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“I’m only going to say this once,” she said calmly, and lifted the plastic tumbler that contained an iced raspberry tai chi tea to her lips for a little sip before picking off a chunk of double chocolate chunk cookie and tossing it in her mouth and speaking around it. “Having sex with you doesn’t give you permission to comment on my life or how I choose to run it.”
William scowled. “We’ve expressed our desire and intent for this to be a relationship.”
“And I accept that and support it,” she offered. “But that still doesn’t give you permission to enter my life and start treating me like a child who needs to be managed. I manage me.”
She couldn’t be any more final if she pounded her fist on the desk and shouted it.
“We’re concerned, that’s all.” Oliver, ever the soft-spoken peacemaker, appeared laid-back and casual, with his hands folded over his stomach and his right ankle propped on his left knee, but his expression was tight, belying that easygoing demeanor.
“Don’t be.” Sabrina wasn’t about to welcome their overbearing concern, because it meant that she was giving up control, and the last person she intended to do that for was a man. Any man. It didn’t matter if, if the tables were turned, she’d be sitting where they were saying the same things.
“That’s not possible.” Conner wasn’t budging, as his stony expression indicated. He was staring her down, not missing a single detail.
Sabrina knew what he must be seeing. The bloodshot eyes, the sloppy bun she’d pulled her hair into somewhere between proposals, and the disorganized mess she’d made of her desk because she had been bouncing between thoughts all day and kept losing things.
“We don’t want you to give up control of your life. We’re not interested in controlling you at all,” William assured her.
“We just want you to accept help when you need help,” Oliver followed up.
“And you clearly need it,” Conner said sternly, which continued to ruffle her feathers. He sat forward in his chair and leaned into his elbows, which were propped on his knees. “It’s getting late. The work day is nearly done and you’ve been at it all day. Whatever you have left to do can be addressed in the morning, after a good night’s rest. Humor us.”
Humor them? Sabrina didn’t want to humor anyone. She wanted to knock out her work so she could clear the slate and have a fresh start tomorrow with less to worry about.
But even as she thought it, she was aware of the increasing lethargy pressing down on her. She had, at least, another few hours ahead of her in order to finish up here, and it wasn’t something she was looking forward to. Hell, she wasn’t even sure she had the energy to spare. If she was being entirely forthright, she knew if she pressed on and forced herself to finish, she’d probably make some mistakes that she’d have to go back later to fix, and it could all be avoided if she followed their directive and went home now and got some much-needed rest.
She just didn’t want to admit that they were right.
“You know we’re right,” Conner said smugly, irritating her even more. Did he always have to be such a hard-nosed ballbuster? It occurred to her that with his strong personality, Conner was the one who clearly took the lead in business transactions, and he was probably used to winning. He was viewing her as a business transaction, and right now, he felt like he’d just won.
She wanted nothing more than to call his bluff and tell him to take a hike so she could finish her work, but…he was right, she thought reluctantly.
Was there any use arguing? Was she that set on saving face that she couldn’t admit defeat?
Angry with herself and the whole situation, Sabrina threw her hands into the air and let them drop back down to slam on her desk, the sound obscene in the otherwise quiet room. The men didn’t even flinch. They just sat back and observed her calmly, as if they’d expected the little burst of emotion.
Gritting her teeth, Sabrina said, “Fine, I’ll finish this up tomorrow. I wasn’t really feeling it anyway.” That last bit was said more for her benefit, as if voicing it returned some of the power she felt like she had lost in their negotiation.
Their answering smiles didn’t help matters. It only made her want to punch them each in the face a few times to drive home her irritation.
“We’ll see you home,” Conner announced as he rose to stand, and William and Oliver followed.
Sabrina held up her hand, her head shaking back and forth. “That’s where I draw the line.”
“Come again?” William appeared confused.
“That’s one thing I will not be doing,” Sabrina muttered as she balled up her food wrappers and tossed them into the waste bin. “I don’t want or need an escort home. I know the way.”
“‘Brina…”
She wasn’t too happy about Conner’s drawn-out disapproval. “I already conceded on one thing. I won’t on this. I’m going home alone.”
The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by three faces that she was currently mad at and be unable to get away from them easily. She wanted to go home and stew in her anger and disbelief that she’d just allowed three men to tell her what to do. She wanted to curse their names and their existence to her heart’s content before she eventually caved into forgiveness, because she would get around to it…eventually. She just wasn’t ready to do that yet. Right now, she wanted to be angry; she wanted to hate their stupid, smug, handsome, sexy faces until she came to grips with the power struggle and was able to let it go.
Tomorrow, she would be fine and they could get back on track to business and pleasure. Today she wanted nothing to do with any of them.
“Are you sure?” Oliver asked, clearly hurt by her decision to cut them out of her day.
It was almost enough for her to reconsider…but Sabrina couldn’t. As much as she loved Oliver’s sweetness and wanted to cuddle and be cuddled by him, she had to do this, if only to drive home a point: she was a strong, independent woman who would not be controlled by anyone.
