Page 146 of Mayhem
Paetyn lowered his voice. “That wasn’t a question.” He turned to Connie. “Give me a few minutes,” he stated, grabbing Erin’s hand and pulling her away from the dining area to the pass way the servers used to put in and pick up their orders. Invisible to the dining area. “I don’t want that woman,” he said.
“I didn’t say you did.”
“Your attitude did. So, lose it.”
Erin refrained from rolling her eyes. “I find it funny that you can be upset with a make-believe notion that I was flirting with some man at a store, but if I’m upset, I need to lose my attitude.”
“I wasn’t flirting with her, Angel.”
“Like I wasn’t flirting with him.” She shook her head. “Whatever, she was flirting with you.”
“So, I get the attitude because of her actions?”
“Would you rather I punch that bitch in the face?”
“She has to be that because you’re mad?” Paetyn asked.
“You want to sit here and defend her and piss me off more?” Erin shot back.
“Okay,” Paetyn responded with a nod before taking her phone and putting it in his pocket, crowding her in the corner. He slipped his hand under the faux leather skirt she wore, middle finger immediately finding her clit over her panties.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Helping you lose your attitude and reminding you that I don’t care about any other woman.”
Erin didn’t get a chance to respond as he kissed her.
Paetyn reviewed the new minimums Connie’s company required due to the recent issues they’d been having with other clients. Because of that, they were enforcing new rules, and she went over them with him after he’d signed for the order she’d dropped off. It wouldn’t be a problem for him. Her company supplied all three of his restaurants in the city andThe Pits. He already ordered more than the new minimum.
Paetyn re-signed the contract with the new information, and she emailed him a copy before placing the tablet back on the table.
“I was at The Pits recently with some friends. I didn’t realize you’d changed the menu,” Connie stated.
“I did. I always change them around the holidays to add a few festive dishes. Everything will return to normal after the new year. Until then, offering limited-time items is a great way to get people to spend more money. People eat that up, no pun intended.”
Connie laughed harder than warranted for a joke he hadn’t told. Her hand found his chest, and Paetyn took her wrist, removing it. He’d already told her a couple of times that he wasn’t interested, and the last time she’d asked him out for a drink, he’d informed her he was in a relationship. She’d dropped it after that. So, he couldn’t be sure if this was her flirting or if she found the comment that funny.
“Looks like I’m interrupting.”
Paetyn turned his attention to find Erin standing at the door. He’d left it unlocked because he hadn’t planned on being there long. He had a few people he paid to unload deliveries and replenish the stock for all of his restaurants when it wasdelivered on Mondays, so he didn’t have to worry about doing it, and his regular employees could enjoy the day off.
“Hey, Angel,” he greeted with a smile as he took her in. Her white sweater stood out against the burnt orange skirt that hugged her curves, a sliver of her midriff visible. “And no, you could never interrupt,” he added, going to her. “Connie, this is my girlfriend, Erin. Baby, this is Connie, one of my suppliers.”
A silent greeting passed between the two before Erin turned her attention back to him, those eyes gazing into his.
“This is a surprise. I didn’t expect you to stop by.”
“I’m sure it is. I was doing some shopping, saw your car, and thought I’d stop in for a few minutes, but you’re clearly busy.”
Paetyn lifted a brow at her. The sarcasm in her words was all too clear. He was sure he knew what it was from, and if he was correct, it was the most ridiculous reason.
“Come talk to me for a second.”
She shook her head, and he was sure she was about to say something passive-aggressive. “I don’t want to keep you from business with your supplier.”
He wasn’t sure what made her think he would let her leave upset, especially since it was aimed at him, but she should have known better. That wasn’t what he did, what they did; they didn’t leave things unresolved when they could be fixed then.
He spoke where only she could hear him. “That wasn’t a question.” He didn’t give her time to respond before addressing the other woman. “Give me a few minutes, Connie.”
