Page 12 of My Darling Mayhem

Once I set up Cruz and ensured his headphones were in place, and his show began on his tablet, I spun in my chair.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Brian leaned forward. “Wrong with me? You’re the one who had your new neighbor assault me.”

“I didn’t have?—”

“Wren, hi, darling.” Denise walked in, interrupting our conversation. Her white hair was styled perfectly, and her makeup was minimal.

“Hi, how are you?” I plastered a fake smile while she peered around me, looking for Cruz.

“Is my little guy here?”

Cruz looked up and saw Denise and waved. He liked her, but only so much. She occasionally gave off fake vibes that he could see right through. That’s why I never asked her to babysit or accepted any invites to her house.

She waggled her fingers at Cruz, then regarded me.

“Thank you for coming in, honey. Brian emailed me this morning to tell me that his clients, the couple you two helped the other day, are considering backing out.”

My brows dipped. “Haven’t they already paid their lot premium?”

Brian smirked, and I knew he’d done something. I just couldn’t prove it.

My laptop was out as I brought up their file.

“They were actually on the cusp of paying this weekend but decided they might go with Phurline Homes instead.”

Our biggest competitor. Fuck. This was on me if it fell through, and Denise would get shit from her bosses too.

“What can I do to help?” I glanced at Brian, then Denise.

“Work with Brian. Hopefully, a good brainstorming session between you two will help.” My boss turned, leaving Brian smiling and tilting his head as though he’d just stolen my queen in chess.

I wanted to scream at him.

“What will it take to make this go through?” Because we didn’t need a brainstorming session. He merely wanted to punish me for what happened the other night.

He leaned forward so his voice was low. “An apology for starters.”

My mouth snapped shut, a million words desperate to fly at him.

Calmly and quietly, I said, “For what exactly? You arrived at my home uninvited and then refused to leave.”

“For leading me on.” His sharp chin lifted while his green eyes pinned me in place.

Fuck this guy.

“I’m sorry, Brian if there was anything I did that gave you the wrong impression.”

“Good. Also, I want a date. One where I pick you up, you wear something nice, and you don’t rush home the second it’s over.”

I scoffed, sitting back in my chair. “Not a chance.”

Brian’s nose flared while he leaned in closer. “Then you can say goodbye to this sale.”

“So can you. You know for a fact our homes price out higher. Your commission will be bigger if you stick with us.”

Brian smirked. “Not if I made a deal with the sales agents on what they’ll tell the clients the listing price is.”

---