Page 54 of Fateful Exposure

Holding in my anger, I sat down on the chair opposite him. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

"Don't you like the ambiance?" he asked, helping himself to the bottle of white wine on the table. "I had the place done up just nice for you."

I clenched my fists underneath the table to keep myself from reaching out and grabbing his neck and strangling him. "You have five seconds before I walk out of here."

"Fine. I'll keep my shit brief. Come work for me."

"Like I said, I don't work with frauds."

Alex smiled. "Frauds, legits, honestly, who gives a fuck?"

"I do," I said matter-of-factly. "I give plenty of fucks whoIwork with,in case they have any dirty laundry that could be washed outside and potentially destroy my image."

He took another sip of his wine, watching me closely. It was interesting to see how arrogant he was. He obviously had an inflated sense of importance, and I wondered if he knew I was a bigger dick than he was. If he didn't, I had no qualms with showing him.

"Then what are you doing with Selma? I read the news today. Another one of her linens has just been washed in front of the entire world. Does that classify as destruction to your image?"

I clenched my jaw. He was baiting me, and I would not give him the satisfaction of falling into his trap.

"Is that why you didn't put out my name along with hers?” I demanded. “So you could convince me to work with you?"

He chuckled low, falling back against the chair with one hand on the table, the other resting on his thigh. The perfect picture of laziness. "Funny story, actually. I didn't have to do much. Rosie did everything. Who keeps a secret pregnancy test on the table where anyone could see it?"

There it is.The reason I'd come. I tucked that tiny piece of useful information at the back of my mind and faced him.

"Tell me something,” I said. “Did you ever love her?"

"Probably." He shrugged. "Right up to the point where she began to shrink me to make herself feel bigger."

I scoffed, looking away from him for a brief second. "Did you ever stop to consider the fact that you're just a really small man in here?" I tapped my temple mockingly. "Think about it. Selma never made you believe she never had barbs. You were so fascinated by the rose, so quick to pick it up and make it yours that you never thought to stop and look at it."

"Are you a poet as well as a photographer? That is the sappiest shit I've ever heard."

"I don't expect a cactus like you to understand what loving a woman entails."

Alex guffawed. "And you do? It must not mean much, given that you're attracted to the masculine type. Tell me, who does the fucking between you two? You or her?"

Anger gripped me like a vice. I was holding the volcano brewing inside me from erupting because I knew that once it did, there would be no holding it back. Ironic that yesterday, I was the one dissuading Selma from choosing violence.

"Keep running your mouth, and your face and my fist will make an acquaintance very soon," I promised.

"Aw, did I make you angry?"

"You don't deserve a woman like Selma, not when you're a useless, uncreative piece of shit who goes around stealing people's ideas because he's too dumb to come up with anything original," I snarled. "She's five times the woman your littlegirlfriend will ever be and double that of the person you'll ever become."

His nostrils flared at that, the first indication he'd shown tonight that he was angry. A shot of satisfaction spread through me. It fell when he suddenly rearranged his features, the smile reappearing. "Come work for me, Ashton. Alris would be happy to have you. Iris and I are doing some magical shit up there. Better than whatever the fuck Selma's got going on at Volkov."

Was he nuts? Why would he think I would humor him after what he'd done to her? The nerve of this man had to be studied. I was done listening to his shit. He'd played his hand, and now it was my turn.

Standing to my feet, I straightened my jacket and looked down at him. "I'll try to phrase this so it doesn't hurt your feelings. You annoy the ever-living fuck out of me, and the thought of seeing you every day makes me want to walk on hot charcoal. Barefoot."

He stared at me with anger dancing in his eyes, and he was still giving me death glares when I walked away from him, a humorless smile gracing my lips. I would make him eat his words. No matter the cost.

When I reached the elevator, I pressed the down button and turned to face him. "One more thing. If you do anything else to further ruin her reputation or stop her new collection from being released, then I swear to fuck, I will dedicate the rest of my life to making sure your brand dies a painful death, just like you tried to do to her. And you don't want to go head-to-head with me. I'mmore well-known than you are, and I'm not above petty tricks to take you down."

Alex’s eyes bore into mine as he lifted his chin. "I call your bluff."

The grin that stretched my lips could only be described as devilish. I made a show of walking into the open elevator before meeting his eyes just as the doors were about to close. "Fuck around and find out, sugar."

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