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“A friend of mine. Ash, come here.”
“Yes, sir.”
My heart throbbed, and my cock grew. Shit. Why was it that two little words from his lips turned me on so much? Part of Ash’s appeal was the fact that he could be so obedient and compliant in the real world while being so eager and demanding in bed. I enjoyed the way he hid behind me or called me sir.
Ash moved quickly, darting beside me before he took up a spot next to my chair. Lazily, I logged into my computer as Able took a seat. He glanced over at me, adjusting his circular glasses on his nose. When he cleared his throat, I continued to ignore him.
Fucking douchebag.
There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do. In fact, I prided myself on being able to have more fun, do more fucked up shit, and laugh about it while my brothers stared at me like I was nuts. This guy, however, was a level above and beyond. He was a slaver, a rapist, and he was annoying as all fuck. I hated him.
“What can I do for you, Able?” I finally asked when the tension I felt from Ash was too much. “It’s early.”
“It’s almost noon,” he pointed out. He leaned forward in his chair. “And I don’t think it’s too early to point out that you snatched the hospital contract from underneath me.”
I took on a look of feigned innocence. “What are you talking about? Mr. Weston awarded the contract to us. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped, leaning toward my desk like he wanted to vault over it. Instead, he sucked in a long, slow breath. “Weston and I were already talking about the plans, and then suddenly, he’s giving the contract to you. I find that suspicious.”
I tilted my head. “I find it suspicious that you two were talking about plans before he’d even decided on who would get the contract. That doesn’t seem strange to you?”
Able and I stared at each other. I watched his left eye twitch before he pressed a finger against the lid and tried to pretend it wasn’t doing that. A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. It seemed to piss him right off.
“I wanted that contract, Vitale.”
I shrugged. “People in hell want ice water. What do you want me to say?”
Able stood up abruptly. “You’re going to regret whatever you did to steal it from under me.”
“No,” I laughed, shaking my head. “I won’t. Can I help you with anything else orrrr?” I trailed off, looking at him as if he was an insignificant bug on the bottom of my shoe.
Able leaned forward, his palms resting against my desk as he moved toward me. “I know you fucked me over. I hope you’re ready for the consequences.”
I stared up at him. Men like Able didn’t fucking scare me. Deep down, they were nothing compared to my brothers and me. Teddy bears masquerading as hard men when they had no idea what it meant to be hard.
If he wants a demonstration, I will be happy to show him what a hard man does.
A hand laid on my shoulder and squeezed. I glanced at Ash. He had an uneasy smile on his face, but his grip was strong.What do you see that’s making you so uncomfortable?I wanted to ask, but Able cleared his throat.
“I’ll be going.”
“Have a good day, Mr. Hollister,” I called after him. Once my door was shut, I turned to glance at Ash. “What was that about?”
“I don’t know,” Ash muttered. He frowned, still staring at the door. I grabbed his hand and shook it. When he gazed down at me, worry was written on his face. “He reminded me of one of my dad’s friends. Those guys who look a little too long like they’re sizing up how much you’re worth. Or how much they can sell you for,” he muttered. Ash blinked, shaking his head. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know what that was.”
I stood up, grabbed his shoulders, and gave them a squeeze. “You’re getting worked up. Calm down.”
Ash nodded. “I’m fine.” When I stared at him, he pasted on that fake smile I hated so much. “Really, I’m okay.”
“I hate that fucking lie,” I muttered. “Every time you pretend you’re okay with that oily smile put on, it makes me want to shake you.”
Ash blinked at me. “Sor—”
“Do not,” I warned him.
“Right,” he muttered, toying with a lock of his hair. “I won’t.”
I sighed as he stared at the ground. So perplexed and fragile. Even when I joked about hurting his father, there was an undercurrent of truth behind it. Whatever he had done to Ash, he’d seriously screwed him up. I reached out, pulling his fingers from his hair. I couldn’t even be mean to the little shit. How insane was that?
