Page 65 of Rich and Bossy

You did nothing wrong.

He deserves what’s coming.

I wish I could make myself believe that.

I really do.

CHAPTER 17

Paxton

“The hell are we doing here?”John hangs his coat on the back of a chair before pulling it out to take a seat. “There weren’t any dark alleys available, you cryptic asshole?”

I’m not in the mood for jokes, but I manage to force a smile. “This will do.”

He grimaces at the slightly sticky tabletop. “You sure? Jesus.”

I make myself laugh. Okay, it’s a real laugh. He looks genuinely uncomfortable. “You used to drink filth off beer pong balls in dixie cups. This is an upgrade.”

“That was different.”

“How the hell was that any different?”

“I was younger. Stronger immune system. And I wanted to win.”

“Your system gets stronger as you age.”

“Not forever, dipshit. Seriously, what the fuck?” I notice his reluctance doesn’t stop him from accepting the beer I slide his way. “So, what do we need to discuss outside of the office, or our homes for that matter?” He scowls at the glass but manages to still muster the courage to take a drink.

“Not enough beer at my place.” I drain my pint glass and signal to the waitress I’ll have another. “And I’m thirsty.”

His eyes narrow. “You okay? Fuck.” He scowls at the place and then at me again. “Everything all right with the fam?”

I appreciate the concern. He’s always considered my family part of his own, and vice versa. There were complications with the twins, and he was there every step of the way.

“Family’s fine. I’m a little more concerned with what I found at the Minnie warehouse today.”

One thing I’ve always appreciated about John, more than just about anything else sometimes, is his complete lack of a game face. Granted, it doesn’t come in handy when we’re in a meeting with shareholders, but on the whole, I like knowing I can read him like a book.

He sits up a little straighter, his expression blank, but it’s too late. “Why were you at the warehouse earlier?”

“No. Don’t do that. Don’t change the subject.”

“The subject involves the warehouse, which you brought up. Why you were there seems like a fair question. Why don’t we start with that?”

“I don’t need to justify visiting a property of our company.”

He rolls his eyes, falling back in his chair. Now that false cluelessness has been ruled out, he’s going to get petulant. “Why don’t you ask what you want to ask?”

“Fine.” I lean in, elbows on the table, not caring if it’s sticky or not. “What’s with the mandatory meeting I walked in on?”

“I’m sorry. I thought we were tasked with snuffing out the union talk. What the fuck, man?”

“But like that?” I grimace, and I don’t care if my expression is one of disdain or not. I think part of me is so goddamn mad about it because of what it did to Hazel. How dejected she looked afterward, when she just gave up. I want to make fucking heads roll for that.

Not to mention, I always believed we were above shit like that. It’s most likely illegal, even if it’s never enforced. “It was over-the-top fear porn. I doubt it’s even that effective.”

“Oh, that asshole gets results. It’s definitely effective.”

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