Page 553 of Savage Bosses

Knowing that I was hurting her… well, that shit fucking broke me.

I was drinking more.

Not sleeping.

Everything and everyone pissed me off.

If people thought I was a mean motherfucker before, they’d better get the fuck over it. Shit wasn’t about to get any better. Until this situation with Nyla was fixed, they’d better stay the fuck out of my way.

Employees were walking on eggshells in the office. No one knew when I would blow up and kick everyone out of the conference room or my office, or if I would abruptly end a video conference.

With a company as big as we were, I wasn’t the only one responsible for getting new clients and closing sales. And since I was in such a shitty mood, those conversations were left to other people to manage. Some people were probably thanking their lucky stars that I was willing to take a step back because, after the past two weeks, we would have probably lost millions of dollars in revenue. Maybe even tens of millions.

But none of them understood what was going on. How could I even begin to explain it to them? Exactly. I wouldn’t.

Nyla must have recognized that I was holding myself back in the office as well, because she’d taken up some of those same habits. She avoided eye contact with me when I walked into a room. When she arrived in the morning, she never came into my office to let me know. No more cheerful smiles at the start of the day. Instead, I got a fucking email.

Weeks ago, I would hear peals of laughter coming from her desk. However, in the last week or so, there’s been nothing but the muted sound of her answering incoming calls or working on her computer.

I hated everything about how I reacted and how I was behaving. But I knew it had to be this way. Before I put everything in motion, it was important for me to know that my feelings for her were real. If we went where I wanted us to go, there could be no other choice for either of us.

Of course, she had a choice—she always had a choice. But if she didn’t choose me—well, I would move on. Nyla would also. I would set her up nicely with a parting severance to help her leave, because I could never work with her again after she rejected me.

Fuck being fair. There was no way in hell I could see her move on with another man while I sat here like a chump with my dick in my hands.

That was some shit I already knew I couldn’t accept. I would burn this entire city down with my anger. It would be best to separate from her in all the ways I could if there was no future for us.

Just thinking about a life without her was too difficult to picture. There were plans being put in place to move me and Nyla to where we needed to be. No more bullshit. No more games. No more threat of her leaving me.

I want her to lose control. I want her to need me. To crave me. I wanted her to obey me in all ways.

Just the thought of having her underneath me, her accepting every inch of my dick, made me want to leave and go find her. Show her how I truly felt. Convince her that no other man would do. When she falls for me and accepts that I’m the only man for her, I want her to know that I will always catch her.

Looking at my mother sitting across from me, I listened to her go on and on about being the only lady in her garden club without any grandchildren. Not even the potential for some, because neither of her sons thought of her feelings.

“I’m not happy, King. You and Jagger are very selfish sons. I want grandchildren. I don’t need a big wedding from either of you. Hell, I don’t care if you’re married at this point. But if you have someone special, talk to her about it. Let her know I’d be a great grandmother, but I won’t overstep. You know I’m getting too old to run around with babies, so you and your brother need to work on making that happen for me in the next year.”

“Mom. Don’t start with me about that again.” I would never snap at my mother, but I was becoming annoyed with this conversation. She and my father raised me and Jagger with love, and I knew her prodding was because she had no one to fawn over.

My parents devoted all their time to us over the years. Never pushed us away when we needed them. They were always supportive. While my dad worked out of our home each day, my mom sacrificed her dreams to make sure Jagger and I were raised in the way she and our dad agreed. And with all the shit we put her through in our teen years, she was a damn saint. But that didn’t mean I wanted her policing who I slept with.

She wasn’t giving up that easily. “But you’re too old to still be a bachelor. Don’t you have a girlfriend? Someone you’re interested in who would be a good mother to your children? Who are you dating? Oh, what about that pretty girl who works for you? Nyla. I think she’s good for you. Is she seeing anyone? Wait, what am I thinking? Of course, she’s not. You never let her have a moment alone.”

I almost laughed at her words. If only she knew what I planned for my sweet, sassy Nyla, she would probably be shocked that her son was so depraved.

My father was sitting in his favorite chair with a glass of brandy in his hand. “Honey, stop pestering the boy.” I hadn’t been a boy for many years, but since I came out of his nutsack, who was I to pushback? “He’ll get there when he’s ready. Sometimes you can’t rush these things.”

The hand holding my glass of whiskey lifted in a silent salute. At least my father understood. Something like this had to be done with precision and a well-thought-out plan. Especially considering I waited more than five years to stake my claim on Nyla. Patience wasn’t usually a virtue for me, but I deserved a fucking medal for what I put myself through. Now the time for waiting was over. My mom might just get her wish, even if she didn’t realize it.

“Mom, I’m not dating anyone right now. Nyla works for me. Don’t you think it would be wrong of me to pursue her?” Not that I gave a shit about Nyla filing a claim. She wouldn’t. I just needed the chance to break down the barriers keeping us apart. Once that happened, nothing could stop me.

“Back in our day, work was where most relationships were formed. You meet someone at the place you spend the most time. You know they’re dependable, they have a steady job, and can hold a conversation in public. I still don’t see all the hubbub about two consenting adults doing what feels right for them. Then again, I’m an old woman and have been out of the workforce for too long.” She gave me a side-eye, “And quit trying to change the subject. I want my grandkids.” Pausing, she looked over at my dad with a sly look. “Now you know that Marysa has been calling me. She wants to apologize to you for what happened all those years ago. I think you should give her a chance.”

Oh yeah. Fucking Marysa.

It had taken me almost two weeks to come and speak to my mother about this situation. It pissed me off that my ex was trying to get my mom on her side. I’d already blocked Marysa’s number from my phone. If she tried to reach out to me again, I wanted her to know she wasn’t welcome. I had no desire to speak to her. She would either get the message or get embarrassed.

“Mom, that woman cheated on me. She is a viper and a manipulator. She’s even trying to manipulate you right now. Why would you accept her call? You know exactly how I feel about her.” I could feel my body tensing from talking about it. The tone of my voice increased with each word I spoke.

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