Page 11 of Hard Boss

“Let’s eat and we can talk more in the truck, okay?”

“Mhmm.”

I scoot away from his hand so I can breathe. If I don’t focus, I won’t be able to eat. Soon, I won’t be able to escape, so I need to relax.

Chapter Two

Macie

For the entirety oflunch and most of the drive home, I say nothing. I acknowledge nothing and I am just existing. I am worried that I am being used, and he doesn’t actually want me. I feel like I trust he wouldn’t do that to me, but considering everything else that has been said, I am feeling used to it. I regret signing that contract, so I am going to review it tonight to see if there is a period of time in the beginning that I can revoke my signature.

“Are you going to talk to me at all?” Wilder asks. I look over at him but turn back to look out of the window. He sighs heavily and pulls off on the side of the road.

“Drive,” I growl.

“No. We need to talk, Macie,” he says.

“No, you need to fucking drive,” I yell. “Go or I swear to God, I will get out and walk.”

When he says nothing, I sling my door open, but he grabs me before I can get out. “Stop it. I’ll drive,” he says, giving in.

“What did I do?” Wilder asks carefully.

“Just drive, please,” I whimper as hot tears roll down my cheeks. Without another word, he pulls back onto the road and continues driving. I notice that he is driving toward his home, and not the office, making me angrier. “Where are we going? I need my car.”

“Home,” he says. “The second you get in that car, you’ll be gone.”

“Oh, right. You aren’t done using me,” I say with an annoyed tone.

“Really?” he asks. “That what you think this is?”

“Isn’t it fucking obvious?” I yell at him, my voice cracking. “You didn’t want a goddamn personal assistant, you wanted a buffer. Someone to act as a decoy fuck so Tina would leave you alone.”

“Macie. Is that how you see me?” he asks. “Just a player who doesn’t mind hurting people?”

“Yes,” I scream at him. “That’s what you are fucking doing right now.”

He shuts down and grips onto the steering wheel, not uttering another word. As soon as he pulls into his driveway and shifts the truck into park, I get out and storm off to find Arden.

“Hey, girl… oh no,” she says. “What did he do?”

I can’t form words because the second I open my mouth; I start crying instead. Mom and Dad step into the living room and Arden drags me upstairs and into the room across from Wilder’s.

“What happened?” she asks, sitting me down.

“He’s using me. He doesn’t want me, he just wants to get rid of her,” I say tearfully.

“Mac, honey. He wouldn’t…”

“He said it. He sat there and joked about us making people think we were fucking to get Tina to quit. Not even three minutes later, he had all this shit to say about how he wanted me, but he doesn’t he doesn’t want me, and I just signed a five-year contract just to be miserable.”

“Jesus, he is such an idiot,” she sighs and hugs me. “You know I wouldn’t lie to you, right?”

“Yeah,” I sniff.

“I know you are afraid because the dipshit dumped it all on you at once, but please understand that these are not new feelings forhim. Okay? He is just a dumb boy who says dumb boy bullshit.” She says. “Come watch me yell at him.”

“Okay,” I say as she pulls me up and out of the room. When we get downstairs, Wilder looks confused, but instantly concerned when he sees my face is red and puffy.

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