Page 21 of Heartless
Madison: You wish. I love a good challenge.
I scowled at my phone, frustrated that she wasn’t backing down. She was supposed to be running away by now, not embracing a challenge. But then again, if she wanted a challenge, I would be more than happy to give her one, so I sent another message.
Me: I’ll add some thumb screws foryour enjoyment.
It was a risky move, pushing the boundaries of our banter, but there was something about Madison that made me irrational.
Her response came almost immediately.
Madison: How considerate of you. Do they come with instructions?
I chuckled under my breath, impressed by her quick wit. Then guilt slammed into me like a ton of bricks. The only benefit from it was that my erection disappeared as fast as it appeared, allowing me to skip the cold shower.
Driven by guilt, I called Jess, who’d been like my personal therapist for years, and after I asked her out to dinner, I marched out to the hot tub.
I couldn’t help it and let my gaze fall down to Madison’s chest just for a millisecond. Then my eyes met hers. She didn’t even flinch at my thunderous mood. I walked past her to her lounge chair, took her robe, and approached her from behind.
“Up,” I ordered as I held the robe for her.
She slowly stood up and exited the hot tub, but instead of slipping into the robe, she took it from my hands and put it on herself, leaving it open. Surprised by her defiance, I could only stare at her for a moment before finding my voice.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, my voice tinged with anger and frustration.
She looked at me, her eyes glinting with amusement. “You’re not the only one that likes to challenge people, Mr. Wilson. I’m quite good at that, as you will find out.”
“Your presence here is not appreciated,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “You are making a big mistake, and I advise you to correct it.”
I refused to glance at her barely covered breasts again, although the thought of doing so had stuck in my head.
Madison just stared at me, impudent as always. I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. “Or I’ll make it my personal mission to show you just how much you don’t want to be here.”
She raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “You can try, but I have the feeling you’re underestimating me.”
With that, she walked away, leaving me standing there, my anger mingling with confusion and a strange sense of arousal.
***
Katie and I were the first to arrive at the meeting the next day. Madison appeared shortly after.
“You brought company.” She eyed Katie. My assistant steeled her spine like she was under attack. “Scared I might try to stab you with a steak knife?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. I could snap you like a stick.” Not that I had ever hit a woman, but I had already caught myself fantasizing about drowning and strangling her. Besides, she wasn’t a woman. She was a Hydra.
“Digging yourself deeper into the stereotype, aren’t you?”
“What stereotype?”
“Oh, you know. The brainless macho man that thinks women are attracted to brutes. You seem like a person who spends most of his time in the gym and hasn’t touched a book since he learned how to read.”
God, how I hated that woman and every syllable that came out of her mouth.
She allowed her gaze to roam down my body, deliberately showing disinterest in what she was seeing. She was trying too hard to make me believe she found me unattractive, which was quite suspicious.
I loved the idea of her being attracted to me. Wouldn’t that piss her off?
I wasn’t bulky like she implied, but I spent a lot of time in the gym, trying to wear myself down enough to fall asleep at night.
“You’re the one to talk about reading,” I flashed her a grin. “Fashion magazines and restaurant menus don’t count as reading material, Miss Hartley. Nor is our list of spa procedures.”
