Page 548 of Savage Bosses

As I continued to look at her, I wondered what she would look like, pregnant with my child. If we had a daughter, would she look like her beautiful mother? On the other hand, if we were blessed with a son, would he have my personality?

Fuck, I had it bad.

Little did I know, she was intent on pissing me off.

“And, since I’ve never been to The Steakhouse, I will enjoy every second of it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home so I can change and meet my date. Goodnight, King.”

Anger coursed through my body as I watched her walk away. She never denied me before. No matter what I asked of her. When I needed her, she was always by my side. What the fuck was happening?

Then again, she had no idea how I felt about her. No one did. Maybe Jagger, but he only warned me not to fuck up everything and just tell her how I felt.

When the boardroom door opened, Jagger stuck his head inside. “Is the coast clear? Had to come back and check on you. From the look in her eyes when she passed, it wouldn’t have surprised me to find your body lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Man, I don’t even know what to tell you. You know you pissed her off with those fucked up demands about her not going out.”

“Not looking for a fucking lecture, J. She’s going on a date. With another man.” I’m sure my face was turning red with anger.

Jagger leaned back against the wall. “And why wouldn’t she? As far as I know, she’s single and able to be with whoever she chooses. She’s never had anyone special since she’s been here, or at least, that’s what the gossip says.”

I scoffed at my burly ass brother, who had a perpetual scowl bigger than mine. Was he for real with this shit? “You listen to the gossip?”

“Hell no. But when some of the ladies come to talk with Jennifer, I hear them. By the way, everyone thinks you’re too mean to Nyla. And you’re an asshole. Oh, and you work her too hard, even when she does everything right.” He laughed and straightened his cuffs.

I tried not to take the words to heart. Yeah, I was probably all those things and more. “For someone who doesn’t listen to the gossip, you sure know a lot of shit.”

“Have you forgotten our SpecOps training? We spent too many years in the desert dealing with fucked up situations. The only way we knew what was going on, the shit people weren’t willing to say out loud, was to always have our ears open. If you did remember and were doing what the fuck you needed to do, you also would know that your girl is planning to leave. Not just looking for jobs, but she’s planning to resign. Soon.”

I slowly turned to look at my brother in shock. “I know you didn’t just say the words I thought you did. What the fuck do you mean she’s planning to leave? She can’t leave. I shut that shit down with anyone who might even be thinking of poaching her. She belongs here, with me.”

“Does she know that?” he asked.

I didn’t respond to his question because we both knew the answer. It was a resounding no.

Jagger stood, fixing his suit jacket. “Anyway, I’m off to get in some pussy. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and don’t forget to call your mother. I’m putting her on silent. I’m tired of fielding her calls. If you want her to stop hounding you about Marysa, then you need to tell her.”

“You’re such a dick. She’s your mother too.”

“Not right now. I’m not getting in the middle of this. Handle your shit.” He gave a half-salute before he walked out.

After a few minutes of stewing and getting myself worked up, I walked out of the room as well. Stomping through the hallway to my office, I wanted to try and catch Nyla before she left the building. Even if she didn’t know how I felt about her, it still pissed me off that she chose another man over me. As soon as I walked to my office suite, I knew she was gone. Her laptop was missing, and the little desk lamp she kept on during the day was turned off.

“Fuck,” I yelled out into the room. I stormed into my office and slammed the door with enough force that a few pictures on the table fell.

I tried to focus on work, but my mind was too distracted.

Who was she with?

What were they doing?

When did she have time to meet someone?

Where did they meet?

How the fuck was I going to get through the night knowing she was with another man?

Then I thought about what Jagger said about the rumor mill. Was she still trying to find another job? There were some courtesy calls to me a few months ago when she put her resume out. Every CEO in my vicinity knew how I felt about Nyla working for someone else. To me, and my business, she was irreplaceable. When they asked if I was finally going to allow her to move on and work for someone else, I shut that shit down.

Nyla was mine.

Mine.

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