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But I was still successful—the most successful man from my hometown, despite all the taunting and bullying I’d endured in childhood.
Would the same be true of Mylee? Would she stick around after the contract ran out, and she was paid?
“Let’s see what Mylee has to say about all this,” I offered, lowering my gaze back toward them. “For all you know, she’s just playing her role really, really well.”
Paxton frowned at me. “Do you really believe that?” he asked, sounding upset.
I shrugged.
“Sex was never part of the deal,” Lincoln reminded me sharply, but he also sounded angry that I had suggested it.
“Let’s just bring it to her and see what she says,” I insisted, downing the rest of my beer. “No sense in getting our hopes up if she’s just going to take her million and run in a few weeks, is there?”
CHAPTER14
Mylee
The car accident sat with me over the weekend, and even though the guys told me to stay home and relax, I found that even more unnerving, especially when they weren’t there with me.
“You could come to the office with us,” Paxton suggested on Monday as I paced through the main floor, watching them drink coffee and get ready to go to work.
“And do what?” I asked, the idea bittersweet. On one hand, it would spare me the alone time. On the other, I would end up having to deal with the questions of their employees.
“We could find something for you to do,” Lincoln agreed, shooting the others a look that I didn’t understand.
I looked down at my scraped-up hands and thought about the bruises on my face.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked worriedly. “I mean, won’t people talk or—”
“Fuck people,” Paxton said in his pleasant way, ambling through the swinging door of the dining room toward the kitchen for more coffee. “It’s our company.”
“What Pax means,” Kai sighed, shooting his partner a dirty look through the wall that he couldn’t see, “is that no one is going to talk about you.”
I wished I shared his faith. I had no illusions about what was being said about me behind my back, even if the guys were pretending it wasn’t happening. They could only threaten the Paul Kaurs of the world so much, but that wouldn’t shut them up. People were still going to gossip about me.
“No,” I decided. “I’m going to head into my old neighborhood today.”
Paxton zoomed back out of the kitchen, his eyes widening. “What?”
“I think I’m going to swing by Teatotler’s and see how everyone’s doing,” I explained. I winked at Lincoln. “Maybe I’ll do some reading and writing while I’m there.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mylee,” Lincoln said quickly. “If you don’t want to come to the office, that’s fine, but don’t go out, either.”
My stomach twisted, his words confirming my worst thoughts. “Why not?”
“Because…”
“We still don’t know what happened with that accident!” Kai blurted out.
Paxton and Lincoln gave him murderous looks.
“Nothing fucking happened with the accident except it was an accident, you idiot!” Paxton growled. “Stop scaring her!”
I balked and stared at them, my eyes locking on Kai, but he turned away, busying himself with the table. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“Of course not, Mylee,” Lincoln replied shortly. “But you’re basically a public figure now. You can’t just run around Chicago on your own.”
“I have Charlie.”
