I finally have my defenses strong enough to meet his eyes.
“We are here to talk about your reputation.”
“Yes.” He reaches for the papers in my hands. “My ten-step plan. I’m excited about these girlfriends… Where’s my shopping list? Or are you going to parade them all in? Or…” He runs the tip of his thumb under his lower lip. “Or is this some desperate ploy to get me to fall in love with you and rescue you from Nathan and the rest of the ex-fiancé brigade?”
“We are very happy together,” I say with a croak.
“You don’t look happy, Cupcake.” He reaches over, and his fingers lightly brush my cheek. “Is that a tear I see? Tell me what you saw last night,” he whispers like a curse.
I don’t even blink. “I’m glad to see you’re excited about complying with the ten-step plan.”
McCarthy leans back. “Maybe I’ll fall in love with my fake girlfriend. Isn’t that how it usually goes? You seem like someone who reads those ridiculous romance novels, so correct me if I’m wrong. Maybe I’ll fall in love with her, ask her to marry me, give her the baby she’s always wanted. Of course, my child will be better-looking than anything Nathan’s able to scrape up.”
Hedoes notknow.
“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed.”
“Because I want to crush you.”
14
MCCARTHY
Ihate all of them—Brock, Andreas,fuckingNathan—all the men who had their hands on her, any man who ever looked at her. And most of all, I hate Jenna.
For showing up in my office, soaking wet, that white blouse shellacked to her skin, the rest of her clothes rumpled like she’s just been fucked within an inch of her life in an alley.
For the wide, teary eyes.
For the way she trembles in front of me.
She’s purposefully making herself seem disarming. She’s fucking with me, just like that engagement ring. It’s so obvious that she’s lying. Jenna’s mad I’m right about her precious Nathan, who not a single soul in this city can tolerate.
I watch her stuff the papers back into her bag.
I could stop being cooperative. Despite what Salinger says, I’m not scared of him. Still, I’ll go along with her plan.If only because I’m not ready to be done with Jenna yet. Besides, when—not if—she has another major screw-up, they’ll fire her, and I won’t ever get to hear her break down and admit that I was right and Nathan is, in fact, a cheating piece of shit.
My penthouse is dark and empty when I arrive, shaking the rain out of my hair.
“Welcome home, Mac! What’s for dinner?”
For a second, my heart leaps. Did my brothers come and surprise me?
But the home automation speaker is blinking, and I hear Fitz’s recorded laughter.
“Did I surprise you? Did you shoot something? Oh, bring me those toasted sushi rice cracker things when you come to the Soundview Hotel tomorrow, will you?”
The enormous penthouse seems even colder and emptier when I delete the message out of spite—and so I don’t tell it to replay it just to keep me company.
“He’s so annoying.”
The fridge door echoes as it opens. The prepared meals are neatly arranged on the shelves. Everything in my penthouse is neatly arranged. Nothing in it or my life is out of place.
At least it wasn’t until I met Jenna and her dog.
I brush at its fur on my suit.
That stupid dog is constantly jumping up on my selves, knocking things over. He pulled my coat down and used it as a dog bed before I caught him. He’s always in my trash can, even though Jenna’s constantly feeding him and letting him track crumbs everywhere.
