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He winks as he catches me looking. “Ex-girlfriend,” he tells me as my eyes blink rapidly in succession.
I look away embarrassed as he takes the papers and passes them to Steel; he’s still watching me with frosty regard throughout the whole exchange. I stare back and I don’t know where this sudden bravery has sprung from but I refrain from giving him the middle finger.
Okay I’m a woman and you hate me, whatever.
Mr. Hutchinson fishes out some reading glasses, if you can believe it, from his top pocket and flicks open the file and begins to study the papers as soon as they land in front of him.
I can feel the one named Gunner looking at me, my eyes inadvertently move to his and he purses his lips like he’s about to say something.Jeez he’s easy on the eyes.I’ll bet he gets any girl he wants without even having to open his mouth, and what a beautiful mouth….
“I think everything should be to your satisfaction,” Laney adds after a few moments of uncomfortable silence as we all wait for him to finish reading.
Mr. Hutchinson holds up one hand to presumably stop her speaking and he keeps on studying the documents like it’s the most interesting thing he’s ever read. This goes on for quite some time.
Maybe it’s time to break the ice a little bit. I mean, I’m not exactly shy and this just feels kind of weird with nobody saying anything, you could hear a pin drop in here.
Do not talk about the weather.
“How come you don’t have women in this room?” I ask referring to Mr. Hutchinson’s earlier comment, directing my question at the cute one, Gunner. He seems like the most friendly and approachable of the bunch. I feel Mr. Hutchinson look up momentarily from over the top of his glasses but he doesn’t say anything, and he goes straight back to reading like I’m not even there.
I feel my useless colleagues look at me sharply like I’ve gone insane. Well, it doesn’t say anywhere that I can see that ‘bitches’ can’t speak. If this is some kind of ‘secret men’s’ club then they shouldn’t have invited women into it.
Gunner bites his lip, fighting a smile as Brock grunts and shakes his head, like it’s the most outrageous question he’s ever heard. Maybe women weren’t allowed to even think in their presence let alone talk?
I smile sweetly just to get my point across, hoping I appear as ditzy as they believe I am, I’m sure that kind of impression can only help me where they are concerned.
Gunner leans his arms on the table; his mid-length hair falls about his face as he brushes it off with one hand. “Because women don’t make decisions here sweetheart.” His eyes drop to my lips very obviously.No shit, I kind of got the memo on that one.“But we sure as hell love ‘em visitin’,” he adds mischievously.
I don’t know if I’ve taken a shot of adrenaline alongside my coffee this morning, but it’s such a sexist statement about women not making decisions that I just can’t help myself.Who cares?I’m never going to see any of them again.
“So, this must be a very intriguing scenario for you then?” I reply. “What with me owning the place and everything.” I want to add that they are a sexist bunch of ass holes but I somehow refrain, I’m sure it’s obvious by the sarcasm in my tone.
I mean honestly, do they even hear themselves?Women don’t make decisions here sweetheart. Barf.
I feel all eyes on me but I hold my head high.
It’s possible that they hate Max just as much as I do, but my reasons are entirely different.
“It’s certainly a new experience,” he replies with a laugh, sitting back in his chair relaxed. At least he’s enjoying himself because nobody else seems to be. It kind of feels tense in here.
Maybe it’s another of their tactics. Get the cute one to flirt with me and because I’m a woman with no brain cells or free will -who knows- they may just be able to pull a fast one over me by intimidation and hostility. Well, little do they know, I have nothing to lose.
With a thrumming heart we sit and wait for Mr. Hutchinson, ruler of the world, to finish reading every single word on every single line of the contract, the very same one that was emailed to him weeks ago that he’s probably read a hundred times already.
Well, I will not be intimidated, I refuse.
He looks up eventually, taking his glasses off and chews on the end of one of the arms. The look on his face is thoughtful but gives nothing away.
I’m trying to gauge it here, usually, I’m good at that and at reading people and I can usually decipher someone’s general mood, but for the first time in a long time, I’m actually unsure of what he’s going to say. He doesn’t look mad, he doesn’t look entirely happy either, if only I could be a mind reader, oh yeah,and not a woman.
Everyone turns to look at me and I wait, very patiently, for deliverance.
STEEL
CHAPTER 2
I don’t knowwhy she’s picking me to have a stare down with. She shouldn’t take it personally; I look like this at everyone. It’s my job to be a cold son-of-a-bitch. It comes with the territory, and right now she’s inmyterritory, inmyclubhouse.
It’s almost comical that she’s technically our new landlord; I’ve never seen a landlord who looks like that.
