Page 159 of Strange Seduction
Like what?
Anything. A message. In case we forget.
Hm. Don’t let the little shit get too big. And don’t forget that this right here—
This is all that matters and it’s all mine.
Did I Hit A Nerve?
Day Twelve.
He wasn’t in his office when I passed by, and he skipped the Monday exec check-in—a first for him. But I knew he’d show his face eventually.
Vince was too proud to hide for long.
And I wasn’t the one who should’ve been hiding.
The morning had been challenging enough, having to drag Carmen off the yacht. I was tempted to just pay for another day on it so that she could enjoy her time more. But I definitely needed to get back to work, and my anxiety would not allow me to breathe knowing she was on a boat in the middle of a body of water without me.
So I dropped her off at the hotel and came to work.
Maybe I could make it up to her tonight.
He finally came into the boardroom for our strategy session, calm like nothing had happened.
“Glad you could join us,” I said coolly, flipping through the files in front of me.
He didn’t even look at me. “Traffic.”
Bullshit.
I’d call him out on his behavior soon; I just needed to get through this meeting and forty-five minutes later, I was fucking relieved.
He fought me on everything. Client proposals, new project ideas, and even the location of our next office, which had nothing to do with him.
I let the others file out before I said it.
“Stay back.”
He paused mid-step, shoulders tensing. Then turned. “What?”
“Close the door.”
A pause. Then he did. Slowly.
I leaned against the edge of the table, arms folded. Calm. Controlled.Barely.
“I’m gonna try my very best to stay calm, Vince.” I started, “I really am. But I need to understand your line of thinking before I completely crash out. So please, explain yourself and make it make sense for me.”
“I’m assuming this is about Carmen?”
My jaw tensed, they even had the same smart ass mouth, but I was less entertained by him than her. “You continue to overstep, Vince.”
His lip twitched. “Cause I told her the truth?”
“You told heryourversion of the truth.” My voice sharpened. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you told her. And to talk to her after I made it clear I don’t want you anywhere near her—”
“She deserved to know,” he cut me off. “I did the right thing.”
