Remembering Lexi’s accusations about Giselle, Quentin swore colorfully under his breath.
Marcus laughed. “See you at ten-thirty.”
Shortly after he’d left the office, Byron stuck his head through the doorway. “You wanted to see me, boss?”
“Yeah.” Quentin waved him inside.
As soon as Byron sat in one of the leather visitor chairs across from his desk, Quentin said without preamble, “When you asked me for dating advice yesterday, I didn’t know you were going out with Lexi.”
Byron flushed. “I was trying to be discreet. I know you guys are best friends. I wasn’t sure if she’d want you to know that, uh, we were, ah—”
Impatient, Quentin cut him off. “No more dates with Lexi. Got that?”
Byron looked confused. “I—I don’t understand.”
“Look—” The lawyer in Quentin reminded him to tread with caution. Byron was his employee, and this was a personal matter. He couldn’t give him the impression that there’d be some sort of workplace retaliation if the kid didn’t comply with his demand.
Quentin knew all that—but he didn’t give a damn. “All you need to know is that Lexi is off-limits. I like you, kid, but if you insist on seeing her again, you and I are gonna have a serious problem. Feel me?”
Stunned, Byron gaped at him for several moments, then swallowed hard and nodded.
“Good.” Quentin smiled, leaning back in his chair to defuse some of the tension between them. “Whatever happened to that cute little hairstylist you were seeing a while ago?”
“Diamond?” Byron made a face. “Didn’t work out. Besides, she’s nothing like—” He broke off, but Quentin knew what he’d been about to say.She’s nothing like Lexi.
He wondered if he, too, would forever judge other women by that standard.
“Lexi and I had a good time last night.” Byron smiled wryly. “That is, after I got rid of my butterflies.”
Quentin narrowed his eyes. “Define ‘good time.’”
Byron met his gaze, correctly interpreted what he was asking and let out a nervous little laugh. “That’s kind of a personal question, boss.”
Quentin was already measuring the width of the massive desk, mentally calculating whether it’d be quicker to go over it or around it to get his hands on his young associate.
Seeing the leashed violence in his eyes, Byron got quickly to his feet. “If we’re done here, I, uh, have some client phone calls to make.”
“Go,” Quentin snarled, a dismissal and a warning. Temper simmering, he shoved to his feet and paced to the windows.
Pausing at the door, Byron said tentatively, “There’s just one thing. What am I supposed to do about tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. I’m, uh, supposed to see Lexi again. She was going to make dinner for me.”
The words slashed through Quentin’s heart like the blade of a well-honed dagger. He turned his head with eerie slowness and stared at Byron. “What did you just say?” he asked in a chillingly soft voice.
Byron visibly gulped. “Lexi offered to cook dinner for me.”
Red swam before Quentin’s eyes.
A moment later he was storming across the room with an expression of such lethal fury that Byron actually cowered against the door. As Quentin stalked past him, he growled, “I suggest you make other dinner plans, kid, or you’re gonna starve.”
Chapter 14
When Lexi glanced up from the menu she’d been finalizing and saw Quentin bearing down on her, an analogy of a raging bull was the first thing that came to mind.
She froze, her mouth drying to dust and her knees quaking as she stared at him.
