Page 45 of Mastered by Them
“But Troy.” I stand in front of the door. “Seriously, this is a rash decision. If it’s about not being with Danica, I’ve been thinking, and I was wrong. If she wants to be with you, then I’m not standing in your way.”
“Generous of you.” His lip curls. “Move, Edmund.”
I don’t budge. “Seriously, you can’t leave. What about everything we have here?”
His voice is blank. “There’s nothing for me here.”
15
Troy
I didn’t think it would hurt so much. But three days away and I’m in just as much agony as I was when I left Edmund’s place.
For the past few days, Amber has been wearing her bubbly, friendly persona. All smiles, flirtatious jokes, light physical contact. If she saw me shudder when her fingertips grazed my forearm, she ignored it.
But she was a lot more careful about touching me after that.
“You’re going to love the venue, Troy.” She cranes her neck to look out the car window. “We should see it in just a few minutes. You’ve probably been there before—the Rosa Roja?”
“I’ve been there.” Blank voice. Dead eyes. I’m a stone, immovable and emotionless.
“Well, it’s gorgeous, and it’s the perfect place for the grand opening.”
I don’t respond. Three days ago, I told her I’d work for her, but we would never have a relationship. She laughed at that, like our break-up was some kind of old, funny mishap. “We kind of imploded at the end, didn’t we?”
That’s not how I would describe it, but she has always been an expert at rewriting history that doesn’t match her warped version of reality.
We get to the hotel and I help Amber out of the car. She pretends to need my hand, so I have to touch her. A faint smile plays on her pink-painted lips as we walk up the steps and through the double doors. She won.
I’m an idiot, because she always wins.
As she leads me through the plan for tomorrow, I wonder if her new clients know anything about how Pinton Environmental Consulting Solutions is run. Because it’s lies. Just a big fat company of lies.
The hotel lobby reeks of old money. This is money older than Edmund’s grandfather. Older than the Aseyevs’ wealth. This is colonial money, earned from colonial theft. Criminals never change, I guess. This isn’t the first time I’m ashamed to be one.
I wish Dani could see me like I really am. Amber ruined all that. She must have seen me with Dani at some point, or heard about her from one of her spies. She must have figured out we were close. Then she went in for the kill.
I haven’t let on that I know Amber contacted Dani. In the end, what the fuck does it matter? She did it, and I need a job.
So here I am, working for the enemy...who is also my ex.
You’re hurting me, Troy. Please, stop. Followed by wicked laughter over my confusion and dismay.
I shake away the memories.
“Here’s where the band will set up.” Amber points to one side of the big room. Olivia Santiago held a benefit here, not too long ago. Edmund nearly got into a fight with Dani’s brother. “Are you getting this?”
The hotel manager, a middle-aged guy with a head of curly auburn hair, nods. “Yes, Ms. Pinton. This is an ideal spot with the acoustics of the room.”
He hasn’t stopped staring at her since we arrived. I get it. Amber is a beautiful woman. Long legs, a perfect ass, a heart-shaped face with bow lips that she accentuates with a pink gloss. Her rich, blond hair always gleams. The gray dress she wears today is stylish, and she carries a deep purple Baciarvita bag that matches her heels and amethyst necklace.
“I understand you’ll be presenting at your event?” The manager tries, and fails, to stop checking out Amber’s chest.
“Yes,” Amber says in her sweet, happy voice. She doesn’t care that he’s staring—she thrives on the admiration. “I’ll have someone monitoring the slides. Did you say you have a tech room for that purpose?”
“We do.” The manager sweeps his arm grandly to the far side of the room. “Right this way, Ms. Pinton. I’ll show you the set-up. Tomorrow, we’ll have an audio-visual technician on hand. She can run your presentation, or she can get one of your people up to speed if you would prefer.”
He leads us to a narrow door leading to a hallway. He points to the left side of the hall. “These are service restrooms, and across the hall here is the AV room.”
