Page 18 of The Monster and the Masochist

“Ain’t that the truth,” he muttered before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

“I actually am here for a reason. I wanted to give you a heads up so you have time to get your temper under control before the event later.”

This caused me to pause. Glancing up from my overflowing inbox, I frowned at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure, much like I did, you assumed Ed and Viv were going to announce you as partner at your dinner tonight.”

My blood went cold, and suddenly, he had my full attention.

“I’m assuming you’re here to tell me they’re not?”

A rare, sincere look of… something crossed his face. I couldn’t work out what it was, but it wasn’t hostile or competitive, so I held my tongue.

“I’ve heard whispers that we have a new celebrity case coming in, and I think they’re going to ask us to work it together before making a final decision. Some bigwig evangelist. You know those dudes that run those megachurches? This guy’s apparently the head of a really popular one. He has a successful YouTube channel with over a million subs. There have been a few allegations against him for sexual misconduct, and he’s shopping for representation. The partners have invited him to your dinner so they can brag about how successful you are and hopefully sign him.”

‘Mm. He talks far too much. Can we kill this one?’ my monster asked, sounding mildly hopeful.

‘I thought we agreed you were going to be quiet?’

‘You know what’s really quiet?’ my monster mused, and I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose.

‘Dead men.’

Turning my attention back to Nolan, I sighed.

“I don’t know what that has to do with them withholding partner from me.”

He held up both hands in a ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ motion.

“Look, I’m just telling you what I’ve heard through the grapevine. Something about them wanting to make sure you can play well with others before making a final decision. You refused to partner with me on the Steele case, remember? Apparently, they don’t love the idea of tying themselves to a glory hound for the rest of their careers.”

He said that last part with a teasing smirk, but I still wanted to punch him in the face.

This was so bullshit.

I’d earned my name on that wall. They should be happy I didn’t need help to solve cases.

This felt like an excuse.

Nolan was frowning now, his blue eyes taking in my steely expression as I fought back the urge to take out all my boiling rage on him.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be a dick here,” he said, getting up from the couch and ambling over to my desk.

He leaned over it and reached out, tenderly tucking my hair back behind my ear. The action was so unexpected, I jerked away from him in surprise, which only made his frown deepen.

He straightened and slid his hand into the pocket of his perfectly pressed pants and pursed his lips.

“I know we’re competing for partner, but I assumed you would be the one to get it after the work you did on that case. I don’t think it’s fair for them to put you through another test either. I’m not here trying to gloat or rub your face in it. I’m just warning you. I know it’s going to piss you off when they don’t announce it at Chez, but a potential client will be there watching our every move, so if you really do want this, you need to fix that pretty face of yours.”

My heart was pounding, and I was glad I’d already finished my coffee because I would have crushed it to death if I’d still been holding it.

“Get out of my office, Nolan,” I growled, and he nodded, shrugging.

“I’ll meet you at the elevator block after work. I’ve ordered us a car.”

“I’ll drive myself, thanks,” I grumbled. He’d been right. I was going to need time to cool down, and putting myself in a confined space with someone as easy to bully as Nolan was not a good idea right now.