Page 56 of Feasting on Her Curves (Forbidden Fantasies)

DONOVAN

When Patrick stormed out of the bedroom in his apartment, I knew we hadn’t heard the end of it. Our decision to go ahead with the polyamorous relationship wasn’t likely to sit well with him either. Instead of one lowlife to contend with, he had three hounds knocking at his sister’s door. I did my best to avoid him, but he showed up at work, itching for a fight.

I worked in the mayor’s office as one of his staff members. It was the best way to gain valuable experience that would serve me well when I was ready to run. I accompanied him to meetings, fielded phone calls, and met with constituents. I had some autonomy to talk to people about what was going on in the city but always had to bring decisions back to the man in power. I was looking forward to being at the top of the food chain, and everything I could learn that might help was worth it.

On top of my investments and a small team working to test the waters for me, I received a meager paycheck from the city. It wasn’t nearly enough to afford my apartment, but I had the difference covered. The checks went to utilities, food, and gas while rent came from dividends. It was a sweet deal that most young politicians didn’t have, and I was extremely grateful. Half of the folks in the office were living off of ramen and sleeping in their parents’ basements.

I had my own office, and I was going through my emails when the door opened. Patrick entered, and right off the bat, I knew it was going to be bad. He didn’t even try to hide his anger; it was written all over his face.

I stood up, coming out from behind my desk, “Listen man,” I began.

“Stay away from my sister!” Patrick shouted.

“Your sister is a grown woman,” I shot back. “She’s the only one who can decide what she wants.”

Patrick didn’t wait for me to finish. He threw a punch, connecting with my abdomen. I wasn’t prepared for a fistfight, and the first assault took me off guard. It wasn’t going to happen again.

Centering my weight on both legs, I stepped back, recovering quickly. I still considered Patrick a friend, and even though he was taking this family protection thing to an extreme, I didn’t want to hit him.

He surged toward me, attempting to push me up against the desk. I ducked and came around the other side of him, narrowly missing another blow. “Take it easy,” I said, trying to calm him down. “I’m not doing anything that Petra didn’t want me to do.”

“She’s too young for you,” Patrick snarled, launching himself at me again.

I twisted away, using my skills from a martial arts class I’d taken as a kid. All the sparring we’d had to do in class came back to me. The endless hours locked into a suit of body armor, punching and kicking my fellow classmates finally served a purpose. I was able to dodge all of his attacks, keeping my feet moving and my head down.

Patrick became angrier with every missed punch. I didn’t want our friendship to end this way, but I wasn’t going to just stand there and take it. “You’re being crazy,” I told him. “People don’t act like this.”

“I know what you’re after,” Patrick seethed.

“No, you don’t,” I confronted him. “I really like Petra. I’m not going to hurt her.”

“And what about Cory and Gavin?” Patrick snarled, setting his sights on me once again.

“What about them?” I asked.

“Are all three of you dating her?” Patrick demanded.

I didn’t want to give up that tidbit of information. It wasn’t going to land well if I did. There was a commotion out in the hall, and my door flew open. Thankfully, Patrick lowered his fists and took a step back. He might be incensed, but he wasn’t beyond reason.

“Is everything okay in here?” One of our security guards stood in the doorway. “People thought they heard a fight.”

I glanced at Patrick to make sure he was staying in his corner. “No, we’re fine,” I told the guard. The last thing I wanted was for the police to be called. Trying to explain why this crazy man was attacking me for dating his sister wasn’t the kind of press I was looking for. It would be bad not only for me and my future campaign, but for the current mayor as well. The gossip rags would eat it up: Fight at City Hall. I could just see the headlines screaming my name.

“We’re fine,” Patrick responded sullenly.

“She’s finally feeling good enough to be happy with herself, she’ll never forgive you if you cut her off for that,” I told my old friend.

He shot me one last hateful glance before ducking out of the office. The security guard left to escort him all the way out. The threat of workplace violence wasn’t something anyone took lightly. I didn’t think Patrick would try anything else on his way to the door, but better safe than sorry.

As soon as he was gone, I pulled out my phone. Patrick’s on a rampage, I texted Cory and Gavin. Be careful.

Why?Gavin shot back. What did he do?

He showed up in my office and tried to throw a few punches,I responded. Maybe tell your security guard to be on the lookout.

There was a long moment, and then finally Cory wrote back: Crap. Thanks.

Adrenaline was thundering through my veins, making it impossible to go straight back to work. I could see some of my co-workers lingering outside my office. They were dying to know what had happened, but I wasn’t going to fill them in. This was private stuff, and I had no obligation to satisfy their curiosity.

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