Page 101 of Beneficial Misfortune

In a flash, he reaches out, his larger hand gripping my biceps as he pulls me toward him until we're chest to chest.

“They’re making you leave, aren’t they?” His hand tightens around my arm, making me wince, but I bite back against making a sound.

“Who?” I ask again, although, at this point, I’m pretty sure I know. I feel like I need to keep him talking, though, so I can find a way to get out of this.

If there’s a way out of this.

“Don’t play stupid with me!” he shouts, shaking me, and this time, I can’t bite back the whimper of surprise that leaves my lips. “Those fucking assholes think they can come in here and buy you!?”

If I’d had any doubt about who he was talking about before, it’s gone now.

“N-no. It’s not like that,” I tell him, hoping I can reason with him. His grip tightens, and I know I’ve said the wrong thing. Thesame way, I know I’ll have a bruise in the shape of his hand on my arm later.

“Trevor, you're hurting me,” I whisper, hoping I can maybe appeal to his sense of humanity, but instead of loosening his grip, he throws his head back and laughs.

“I’mhurting you!?” he barks, shaking me and making my hip slam into the desk. “What do you think those assholes are going to do to you, Kat? Do you think they are going to love you?”

His face twists up as if it’s the craziest thing he’s ever heard in his life, and I wish it didn’t hurt, but it does. I know he’s not in his right mind; that’s very clear, but damn if he didn’t hit the nail on the head.

“You think you're so special that they're just going to throw away their playboy ways and settle down with you when they could have anyone they want? When they can afford the best and the brightest. They’re only pretending to care because you serve a purpose to them right now.”

“It’s not like that, Trevor, I’m only taking care of Add—”

“Liar!” he screams in my face so loud I flinch away from him. Not that it does a damn thing, considering I’m trapped between him and the desk. “I’ve never seen so many of them around. Usually, they stick to themselves, but ever since they met you, they’ve been circling this place like hawks, waiting to get to you!”

I can feel his spit as it hits my cheek, and my ears ring. If this was a normal day, I have no doubt someone would come running to see what all the commotion was about, but it’s not. It’s the middle of summer, and as far as I know, the only other person here today is Barbara, and somehow, I doubt she would ever come running to help me.

“He’s old enough to be your father, Katherine! He’s a sick, perverted old man who uses his money to attract beautiful young women like you so he can use you until he’s had his fill and then throw you away for the next one.”

“You're wrong,” I yell, despite knowing it’s in my best interest to keep quiet. I just can’t seem to keep my mouth shut.

Hearing him talk about Nathan like that pisses me off. He might be older, but everything else Trevor said is bullshit. He doesn’t know the first thing about Nathan or the rest of them.

If he did, he’d know he’d never be half the man Nathan is.

“What did you say?”

My eyes fly open, and I come eye to eye with Trevor, who's only a breath away from my face, so close I can see the anger as it flares in his eyes.

Oh fuck, I just said that out loud…

How the hell am I going to get out of this now?

Chapter 31

Idon’t know how Nate convinced Kat to leave her job at the school, but I can’t say I disagree with his way of thinking. Carter might have seemed like he got the message when we went to visit him, but guys like him never really do. I’ve dealt with enough assholes to know his type, and I’d bet my left nut we haven’t seen the last of him.

Which I don’t do lightly. I happen to enjoy having both my nuts, thank you.

I watch the clock on the dash as the minutes tick by and try not to worry, despite the fact that it’s my job.

Well, kind of.

If you look at my paystubs, I’m the Lawson’s chauffeur. But I’m really more of a jack of all trades. I might drive them around, but I’m also a bit of a bodyguard and who they call when they need things handled.

A lot of my job is spent sitting around, either gathering information or waiting on them. I should be used to it, but for whatever reason, waiting for Kat to come out of the school today feels as though it’s taking forever.

It’s strange having a woman around again, but Kat’s good for not only Addison but the guys as well. After what happened the last time, I wasn’t sure their sharing thing could actually work. I understood the idea, and while it sounded like a good way to keep them together, it also sounded highly unlikely to work out.

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