Page 11 of Volatile

She got closer, eyes blazing. She was a fucking forest on fire, and it was starting to piss him off. “Is this the way you conduct your business, Mr. Blazek? If so, I suggest you start taking this matter more seriously, and soon. Time is not a luxury we can afford.”

Jon had been more than willing to be cordial the first time, but this woman needed to either show a little more respect or turn right back around. “I can assure you that I take nonconsensual harm very seriously. Lily and I are working well together, and I’m confident we’ll continue to do so.”

“Nonconsensual harm? What other kind of harm is there?” She waved her hands around. “And what the hell is consensual harm? That’s a damn oxymoron. Just what kind of practice do you run here?”

His jaw clenched as he considered the situation before him. It was highly doubtful she’d listen to anything he tried to say. When he looked at her face, all he saw was a big fucking bull with jagged horns sitting on top of her shoulders.

“I run an effective one. Now, if you’re just here to insult me and the way I conduct my business, you can walk that ass out of my office right now.”

Her mouth dropped, but he had to hand it to her—she never once broke eye contact. In fact, her irises just burned brighter. She was not the type to shrink away. He felt for Lily; he could see how it’d be damn near impossible to have a differing opinion around this hellcat. Shit, he even sympathized with Ivy’s boyfriend. Jon doubted he had the backbone to handle her.

“You can’t talk to me that way.”

“It appears I just did.”

She huffed. “That is not very professional.”

“I disagree, Ms. Swanson. Unlike what I witnessed from you, I showed restraint. There was a great deal more I wanted to say.”

She got into his face, or tried to. She had some height on her, but she still had to look up at him. “Listen up, Mr. Blazek. Lily needs to stop protecting that asshole, and that means you have to work harder, so that happens sooner rather than later. If you’re not skilled enough for the task, you’d better believe that I’ll find someone else who is.”

“If you don’t approve of me or my methods, I have no doubt you’ll be able to find plenty of other options. But a little piece of advice? If you care about the well-being of your sister, I’d suggest you shut your mouth and give me the time and space to help her.”

Ivy glared at him, chest heaving, guns blazing. He waited to see what vitriol would drip from her lips next. She was a work of art, all right. To his surprise, she spun around and stormed out, leaving him in a whirlwind. A big part of him wanted to tell her to save everyone the trouble and find another therapist immediately. He was damn good at what he did, and he didn’t need to deal with this shit. But he also had a soft spot for Lily and had become invested in the outcome. He was confident he could make a difference in her life.

But fuck, her sister was sure one infuriating bitch.

Jon took the side steps two at a time, going up to the house. His head was pounding as if jarred out of a heavy sleep. He needed to dull it back down before his next client arrived. Ivy couldn’t have left yet; he debated once more about going back out and telling her to fuck off and to find someone else. No wonder Lily had to hide things from her. Damn it. No, he’d see this through for Lily’s sake.

As long as Ivy stayed the fuck out of his way.

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