Page 32 of The Bourbon Bride

I glare at Zander, murderous thoughts racing through my head at the very notion of him, or any other man, sending a photo of his dick to Paige or coming anywhere near her. At least she doesn’t have social media for him to act on his threat out of pure spite. I crack my knuckles in anticipation of knocking the smug look off his face.

Payton leans back in his chair, fingers steepled as he gives me a knowing look. “He’s got it bad, Zand. Hayes hasn’t been one to do relationships, but I think this one could be different. Don’t threaten to send your junk to your future sister-in-law. It would make things weird at family gatherings.”

I fire the crumpled ball of paper at Payton’s head. He ducks and laughs.

I’m not thinking that far ahead.

Am I?

True, I’ve considered marrying her to make getting my hands on her legacy that much easier, but I’ve known Paige for less than a week and she’s only been at my house for five days. We haven’t even had sex, so there’s no way I should be thinking long-term. Still, the thought curls seductively around me, much like Paige does when we sit on the couch and watch movies together. She can squeeze her five-foot-six frame into my lap with ease. The make-out sessions that inevitably take precedence over the movie are getting hotter and hotter.

She’s becoming more comfortable with me by the day. Her newfound boldness is stealing the space where shyness existed when I met her, and she’s asking for more. A future with her isn’t hard to imagine, and it’s brighter than the bleak monotony of business takeovers and the continued corporate expansion I’ve made my mistress.

“I’m done with you jokers. You get after me for my thoughts wandering but you can’t stay serious for an entire meeting and just end up wasting my time.” I push my chair back and stack my files. “I’ll keep working on the Xenios Group. Their team has been tough to crack, but my people are on it.”

“More like she’s cracking your nut,” Payton quips.

“His little person is on it, that’s for sure,” Zander adds. They both laugh as I leave the boardroom fuming.

“Just fucking do your jobs,” I toss over my shoulder before the door closes.

I check my watch. It’s a few hours earlier than I normally call it a night, but I’m done with these fools and I… miss Paige. I shake my head at the thought. I’m no good here when my head is at home, so I tell my assistant to handle things and run a few things by my SVP before I leave. My team is more than capable of handling anything that could come up without me.

I stop by Underworld Spirits on the way home to check on my new pet project. The distillery is cranking out liquors in anticipation of our official launch on Saturday, and they want me to try out a new bottle of the reserve bourbon. I take it home with me, thinking Paige will like the flavor, and grab some red roses while I’m at it. If my mind is walking into the future with her, I should be taking the steps to make sure she’s on board with the idea.

The red Audi parked in front of my house is the first sign of trouble. The sound of women’s voices from the kitchen is the next. I’m already in damage control mode by the time I make it into the space and catch Paige sitting stiffly on a stool at the island, Cerberus attentive at her side, while Maisie, my nutritionist, places the lid on a glass storage container with more force than necessary.

“Oh, you’re home early,” Paige says when she sees me in the doorway. She smiles when she sees the roses, but it’s tinged with anger. “I was just keeping Maisie company while she made your meals.”

Her words feel like condemnation and I immediately want to refute it, to tell her she’s got it all wrong, but I feel oddly guilty.

Maisie’s blonde ponytail whips as her head turns to find me. She saunters over in her bright workout clothes that cling to every augmented inch of her, and wraps me in a possessive hug, plastering that body against mine in a very familiar way.

“I was getting to know your friend. What a surprise it was to see her here. You should have told me. I would have bought enough groceries to make two servings.”

Goddamn loose ends, Hayes. You know better.I step out of Maisie’s arms without returning the embrace. Paige’s face is stricken, the betrayal in her eyes accusatory.

“You’re right, I should have told you I no longer need your nutrition services. It slipped my mind because I’ve been fully preoccupied lately and hadn’t even thought about it,” I say, hoping to convey the truth to both women.

Maisie stiffens next to me. “Is that so? Have you fallen off the health wagon and gone to fast food?” she asks sharply.

Paige turns her face away from us, the pain echoing from her expression before she can hide it by petting Cerberus.

“Not fast food, something far more pleasurable, and homemade. I’ll pay you for the rest of the month for the inconvenience of my late notice and be sure to recommend your nutrition services should anyone ask.”

Her heavily made-up blue eyes crackle in fury at the dismissal. This could go wrong in so many ways. I’m trying to treat her like any of my business deals, but she’s more attached than most.

“It’s Christmas in a few weeks.” Maisie might as well be standing with her hand out.

I look at her calculating face and sigh. Just like every woman before her, Maisie sees dollar signs where I’m concerned. It was a mistake to sleep with her in a moment of weakness, and then allow her to continue to cook for me. It was convenient, but a bad fucking idea.

“I’ll make sure you get a bonus as well. Thanks for your time. Drive safe.”

I step aside and motion toward the door. I’m as obvious as I can be without telling her to get the fuck out.

Maisie rolls her eyes and picks up her canvas tote bag.

“Good luck, Paige. Hope it works out better for you. I had the longest run with this one, so you better offer more than justfriendship,“ Maisie calls over her shoulder as she leaves the kitchen. She pops her head back in a moment later. “Oh, feel free to give my number to your brothers. They may be needing my services, and since I have more free time now, I can take on moreclients.”

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