Page 16 of Be Your Anything
He purses his lips, wincing slightly.
I think he might legitimatelyjustbe realizing the mistake he’s made and the ripple effect it’s going to have on the plan we’ve made for the future of the company.
“Look,” I say, annoyance rolling through me, “normally, I don’t give a shit what you do, but Iknowyou made a bad call on this one, especially because you had to sneak around and do it behind my back—and Wyatt’s.”
I spin around and head for the door, wanting nothing but to put some space between myself and this monstrous mistake.
“Come on, Lucas,” he says, his voice sounding a lot more whiny and far less confident than it was earlier. “We should just give it a shot.”
“Give it a shot?” I ask, incredulous, turning back around once I’ve hit the door. “You mean you think we’re going tokeepthis fifteen-story building in the heart of Santa Monica that’s a few blocks from the ocean?”
Otto looks down at the floor.
“Alright, here’s my deal,” I say with a sigh. “Call Wyatt. Have him come here. Explain to him the decision you made and where the money came from. If he’s on board, I’ll back off, but I have a feeling you know he’ll be on my side about this. If that’s the case, you’re calling up Ashley and whoever you used to buy this place and letting them know we’re selling immediately.”
Otto bites his lip. “Her name’s Ashlyn.”
“That’s what you took away from what I just said?”
“Okay, okay!” he says, his eyes wide and his hands held out between us in a placating gesture. “I’ll call Wyatt and…see what he thinks.”
“Good,” I say.
“Jeez, man. What crawled up your ass today?”
I roll my neck, trying to let go of how maddening Otto can be sometimes. The last thing I need is to build up a bunch of stress in my shoulder muscles.
“Nothing crawled up my ass.”
“You sure? I think you need to get laid.”
I tuck my hands into my pockets, sure if I don’t hide them away, I’ll actually strangle him.
Otto glances out the door past me then lowers his voice. “She was hot, though, right? I mean did you see…?” He makes a gesture indicating the redhead’s breasts.
I roll my eyes, resisting the urge to laugh. He might be an idiot sometimes, but he’s still my friend.
“You know, sleeping with someone you might see all the time is a bad idea. Way too complicated,” I say, wondering how he can’t see the potential conflict.
Otto’s laugh cuts off and he just looks at me with a stupid face that says he thinks I’m full of shit.
“Oh come on!” he says, his voice rising. “You can screw Lennon, who we seeall the time, but I can’t sleep with that chick who doesn’t even work in the building?”
Shock ripples through my body.
Lennon and I have been incredibly discreet about our sexual relationship since it started earlier this year. I wasn’t aware anyone else knew what was going on.
“That seems like some hypocritical bullshit to me,” he adds.
“Have Wyatt call me after you’ve talked to him,” I spit out, ignoring the comment about Lennon. Then I turn around, striding out of the office and towards the elevator.
“Seriously? You’re just gonna walk awa…”
But his voice is muffled as the office door shuts behind me, cutting off whatever else he was going to say.
I press the button, feeling thankful that one of the elevators arrives immediately. The last thing I want is for Otto to come out here and keep this conversation going. I need a fucking break from him right now.
When the elevator reaches the building lobby and the doors part, I see Ashlyn waiting off to the side.
