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What the fuck was that about? I texted and I called, but she never responded. Thirty minutes later, I was pounding on her door. No answer. Then I just got pissed. Fuck her if she wanted to be like that. So, I went home and spent the rest of the weekend fighting with myself over whether or not I should go back to her place and demand an explanation. Ultimately, I didn’t go, but it made for a long weekend and sleepless nights, which was okay because when I did sleep, the nightmares showed up furious and vivid.
I exited the elevator and headed to my office.
“Good morning,” Yvonne said with a smile like she’d forgotten how I’d come down on her for using my name to crash Roscoe’s party the other night. While I would have had no trouble picking Grace out of the masquerade crowd even if I didn’t know her outfit, I wouldn’t have known Yvonne from Adam. It was only when she sidled up to me, brushing seductively against me, that I knew it was her. Either she was seriously tenacious, or she was a stalker.
“Any messages?” I grumbled.
“Not this morning. You do have a meeting with Mr. Chase Raven in a few minutes.” She stood and walked over to me. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”
She pressed a manicured hand to my chest and leaned in. I could smell her perfume and see the swells of her breasts. At another time and place, I might have turned to her to fix the turmoil roiling in my gut. At this moment, though, I was put off by her and Grace.
“Ms. Nichols.”
“Yes.” She looked up at me, and I saw hope floating through her eyes.
“Are you attracted to me?”
She blushed, and looked down, but I didn’t buy her attempt at innocence.
I stepped away from her. “I think it will be best if we find someone else for you to work with.”
Her eyes narrowed as if she was assessing what I was saying. “So that you’d be free to see me without breaking the no fraternizing rule?”
“No. So I don’t have to deal with your attempts to seduce me. I’m not interested.” I walked into my office, shutting the door. For a moment, I thought maybe I should apologize to her. But then I decided she needed the direct message.
I went to my desk where I found a folder from Jacob. In it, he had good proof that our thief was from the linen service we used. I called down to my men in the security office and told them to look into it directly. If they came back with something more concrete, I’d be having a talk with the service’s owner.
There was a knock on my door, and for a moment, my heart leaped hoping it was Grace changing her mind.
Instead, Chase poked his head in. “We’ve got a meeting.”
I motioned for him to come in. “Did Yvonne leave?” I asked realizing she didn’t announce his arrival.
“She wasn’t there,” Chase said, sitting in the chair in front of my desk.
“I need to reassign her unless she’s quitting.”
Chase quirked a brow. “And here I thought you were doing a good job keeping your hands off the staff.”
“Fuck you, Chase!”
His head jerked back, and his eyes rounded at my outburst. He put his hands up in a surrender position. “It was a joke, Hunter.”
I stood, as hot, raging energy coursed through my body. Fuck deep breathing. I was pissed. Not at him. But he was there. An easy target.
“What’s going on, man?”
I went to my bar and poured a drink.
“It’s only nine in the morning. What’s going on that you’re going to start drinking so early?” He stood and moved toward me.
I hadn’t yet told him about me and Grace. Now there wasn’t anything to tell. He stood there, waiting patiently. Like he had all the time in the world.
Finally, he said, “Are you still in counseling?”
I downed my drink and then pinched the bridge of my nose, like that was going to help fix my life. “Yes and no.”
Chase walked over to my couch and sat. “I’m listening,” he said like my mother used to say when she caught us doing something wrong.
“Fuck.” I poured another drink, downed it, and then paced. “I haven’t been seeing Grace as a therapist.”
“Grace? You mean Ms. Reynolds?”
“Yes.”
“Was something wrong with her?”
I nodded. “There are rules about fucking your therapist.”
“Ah hell, Hunter. Really? Jesus.” Chase didn’t hide his disappointment in me.
“It’s not like that.”
“Really?” He pursed his lips. “What’s it like then? I can’t imagine you’re in love with her.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
He started to say something, then his mouth snapped shut. He stared at me for a moment.
“Do you think I’m incapable of love?” I wouldn’t blame him if he thought that. I’d thought it until Grace.
