Page 54 of The Arrangement

A dreadful feeling settled in her stomach as he climbed the stairs with a painstaking slowness. It almost looked predatory as one hand slid over the metal banister and a grim line drew his lips tight into a frown. Her fingers tightened around the remote. Viviana hadn’t meant to walk in on his business, but he was correct when he said she knew better.

“I know. I shouldn’t have—”

“You’re goddamn right,” he interrupted, words coming out like a dark growl. “Where is Jen?”

“Um …”

Words failed to form as he finally came to stand toe to toe with her at the top of the staircase. Viviana practically felt three inches tall under his angry gaze. There was no way to excuse what she had done by continuing to listen in on his conversation after she knew what was happening.

“Jen?” Anton called out loudly.

The woman in question poked her head out of the office doorway, a dress stuck halfway inside a garment bag. “Yeah?”

“I’ll get the rest. Finish up that order and begin getting the bar set up for later, please.”

“You sure? I thought you said Richard—”

“Right the fuck now, Jen,” he snapped sharply.

The tone in his voice seemed to do the trick. Jen quickly dropped the bag inside the room before pushing between Anton and Viviana to get down the stairs.

“You didn’t need to kick her out, Anton.”

“In my office, Viviana.”

“But—”

Her wrist was suddenly in his grasp as he led her down the short hallway to the opened doorway. She was damned lucky she didn’t stumble or fall in those four inch heels. When the door was slammed shut, Viviana turned in his grasp, ready to give him a verbal lashing for the rough handling, but the piercing gaze that met her own stopped the words up short.

“Tell me what you should have done.”

“Pardon me?”

“When you walk in on something like that—what should you do, Viviana?”

That godforsaken lump in her throat had returned. Suddenly, she was hyperaware of that anal plug in her ass again, the jostle of his body pressing closer to hers sending sparks of pleasure licking through her ass as arousal dampened the white lace thong she’d changed into.

“And I like this dress. It was a good choice,” he added, a finger skimming over the V-neck to move the fabric off to the side. At the sight of the lingerie underneath, he hummed appreciatively. The slight bite of fear that had nipped at her heels from the thought of him being angry was all but gone. “Come on, tell me.”

Viviana forced herself to swallow. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t doubt that, but it’s not what I asked.”

“You’re giving me whiplash.”

“You scared the fuck out of me,” Anton bit back, blue eyes darkening. “Thought you were going to walk in on that.”

“I wouldn’t—”

“I know. Still, you shouldn’t have stayed there and listened, either.”

Viviana breathed a shuddering breath, handling the silky fabric of his shirt where he’d rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. Anton’s stance softened at her motions, but she knew she still had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

“Jen figured all your guests were gone, so I wanted to see what you thought of my dress.”

“It was a last minute call and he was already outside when I received it. I couldn’t very well send him away.”

“I didn’t mean to come in on it like that, and I should have turned around as soon as I knew what was happening.”