Page 8 of Texting the Handyman

Lucas evidently is disgusted by that small show of affection because he starts running his mouth yet again. “Who the hell is this man, Hailey?” he starts, gesturing at me in disgust. I can’t help but smirk, finding his outrage just a little amusing. Seriously, why is he so angry? “Is this the man I heard on the phone the other day? What, are you fucking him or something? Jesus Christ. You should know better than to waste your time on random men instead of focusing on your work and building your career. If you wanted a boyfriend to occupy you, you should’ve come to me instead of stooping to fuck the—what are you?” He pauses briefly to inspect the logo on my shirt, then glances out the window to my truck. “A handyman? Seriously, Hailey. This is low, even for you.”

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I can’t decide whether to curse this man out or just punch him in the mouth. Not only has he just outright insulted me, but worse, he tries to shame Hailey for having any man in her life except him. Lucas officially takes the cake as the most vile man I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Hailey’s hand lands on my arm, seeking comfort, and I wrap my arm around her, foregoing punching him in order to be there for her instead. I inhale deeply, trying to be the better man and find some sort of inner peace. I don’t succeed very well, though.

“If you’re going to be a disrespectful asshole, then you can leave,” I snap, pointing to the door just in case he needs directions for the way out.

Lucas narrows his eyes at me, scoffing. “Oh yeah? Or what? What are yougoing to do about it?”

Oh, so he wants to be punched in the face. God, he’s practically begging for it. I step in front of Hailey, protecting her preemptively as Lucas curls his hands into fists at his sides.

Lucas swings first. His technique is shit, and he swings wide, but it’s still a clear threat that I won’t stand for, especially in Hailey’s presence. I dart forward, grabbing his fist and twisting his arm around his back until he cries out, restraining him so he can’t do anything stupid again. Anger flows through me, thick and heavy, as Hailey shouts out in shock at us.

Overpowering Lucas takes all of five seconds, but of course, the asshole doesn’t just accept defeat and go down easy. No, he starts running his mouth again, clearly not learning his lesson like a normal fucking person. God, I hate this dude.

“Do you see this shit, Hailey? Is this the kind of man you want in your bed, seriously? You could do so much better!” Lucas rants, his face red as he struggles to fight against me. I press his front against the wall, holding his arm behind his back still, refusing to let him free because I know he’ll just swing again.

“Don’t fucking talk to her,” I snarl, just as Hailey pipes up.

“You tried to punch him first!” she cries out, outrage in her voice. “Stop this!”

“Only because I was defending you!” Lucas argues, spewing more bullshit.

“Hailey will never need defending from me,” I growl. “I’d rather cut my own fucking hand off than pose a threat to her. You, on the other hand, have verbally abused her one too many fucking times now. If anyone’s the threat here, albeit a pathetic one, it’s you.”

Lucas sputters, his face so red I half expect steam to come out of his ears now. His jealousy is painfully obvious, and maybe I’d feel bad for him if he wasn’t such an asshole. He wants Hailey, and he hates that he can’t have her, hates me for getting her instead of him. But he doesn’t deserve her, not with the way I’ve seen him treat her, not to mention the fact that he’s her manager, not a suitor.

He squirms again, and I shove him harder against the wall, taking satisfaction in the way he grunts in pain.

Hailey steps forward, and though I want her nowhere near Lucas or his aggression, I refuse to let go of him to stop her. There’s fury in her forest green eyes that makes my dick stand to attention. She’s hot as hell when she’s mad.

“Let’s get one thing very fucking clear, Lucas,” she seethes, glaring at him. “I wouldn’t be with you if you were the last man on earth.”

I suddenly can’t wait to throw him out of here so I can show her just how much I love hearing her stand up for herself.

“And this is long overdue, but I’m not waiting anymore,” Hailey continues, getting closer to Lucas so he can see the determination on her face. “You’re fired. Effective immediately.”

I wish I could take a photo of Lucas’s face when she says that because it’s truly glorious. His mouth gapes open like a fish out of water, and his eyes bulge with shock. He sputters and stutters, staring at her in disbelief. His shock quickly turns back to rage, though, and he narrows his eyes on her.

“You won’t survive a month in this job without me,” he spits, lying through his teeth because we all know Hailey’s talentedenough to make it without him. “Don’t come crawling back to me when you realize just how much you need me?—”

Hailey cuts him off, rolling her eyes at his dramatics. “Shut up and get the fuck out of my house, and my life for that matter,” she snaps, shaking her head in disappointment.

I take the cue and yank him away from the wall, forcibly walking him to the front door to see him out. I open the door and throw him out, grinning when he stumbles and falls down the step onto her lawn. He scrambles to his feet and turns, looking over his shoulder and opening his mouth to, no doubt, yell more nonsense at us. Before he can get a word out, I give him a wave and slam the door in his face.

“Goodbye, dickhead,” I mutter, locking the door just to make sure he doesn’t try to storm back in.

Hailey’s in the living room, watching Lucas get into his car and drive away with a mixture of annoyance and satisfaction on her face.

“I should’ve told him where to go weeks ago,” she says with a sigh as she turns away from the window. I sit on the sofa beside her, pulling her into my lap and holding her close, reassuring my instincts that she’s okay and unharmed.

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” I tell her honestly. “It was hot as fuck watching you stand up for yourself.”

She laughs, resting her head on my shoulder. “It was hot as hell watching you defend me,” she says, tipping her head back to kiss me. “Honestly, I’m just relieved he’s gone. He was never a great manager anyway, and in the past few weeks, he’s just gone from doing his job to making me uncomfortable. I didn’t think he’d go this … crazy, though.”

I kiss her head, tightening my hold on her. No doubt she can feel just how turned on I still am, but I focus on comforting her instead, trying to ignore my cock for a minute.

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