don’t say that.” His voice was low, pained.

“When?”

He shrugged. “The day after that. Friday. It was a stupid thing we did.”

“Who?”

“Dallas and I.”

The wind was knocked out of her. “Wait. You two compared your hookups lists? Are you serious, Konrad?”

He nodded.

In a low voice, more controlled than she’d been thus far, she asked, “Who had the most hookups? You or Dallas?”

“Scottie, this doesn’t matter. It was before. I want you. I’m with you,” he said, a plea in his voice.

“You or Dallas?”

Silence.

She stared at him hard. She wanted to see every inflection, every flinch. She wanted to see the truth in his eyes. And she was so close to being devastated, she was shaking.

Konrad shook his head, his gaze lifting to the sky. When he looked back at her, his face was white as a ghost. “Me.”

The tears fell. Hard. Scottie didn’t know how to console herself. She’d never faced anything like this. Lifting her hands to her face, she cried in her palms.

“Baby,” Konrad pleaded, taking her in his arms. She let him because she couldn’t fight him. She was too weak. He kissed her hair and held her like his life depended on it. “Please, don’t cry. Please…”

She pushed him away finally and put several feet between them.

Going to her, he pulled something from his pocket. “Scottie, I want to make it right. I want you to forgive me. Please.”

He thrust a box in her hand. Thoughts spun in her mind. She could barely stay upright. She held the box in her hand as if it was an object she’d never seen before. Her watery gaze lifted to meet his.

“Open it.” He seemed hopeful.

Curiosity alone made her open it, and she’d wished she hadn’t. Inside was the reason she had to walk away. It was her grandmother’s brooch, the one she’d asked him not to buy back for her. Anger rushed through her, fueling her.

“No!” She threw the box at him. “You can’t buy me, Konrad! You can’t get me back with things! Throwing money at me won’t make me turn a blind eye to your little trysts. Not even my grandmother’s brooch can do that. Get out of here.”

His eyes grew wide. “What?”

“Leave.” She was trembling so hard her knees knocked. “I don’t want to see you.”

“But.” He retrieved the box from the concrete and held out it out to her. “I … want to work this out.”

“You’re not going to change. You don’t want to. Maybe you can’t.” She steadied herself, knowing she would never see her grandmother’s brooch again. “And I can’t trust you. I don’t trust I will always be the only one for you.”

“But you are.”

“Until when? You see the next hot barista on West Gray Avenue?” Her voice hardened.

“Scottie…”

“It’s over.” The tears came fast, her heart in her throat. She had to walk away from him. It was the only option.

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