Page 57 of Boss Level

A heavy cloud hung in my mind, fogging my thoughts and insisting this was only the beginning of the storm.

I hoped the feeling was wrong. I needed everything to go back to what it was.

I can’t close that door now.

Whatever that meant, I didn’t like it.

The office parking lot was mostly empty when I got there. It was early, so that wasn’t odd, but Roger’s car being here already was. When I got inside, he was waiting at the reception desk, anger splashed across his face.

“I got a call from Dale this morning.” Roger’s voice was tight. “What the hell were you—”

I held up a hand to silence him. At least I didn’t have to figure out how to start this conversation. “I guarantee you don’t want to talk about this here. Let’s go in your office.”

His already expression darkened further. “That’s a good idea.” He stepped around the front desk and gestured.

His fury didn’t matter. Not when it came to this. As a general rule, I didn’t like letting Roger down—I respected him. He was my mentor, he was a second father to me. But I wasn’t afraid of his wrath.

Besides, once he knew the full story, he’d end this business relationship with Dale.

We stepped into Roger’s office, but neither of us sat. He turned to face me again. “Dale called this morning, ready to sign the retainer. Ready to have us process his first invoice. But not until I could explain to him your behavior, your fiancée’s, at dinner last night. What’s wrong with you?”

Excuse me? “What did he tell you?”

“That Claire was belligerent. That Judith encouraged it. That Claire refused to come home with him last night,” Roger said.

Fucking asshole. “And you believed him.”

“Judith tends to be—”

“Think carefully about what you’re about to say,” I cut him off again. “If you wouldn’t say it about me in the same tone, swallow that impulse. Dale dropped Claire at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but her phone and a light jacket.”

Roger’s eyes grew wide, but his anger returned in a blink. “Maybe she—”

“No. Don’t give me any version ofmaybe she deserved it.Dale was the asshole last night. I was worried he was going to hurt her.” The longer I talked, the stronger my own anger and frustration grew, and I let it bleed into my voice.

Roger worked his jaw. “In this state—”

“No.” I came down hard on the word. “This isn’t a conversation about culture or perception or how the majority does things differently and we need to blend in. I will not do business with a man like that. Our firm won’t. If he treats his wife that way, how do you think he’ll treat a business partner the first time he disagrees with us?” Ihatedhaving to qualify my argument.

“You’re right.” Roger’s concession was what I expected when I walked through the front door, but now I wasn’t sure how genuine it was. “You’re describing unacceptable behavior.”

I wasn’t going to argue the victory though. “Do you want me to call him, or will you?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Roger said. “Dominic,” he added as I turned to leave. “How do you know what happened to Claire after she and Dale left the restaurant?”

“It turns out we have a friend in common.” I fixed him with a hard stare. “I have work to do. This is the right choice for our firm.” I walked out without waiting for Roger to reply.

The issue should be resolved, but that lingering cloud made me think it wasn’t. In fact, I was questioning everything.

I needed to talk to Xander. The thought hit me abruptly. There wasn’t anything specific I wanted to say, but I needed to hear his voice. The impulse gripped me so hard, I ached. I dialed him as I walked into my own office, and stood next to my desk, listening to his phone ring.

The line clicked. “Busy. Leave it.” Xander’s familiar voicemail greeting made me smile and made my heart hurt at the same time.

“It’s me. Call me back when you have a minute. I love you.” The words ached to say, because they felt so real and so raw at the same time.

What if I’d made Xander wait too long?

I wasn’t sure where the thought came from, but I couldn’t shake it. The concern joined the heavy storm lingering at the edge of my thoughts, waiting for its chance to break.

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