After classes, I called Brandon to ask him if he could pick me up from school. He picked me up in a record of time and preached at me in the car. I was glad though that I had someone close to me who actually cared about my wellbeing. Who cared enough to preach to me as a parent would.
“I got attacked last night-“
He stepped on the brakes causing me to fall forward, “What the hell?” He asked, slowly moving into traffic again, “Are you okay?”
I knew I shouldn’t make a snarky comment, but my brain to mouth filter never worked, “That’s a stupid question, of course, I’m okay.” I gulped when Brandon threw me a dirty look, “Mr. Woods showed up at my apartment. He found out about it because the guys threatened to sue him. He handled it though!”
Brandon clenched his jaw, “What do you mean he handled it?” His voice sounding tight, I was pretty sure Brandon was on the verge of losing his patience.
“He watched the tapes, saw that I was innocent and made sure they wouldn’t bother me again.”
“Mr. Woods handled it?” Brandon sounded unsure, “And how did he handle it, Em?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, “I don’t know the details, all I know is that the guy is paying me fifty thousand to make sure I won’t sue him. Something about avoiding bad press on both sides and all.”
Brandon banged the steering wheel, “Damn those f*g rich assholes.” He mumbled, “Think they can get away with anything!”
I couldn’t contain myself, I burst out in laughter causing Brandon to glare at me once more. He couldn’t keep the glaring up either because he joined me, laughing loudly as well.
“Stop making me laugh.” He muttered, “I’m furious right now.”
I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Thanks for caring, Brandon.” I whispered, sitting back in my chair, “It means a lot to me.”
His gaze softened, “Em, I’m always here for you.” He whispered, “You know that right?”
I did know that. Again I was reminded of how good we could be together, if only Brandon wasn’t a womanizer and I was actually attracted to him, sexually. He just didn’t give me the feeling that ice queen Mr. Woods did give me. I wanted to scream but forced myself not to, remembering Brandon was right there.
“I’ll meet you at the bar, okay? I’m going to have a talk with Victor.” Brandon told me, leaving my side to talk to the club manager.
I went to the employees’ room and grabbed my uniform from my locker. I had a few more minutes before my shift started so I took the time to get dressed. I wondered if Mr. Woods would actually show up. I’m sure he only said it to get rid of Giselle’s attention, but I still hoped he would show up.
I clenched my fist when Mr. Woods eventually did show up, but not alone. He had a pretty woman on his arm while he was talking to Victor. The woman was probably another model seeing how gorgeous she looked. I hated myself for looking forward to seeing him. Giselle had been right, what would a guy like him see in me? I shook my head, trying to get rid of all the ridiculous thoughts I had about ice queen Mr. Woods. A plain woman like me shouldn’t have high expectations, it would only get me crushed in the end. So I focused on sorting the washed glasses instead, making sure to keep myself occupied so I would eventually forget about his presence.
“So he graced us with his presence a second time this week.” Brandon whispered to me, “That’s new.”
I snorted, “Probably checking up on us. He doesn’t want a scandal tied to his name after all.”
“Bastard,” Brandon mumbled, before getting back to work.
I agreed. After my shift I headed to the employees’ room, rushing to get home. Brandon said he’d stay over because he was worried. I didn’t ask him not to. I started to unbutton my shirt when the door suddenly slammed open and shut. I turned around, covering my bra with my shirt while I glared at the man who entered so rudely and not apologizing for intruding either.
“What the hell Nick?!”
He narrowed his eyes at me, “Nick?”
I pressed my lips together, fearing he would scold me for using his first name. For a minute I had forgotten he was the freaking owner.
“Yes, Nick.” I tried to keep the act up of being confident because I didn’t want him to have the pleasure to see me cower back, “You could have been a little more subtle with the door.”
“You dating that tool?”
I frowned, “You mean Brandon?” I tried hard not to laugh because I could understand why people would think of Brandon that way, “That is none of your business, Nick.” I tried to keep my voice steady.
He leaned even closer, I could almost taste him and it was frustrating. My breathing picked up and I almost dropped my shirt but remembered that if I did I would flash the owner of the nightclub so I tightened my grip on my shirt. I’ve already let him seen too much that morning.
“It is my business.” He announced without blinking an eye.
I leaned my head against the locker, “I can’t date the customers, there is no rule against dating my coworkers.”
He clenched his jaw tightly, “You can’t date him.” My heartbeat picked up when he lowered his gaze to my lips. He was behaving the same way Giselle had that morning and I remembered clearly what he told me. Who behaved childishly shouldn’t be surprised when they got treated like a child either. It was the perfect opportunity to get back at him for being so rude and arrogant right now.
I licked my lips, smirking when I saw his anger turn into something else in a split second, “Fine, I can’t date him.” I repeated quietly, I grabbed onto his chin and made him look me in the eyes again, “But then you can’t date her. If you dare to put your claim on me than don’t act so surprised when I do the same to you.”
He lifted his eyebrow at me. I knew I could have even more fun with him and lowered my shirt a little. He took the bait and lowered his gaze to my chest. This time I couldn’t hide my smirk.
“Please leave so I can change.”
He pulled away, finally giving me some space to breathe. I watched him straighten his clothes, he was trying to calm himself down. He changed from completely turned on to his usual calculating cool self, ice queen Mr. Woods was back. He didn’t say anything when he turned on his heels and left. When the door closed behind him I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. I don’t know what the hell just happened between Nick and me, but I did know to stay out of his way, the last thing I wanted was to upset my boss’s boss.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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