Page 50 of Crave Me

“I wasn’t offering,” I assure her, causing the deep creases along her brow to multiply.

“Of course you weren’t. Not with the caliber of woman you have waiting for you outside.”

It’s as if the room is drained of sound and the earth grinds to a halt. Ashleigh has mistreated my staff and those who work directly beside me. But to insult Wren is the final blow.

“How dare you talk about her that way?”

It’s not simply the edge to my voice that causes her to straighten, it’s the air of protectiveness I insert behind each word. She rights herself and starts to speak. I don’t let her.

“I’m no longer in need of your services. The door is that way. Use it.”

The angry tears pooling her eyes suggest she did want me to beg for her affections, and is furious that I never bothered. How can she not realize I would never desire someone so vicious and cold?

“You’re going to be sorry,” she says.

“The only thing I’m sorry about is letting this drag on longer than it should.”

I’m not yelling although I mean every word. Ashleigh storms out the door, I catch it before she slams it closed. I should have security escort her out, like I did Remington and every employee I’ve fired. But while Ashleigh has been far from professional, I can’t ignore the pain lurking beneath all her fury.

Pain I caused by choosing another woman.

I watch her take her coat and purse from the cupboard behind her desk and stomp away.

The door leading out to the rows of cubicles and offices isn’t spared from her wrath. It doesn’t break, but the force she uses vibrates the glass enclosure, causing everyone to glance up. Given how unpopular Ashleigh is, I almost expect them to cheer at her departure. After witnessing Remington escorted out less than an hour ago however, only tension follows.

Shocked looks skim my way, though they don’t linger. Another person fired by me, another reminder that no job is secure.

My hands rest at my hips as I watch my employees return to their work. I want to assure them that they’re safe. Yet no one is if I fail.

---