Page 18 of Love to Hate You

It’s a strange reaction, one I’ve never had before, and my gaze dips to his crossed arms and those long, smooth fingers of his.I like his hands.I’m not sure where the thought comes from, and I shouldn’t be liking anything about Nash Beckett. It annoys me and I look up to see a smirk curve his lips.

And that annoys me even more.

“What do you want?” I ask, voice full of impatience. I focus on a stack of folders in front of me and start shuffling them around, pretending to look busy.

“You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell him and finally look back up. The morning sunlight behind me fills my office and makes his blue eyes appear so bright that it’s a little disconcerting.

“Here’s the deal, Charlie. I want to lay it all out so we both know what’s going to happen.”

There it is.That arrogance that I’ve grown to loathe. He thinks he’s always running the show. Well, I’ve got news for him. I’m the one who’s running this show and I have every intention of making sure that he gets canned.

“Oh, please, enlighten me with your wisdom,” I say, voice snarky.

He arches a dark brow and those ridiculously bright cobalt eyes narrow slightly. “Let’s cut to the chase. In three months, I’m going to be CEO and President. You know it and I know it.”

His arrogant words make me bristle but I bite my tongue.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to get rid of you. You’ve proven you’re an asset. If you want to step back into the VP position that’s definitely a possibility, I’m willing to discuss.”

My mouth drops and I quickly close it. Of all the smug, condescending, patronizing shit he could’ve said, he really knocked it out of the park with that load of BS.Passive-aggressive asshole. “Are you?” I ask, voice dripping in sarcasm. “Well, that makes me feel so good.”

Surprise flashes across his stupid, handsome face. I’m not sure when he developed such a sharp pair of cheekbones, but it aggravates me. Just like everything else about him does, too.

“Excuse me?”

I stand up so I can be more at his eye-level, even though he’s still 5 or 6 inches taller, and cross my arms, glaring at him. “I don’t know who you think you are but right now, I am the President of this company. So don’t you dare tell me you’ll consider throwing me a bone andmaybeeven give me my old job back.”

As he considers my words, he truly looks taken aback by how angry I am. Is he that stupid? Of course, I’m angry. If he thinks he can just waltz back in here and run the show while the title Interim President is behind my name, he has another thing coming.

“I didn’t mean-”

“Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Beckett. While I’m President, you will show me the respect I deserve. The respect I earned. I’ve worked my ass off the past three years here and, if I recall correctly, you’re the one who stormed out like a baby when you didn’t get your way.”

What little warmth I’d glimpsed in his eyes disappears and his mouth tightens. “There she is,” he says in a low voice. “The Charlie I remember.”

“The cunt?” I can’t help but say.

Something that almost looks like regret flashes across his face. “When I left here, I said things in anger. Things I didn’t mean.”

“Save it,” I say and shake my head. “I don’t want some half-assed apology you don’t even mean.”

“I recognize it was out of line. I’m apologizing and it’s not half-assed.”

He’s got me all riled up and I suck in a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Shit, I’m shaking, and I tighten my fingers on my arms, so he doesn’t notice. I can’t let him see any sign of weakness or I know he’ll strike like a Great White shark. The first sign of blood in the water and I’m a goner.

I lift my chin in acknowledgement but don’t say anything because I don’t trust my voice. If it quivers, I will never forgive myself. Besides, I have no idea if he’s being sincere or not.

He abruptly changes the subject and I feel my breathing and heart rate begin to return to normal. “I came here to tell you that my brothers are moving back to the city. Sierra still lives here but she’s focused on her own career. Even so, they all plan to be involved to some degree or another. At least, I think.”

I suppose when someone leaves you a billion-dollar company that’s to be expected. They all want a piece of the pie, and I really can’t blame them. “Who wants to do what?” I ask.

He shrugs a broad shoulder. “I don’t know yet. They’re going to think about it while they pack up and then we’ll have a meeting next week to discuss it. But they’ve agreed to let me handle the day to day operations.”

Of course, they have. Because TB Tech doesn’t mean anything to them. “Which is something we need to discuss.”

“Sure. How about after lunch?” he suggests and glances down at the big platinum watch on his wrist.

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