Page 60 of Riddled Deceit (Tattooed Hearts Duet 1)

I kept my focus on him, reminding myself not to get trapped in his stormy eyes, the darkness swirling and calling to me. Raising one shoulder, I turned back to my magazine, nothing else to say to him. The more I thought about it, I was the one allowed to be angry, not him. He'd leftmeand then ignored me for days! I didn't owe him anything until he apologized.

My thoughts had distracted me from the Hulk-like man next to me as he wrestled with his rage. When his arms bracketed me from behind, I gasped, my air becoming lodged in my throat when he bent down to whisper in my ear. I had to focus on what he said, his breath heating my neck, pulling goosebumps to my skin. His woody leather scent invaded my nostrils, curling my toes as I succumbed to his sexual energy, his dominance rolling over me.

"Peaches, don't forget I know how to push all your buttons. I can make you scream, panting for me right here in front of everyone. Or you can move your sweet ass back to my office. I'm fine with either option. You have three seconds to decide."

"You wouldn't," I breathed, wanting to slap myself for sounding so breathless. What the h-e-double hockey sticks was I thinking? My mouth seriously needed to shut the fudge up, and my body needed to remember how much he hurt us. The part of my brain that apparently made logical decisions had decided to take a vacation.

"Want to really test that theory out, James? Three seconds. Starting now." His body left mine, his intoxicating essence leaving me, allowing me to think again. Sucking in clear air, my brain cleared from all the haze, realizing what was at stake. Fortunately, I only waited two seconds before I booked it to his office. I shut the door behind me right as he said three. Leaning against it, I folded my arms, not willing to give him any more leverage.

"I'm here. What do you want? I'm busy."

It was obviously a lie, and we both knew it, but I had to keep up some of the facade. Slade gritted his teeth, fighting with himself. "Sit down, James."

"I'll stand, thank you very much."

Crossing my legs, he took notice of my outfit, and I swear his head almost exploded. "What the fuck is that?" He gestured toward me, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

Looking down, I didn't understand what his problem was. "Um, jeans. You know the things you wear every day?" I cocked my head, not understanding his issue. They didn't have holes in them. They were just a typical pair of Levi's.

"But, but, but," he started, unable to find his words before he shook his head, a deep exhale leaving him. Planting his hands on his hips, he glared back at me. "What's wrong? For three years, I've painstakingly had to watch you prance around in skirts and dresses. Now, you're covering yourself up, so what happened? What’s wrong?"

I was confused. Both by his words and tone. He sounded concerned, but also pissed off about the fact he cared. I hadn't realized what he was implying. Was I upset? Had I unintentionally dressed in jeans because of the stuff I'd shoved into the back of my mind? I didn’t know, but I definitely didn’t want to discuss it with Slade.

"It's not your concern. You made it perfectly clear what you think of me when you left me alone." I sucked in a breath, my words starting to tremble, a wobble in my voice. I held my breath, attempting to keep the waterworks at bay. I could not cry in front of him.

Slade watched me, his jaw clenching, as it looked like he weighed his words.

"It wasn't—"

I couldn't hear any more excuses or lies, so I cut him off. "It's fine. You told me, remember? Can I go now?"

His nostrils flared as his breathing increased, and I worried I’d finally pushed the bull too much. "Careful, Peach. I'm not feeling overly generous today. I'm likely to strike out and not care who I hit in the process."

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean, Evans. You threatened me to come back here. I’m here. So, what do you want, Slade?"

He slammed his hands on the desk, and I jumped. "I told you it would only be one time. Don't come crying to me now when you can't get enough of my dick, James."

Scoffing, I rolled my eyes, masking my hurt. "Get over yourself. You think you're the best I've ever had? Puh-lease. Now, tell me what was soimportantyou had to call me back here. It’s starting to look like you’re the one who can’t get enough."

"We both know that's a lie, James. But go ahead with whatever lies you need to tell yourself,” he sneered, before blanking his face into a cold mask, devoid of emotion. “Make sure to follow up with the distributor today. We're getting low on ink, and we can't have you being incompetent and messing up all of the appointments for next week. That's all. You're dismissed."

The sneer at the end gutted me, his easy dismissal of our time and of my value at this job. Slade waved his hand, pushing me out of his office, and then returned to his computer. He sat there, ignoring my existence, and I realized I just couldn't take it anymore.

An alarming calmness came over me, and I dropped my arms before turning to open the door, knowing what I had to do. Pausing with my hand on the doorknob, I tossed my grenade over my shoulder before I exited.

"Sure thing, boss. And believe what you want, but you're wrong. I fucked Simon three ways to Sunday last night, so no, I'm not thinking about your cocktail wiener at all. While we're at it, this is my formal notice that I quit."

His face had grown slack at my words, and I calmly opened the door and left his office, shutting it quietly behind me. My breaths were quick as I stepped out, and I knew I had a limited time to either make it to the alley or bathroom. Considering the slamming and throwing of things in the office behind me, I chose the alleyway. I needed to get away from that angry hornetnow.

Bubba saw me, the tears already started streaming down my face, and reached out to comfort me, but I shook my head, not willing to stop. "I can't," I whispered. "Just, don't tell him which way I went, please."

"Sure thing, sweetie."

His face changed, and the burly biker emerged, the bear officially pissed off on my behalf. I slipped out the back just as I heard Slade's office door open, slamming against the wall. He would seriously need to fix them all at this rate. I could hear him start another rampage as he shouted at everyone in his vicinity. When I could hear him and Bubba, I bolted, not wanting to be caught in the alley, my face full of tears and my bravado dissipated.

My luck appeared to be on my side for once, and I ran into Simon as he exited the salon.

"Hey, babe, funny meeting you here." Hearing his voice, I folded myself into his arms, when he realized something was wrong. "Lenn, what's wrong? Talk to me, pretty girl."

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