The Marlon who took care of me last night was not what I thought was the real him. That was him and his ‘obligations’.
This…
This man standing in front of me was who he really was.
And I’ve finally made my peace with that.
“Well, for now, let’s agree on one thing.” I calmed myself. “This isn’t New York. This isn’t your hotel room. You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do here, and I’m sick of you telling me to shut up.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want, Aurora.”
My eye twitched. Enough of this. “Fine.”
This was getting me nowhere and I needed a steam and a soak after dealing with his stressful ass. So I turned and walked away.
The horsies didn’t deserve to have their day ruined like this.
“I wasn’t finished talking!” He called after me.
“Maybe not,” I said, reaching his office side door. “But you were very much done talking to me like that. Right idea. Wrong bitch.”
“Work ends at six p.m.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I glanced back at him. “Have a great day, Mr. Sinclair. I hope you feel better tomorrow, and we’ll pick this conversation up again.”
I walked inside and slammed the door before he could respond.
Lavender was just coming down the hall with the Tums. “Ms. Rodriguez, where did you?—”
I took two straight from the bottle, handed it back, and kept walking.
Out of the building.
“And he’s so condescending,”I said, dragging a hand through my ruined hair as I paced. “Like, oh,Ms. Rodriguez, you should do this. Aurora, you should wear that. This is my vineyard, so you gotta do what I say.Bitch, you ain’t my father.”
Orim raised a brow on the screen. “Did you tell him that?”
I stopped pacing. “Girl, no. He scares the fuck outta me. I ain’t tryna get hog tied again unless it’s in the fun way.”
“I don’t understand your obsession with that old ass man, anyway. Let it rest!”
I scoffed. “Orim babe, just ‘cause the wrapper is wrinkled, don’t mean that candy ain’t sweet.”
“Eyuck!”
“You don’t get it.” I sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what to do any more.”
She snorted. “Well… maybe you should listen to him, Rory. You are a little out of control. Maybe you could learn?—”
“Ouu, I know!” I cut her off, snapping my fingers as I rushed over to my desk. “I’ll go digging on the internet for dirt on him. See how he likes his flaws constantly being thrown in his face.”
Orim leaned back. “I mean… that works too.”
I pulled my laptop, sitting down and tucking my feet under me.
“Let’s see,” I muttered, fingers already moving. “Let’s start with Google.”
Orim blinked. “You never Googled him?”
