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When Lexi tiptoed down the stairs that opened into the massive living room complete with a giant flat screen TV, leather couches, some sort of imported rug that he didn’t really give two shits about, and a huge fireplace- the modern kind, not the cottagey looking kind- he was ready for her.
She glanced around like she’d walked into a snake pit by accident. Or rather, like she was walking down a snake infested trail and was on the lookout for them, stepping carefully, and she’d finally found the biggest, most venomous one of all.
“I’m not sure what your beef is with me,” Curtis stated casually. He leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms behind his neck. He was trying to be as non-threatening as possible, but Lexi froze, pivoted slowly, and stared at him like he was about to sink his fangs into her ankle. “I’ve never been anything but professional to you. I’ve never asked anything of you outside of work. I don’t call your work phone at all hours of the day. I’m careful just to limit that to a nine to five basis. I’ve tried to be fair. I’ve given you a good wage, far more than most assistants earn, though I’m not complaining. You’re worth your weight in gold. I’ve never made any weird advances on you…” he let that hang in the air between them for a minute. “So, why the shade?”
Lexi had that deer in the headlights look on her pretty face for a few seconds before she blinked her cerulean eyes and gave her head a small, almost imperceptible nod. “Shade? I can’t believe you just said that.”
He went on, not missing a beat. “You took this job for more than one reason. You like kids, I get that. The money is good too, but you were curious. You wanted to snoop around my house. You wanted to snoop around me.”
Lexi’s jaw flapped open. “W-what?” She finally stammered. “Your arrogance seriously knows no bounds.”
“It probably doesn’t. I agree with that, but I’m not wrong about this. Generally, when a person treats another person with disdain for an extended period of time, it means the exact opposite of what they want to portray. You’re interested, Lexi.”
“I’m not interested in anything but taking care of those kids. You have no idea how to look after children. I feel sorry for them. I knew you’d be garbage at watching out for them, so I didn’t want them to be scarred for life. They’re at an impressionable age. I’m trying to salvage things for you. You’re a terrible uncle, by the way. Just the worst. Do the world a favor and don’t ever reproduce.”
“I have zero plans of doing any such thing.”
“Good. Yeah. That’s good. Your poor niece and nephew. You should treat them like they’re actually human, not two little turds.”
“Turds? That’s exactly what they are. That little shit and that diaper stunt-”
“Speaking of that, you probably haven’t cleaned it up yet.”
It was his turn to gape at her. “What are you talking about? Clean it up? Why the heck would I clean that up?”
“You’re leaving it for me,” Lexi stated flatly. Her face crinkled up in disgust, but it wasn’t about the poop. She was clearly disgusted with him.
“No. I’m leaving it for Agnes, my cleaning lady. I’ll call her tonight and get her to come by.”
“You won’t!” Lexi looked truly horrified. “I’ll clean it up. Why would you call in another person to do that for you? Do you think some poor lady who probably spends all day cleaning up other people’s mess really wants to come here at this hour to do that?”
“She’s hardly poor. I pay her five hundred a week to come in here and clean this place and most of the time it’s spotless. I’m just one person. I don’t make much of a mess.”
“Yes, poor you, alone in this big house. All by yourself with all your expensive furnishings and trimmings.”
“Ahhh.” Curtis flexed his arms above his head. He leaned forward and pegged Lexi to the spot with a very pointed look. “I see. So, this whole thing about you not liking me is because I have money.”
“No, that’s not what it’s about. It’s about your sense of entitlement. You expect the rest of the world to serve you. You think you’re important because you were born into the right family. You think the world owes you something because you’re a James, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t owe you a thing. You walk around like the rest of us should worship the ground you just stepped on. Well, I have news for you. No one should have to worship you. No one owes you a damn thing. You haven’t really worked a day in your life. Your dad and your grandpa gave you everything. Every. Single. Thing. That’s the problem I have with you. That’s the problem we all have with you. No one at work actually likes you. Everyone is just too scared of losing their job to actually say it.”
