Page 129 of Take What You Want

Hallie puts her hand up to cover her mouth as she fake-whispers to me, “Sure she would’ve.” I put a mocking hand over my heart in gratitude, and Hallie snickers.

Jane playfully pulls her hand away and says, “Fuck off. Is this going to be a two against one thing with you guys?”

I’m about to answer, but Hallie catches me off guard by saying, “No, this one still needs to atone.” She points an accusing finger at me. “There’s some conversations to be had between you and me.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You’re not off the hook yet. Not with me. As far as you go, Janie…” she trails off, eyeing my hand on Jane’s hip. “It looks like you’ve sufficiently let him off yours and you’re going to need to fill me in.”

I bite my tongue as Jane mumbles something to her I don’t catch. They clearly need to catch up a bit, so I lean in and say, “I’m going to go grab us a drink,” in Jane’s ear. She pats my chest and smiles, turning toward Hallie. Their chatter follows me until I near the bar. A few people mingle around it and they try to catch my eye.

I nod in greeting but keep my attention fixed on the bartender. While I can make small talk, I don’t really feel like it tonight.

“Can I get a glass of cab sav and a vodka soda, please?”

The bartender nods and works on the drinks. I lean against the bar and look at the windows behind him. This city looks so different from LA. Does Jane miss it? She always dreamed of living here when we were younger. I know she hasn’t been happy at work here, but would she potentially return here if Arun doesn’t offer her a full-time position?

I can’t even stomach the thought.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to see Nikolai Brooks’ signed NDA across my desk this morning,” a hearty voice says next to me. I turn and immediately know this must be Jane’s boss.

He’s mid-fifties and fighting a losing battle with his hairline. But his suit is sharp and fits him well, but the smell of his cologne is cheap.

I keep one elbow leaned on the bar as I extend the other. “Thank you for allowing me at the last minute.”

“Chester Ford.” He shakes my hand and his hand is clammy. I discreetly wipe my palm against my pants. “Pleased to have you join us tonight. I have to say, I was surprised when my assistant said you reached out. I thought, what would bring Nikolai Brooks out to Boston and to our firm's party?”

The bartender slides my drinks across the bar. Chester puts his rocks glass next to them and makes a motion for another.

“And then I realized that Jane must’ve actually been doing her job out there in California and has been spreading the word about our expansion.” He puffs his chest out as if his name is the one that drew me to this party tonight. “Now, you didn’t need to fly all the way out here to arrange a meeting and it is a party after all”—he chuckles and it grates on my nerves—“but we can carve out some time tomorrow morning to talk.”

I grab mine and Jane’s drinks, pushing my shoulders back so I tower over the man in front of me by a few inches. He seems like the type who’d be bothered about that kind of thing.

“I’m not here for business,” I say politely because after all, this is Jane’s boss. At least for the time being, and I don’t want her to get repercussions for my rudeness. But I also really don’t want to entertain this dude. “I’m here with my date and to enjoy the evening. Thank you for the party. It’s…expensive looking.”

With that, I leave Chester stunned behind me and make my way back to Jane. I feel his eyes on me the entire way and I hope he sees that I’m here for her, not him. The comment he madeabout her actually doing her job sets my teeth on edge. If only he knew and appreciated how hard she worked.

But then she likely wouldn’t have come out to LA seeking new opportunities and I wouldn’t have had my chance. So I guess in a way, I should be grateful.

But eh, I don’t want to be toward him.

Jane is like a beacon, calling me and luring me into her orbit, as I make my way through the crowd. It’s filled in more and I side-step a few groups until she’s in my eyeline.

She and Hallie aren’t alone anymore.

A man, about an inch shorter than Jane, stands in the mix. His dull hair is pushed back with far too much product and the watch at his wrist is far too flashy for an event like this. Jane’s arms are crossed as he talks at her, while Hallie’s glare could melt flesh as she watches him.

I don’t even need to ask. I’d recognize his pompous face anywhere. I saw it way too many times whenever I stalked Jane’s social media over the years.

I clear my throat as I approach, and the relief of Jane’s face is palpable as I hand her the glass of wine. “Here you go, babe. Your favorite.”

I slip my hand around the front of her waist and pull her in close. Liam’s eyes drop to my protective hold, and when he meets my gaze, I harden my stare.

Yes, you see it. She’s not yours.

I want to yell out that she was never his, but I don’t need to stoop low. Don’t need to make a scene in front of Jane’s co-workers. And he’s not worth my breath.

“Thank you,” Jane says and takes a cool sip of her wine.That’s it, baby. Show him how unaffected you are by him.“Liam, have you met Nikolai?”

---