Page 51 of A Kiss at Midnight

“I don’t give a damn if you like her,” Blake thunders. “Tell me where she went. She refused to tell me.” Blake isn’t often refused. My like factor goes up another few notches for Jewel.

“She went to a house — by bus, if you’re interested — and then emerged with a boy, a young boy. They went to a pizza place and a park, and three hours later, she returned him. There was some clinging and tears. I wanted to step in and help, but didn’t know what I should do. Do you want me find out who the boy is?” I wait, surprised when I see the little color in my boss’s face drain away. I have no idea what this means, so I wait, knowing Blake’s still processing my words.

“She does have a brother...”

While I look at him blankly, Blake stares silently at the floor. When my boss stands up and moves to the stairs, I remain where I’m standing, having no idea what’s coming next.

???????

One Month Later

Blake

Sitting in my den with the lights turned low, a pleasant crackling sound coming from the fireplace, and a perfect cognac warming my belly, I stare out the window, though I see nothing but black. It’s quite fitting — since blackness has been all I’ve felt for far too long. Seeing the darkness is almost soothing.

But a smile turns up my lips, if only a few millimeters, for tonight some of this blackness will fade. It won’t disappear — it never will. But tonight I’ll have Jewel back. I could’ve stepped in sooner, but there were cards I had to put in play before making my next move.

She still works for my company, but I’ve left her alone. She still lives in my apartment building, but I haven’t passed by her. I gave her space, but I followed her movements. She’s getting too close to making a mistake I can’t allow to happen. She’s mine whether I like it or not. I can’t purge her from my system, can’t go a single hour without thinking about her.

Tonight all of this is going to change.

Max looks at me, his face grim. “Are you sure you want to do this? You’ve already royally screwed things up.”

I send him a glare. “I didn’t screw up anything, dammit. How dare you speak to me this way?”

“You can save your bark for someone who might actually be intimidated by it,” he easily replies.

The only reason Max Kane is still standing in my den instead of being thrown out onto the street is because he’s worked for me for the past ten years and has always been loyal and discreet. I trust him. And that isn’t something that can be said of many people in my life.

“I’ll have her back, and it will work. I’ll finally know exactly who she is,” I say when Max doesn’t change his stand.

“Didn’t who she is become obvious a month ago?” Max asks.

“Just because she says one truth doesn’t mean the rest of what she says is honest.” I shake my head. Why am I saying this? It doesn’t matter. I know who she is, and I still want her. Is this how my father felt?

“When did she lie to you? She told you the truth about her brother,” Max points out. “And then you drank yourself into oblivion for days.”

“Do I need to repeat myself, Max? She was out for what she could get. Yes, she gave me a sob story...”

“A story that checked out, boss.”

“I don’t know,” I say, frustration rolling through me. I’m so damned confused. “Look,” I say. “She lied by omission. She owes me.”

Max shakes his head. “Owes you for what?”

“Do you enjoy pissing me off?” I ask. “I’ll focus on the services she and I agreed to, but I didn’t receive.”

“Seriously, Blake? I’ve known you for a long time, and though the rest of the world thinks you’re an asshole, I’ve been privileged enough to see another side of you. But in what you’re saying now, you’re proving the world right.” Max exhales in an exasperated rush, and begins pacing.

“Good,” I say. “This is who I am. If you don’t like it, you know where the door is.”

“It would do you good if I walked out — you really need a kick in the posterior — but you know I won’t,” Max says before helping himself to a beer. “It’s a wonder I don’t drink a lot more, working for you.”

“When did it become okay for you to put down your boss?”

“I’m not putting you down,sir. I’m simply speaking the truth,” Max retorts.

Tension hangs heavy in the room, and my heart’s pounding, my every sense on high alert. I got rid of the date she set up with a new man she wants to replace me with. That won’t happen. I don’t give away what belongs to me.

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