Page 126 of Stanton Adore

“Move!” I yell. I see a bottle of water on his desk and pick it up and unscrew the lid as I talk.

“I told you. We are over, Natasha.”

“We are over when I say we are over and not a minute before, asshole. You don’t get to say how this ends and I will not be played into breaking up with you,” I snap as I start to pour the water on the keyboard of his computer. Adrian and he both scramble to get to me. “Is this computer important, Joshua?” I do wide eyes at him as I start to pour it on the monitor. “I’m not going anywhere until you come with me and I could do a lot of damage in here. You might want to think about that.”

“Just go, man.” Adrian smiles as he slaps him on the back.

“Fuck off!” Joshua yells. “Get out of my fucking head, Natasha. I know what you are doing.”

“Does it feel good to protect your mother, Joshua?”

He glares at me. “This has nothing to do with my mother.” “Yes, it does,” I scream.

“I’m protecting you. You raving bitch,” he yells. Silence fills the room. His eyes widen at the realization I have just tricked him into getting angry so he would speak unguardedly. I sit on his desk and smile.

“There it is. Bingo. Adrian, can you leave us, please.”

Adrian smiles and walks over and kisses my forehead.

“Bye, baby, love your work.” He grabs my hand and squeezes it before he leaves through the door.

I lower my voice and pat the desk next to me. “Come sit with me, Josh. What are you protecting me from?”

He looks at the floor and won’t make eye contact with me. “I’m not having this conversation, Natasha.”

“Then I’m not leaving. Come home with me and we can fight in private. You do realize that your workers are listening, right?”

He frowns as he looks up to the door and realizes that I’m right. I smile as he puts his jacket on.

“Come.” He holds his hand out for me and I grab it like an olive branch. The embarrassing thought that I have to go back through the office where I have just screamed fuck off to the valued employees makes my stomach turn and I pull back on Josh’s arm. He frowns at me.

“What?” he snaps.

“I just yelled fuck off to your receptionists.”

He smiles. “Why are you such a firecracker? Isn’t slapping my face enough aggression for one day?” Oh god, he had to bring that up, didn’t he?

“Josh, if I see you kissing girls, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

He gives me a sad smile and nods. “We need to talk, Presh, because we can’t be together anymore.”

My heart drops. “Don’t say that, Josh. Just take me home.”

He gives me a heavy smile and nods. “Let’s go then.”

We sit in silence on the way home. We stand in silence in the lift, and I have to say I’m feeling very nervous. I thought when I caught him out with the deception all would be OK. But it is becoming seemingly more likely that it won’t, he’s too controlled and too silent. We walk into my apartment and are immediately greeted by the sight of my new suitcase sitting in the center of my living room.

He frowns and looks at me. “Going somewhere?”

“Um, yes, I’m going to LA on Friday to pick out a new house, remember, or have you forgotten that, too?”

He nods and sits me on the lounge chair. He turns and faces the window as he puts his hands in his pockets.

“Natasha, I want you to go back to Christopher.”

Horror dawns. “What?” I gasp.

“I know he loves you and he will look after you.”