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The message doesn’t deliver, and I swear long and loud about the crappy cell service she has before a loud profanity from across the hall draws my attention.
My smirk is broad as I inch open my bedroom door right as Vaughn steps out of his own room with a face like a thundercloud. His furious eyes land on me for an instant before flitting away as he continues his march toward the elevator.
“You found my present, I see.” I snort as his spine stiffens noticeably, but he doesn’t turn; instead, he just punches the call button harshly. “Brushing your teeth in mustard adds a spicy kick to your morning, don’t you agree?”
He steps onto the elevator without a word, and my shoulders droop in defeat as the doors close.
I thought for sure a prank would illicit a reaction.
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth as I turn back into my room and march directly to the shower. Once I’ve checked that the water runs clear—something I’ve needed to do lately—I step beneath the warmth, focusing on how to make things right between us.
Even when he was being prickly, he’d still indulge me with a distraction or two. I don’t like this new distance between us, and I hate that my unsolicited response to his punishment the other night is the cause of this clear divide.
My eyes fly open as the water streams down my face.
I’d started our little war by hitting him where it hurts—physically—so perhaps mustard in his toothpaste was too lowkey for us.
MaybeI need to ramp it up…
CHAPTER16
VAUGHN
“Come in.”
I don’t lift my head from my work as Jules enters my office. My lips twitch when I hear him sniffing quietly as he takes the seat on the opposite side of my desk.
“I was hoping to take this weekend off, boss…”
I grunt noncommittally, so he elaborates. “I’ll ensure there’s extra staff on Saturday’s fetish auction. I know those can attract…”
He trails off, and I lift my head to meet his uncertain gaze. He looks so pitiful, my mouth is moving before I realize what I’m offering.
“I’ll cover it. Take the weekend.”
Jules's forehead puckers as he focuses intently on my mouth, and I arch a sardonic brow before smiling broadly.
“If you’re wondering why my mouth is green, you’ll need to ask the imp across the hall what she put in my coffee this morning.”
His nostrils flare as he blatantly tries to conceal his laughter, and even I’m helpless from grinning.
Following my return from South Brook, I’d chosen to ignore her entirely rather than be unnecessarily cruel. But she’s been relentless this week, trying to provoke me into acknowledging her. Into entering into our previously playful back-and-forth.
The mustard in my toothpaste was only the beginning. She’d filled my wardrobe with packing peanuts yesterday, and I’d arrived at my office this morning—following the green mouth dye incident—to find the whole place stinking like someone took a dump on my damn desk.
A can of fart spray and a note sat on my desk.
Oh, the sweet, sweet smell of revenge.
Kudos to her, butfuck, ignoring her is proving difficult, especially when her citrus sunshine fragrance haunts my senses, driving me crazy.
At least it’s covering the lingering smell of ass.
And though I don’t so much as glance in her direction, I can feel her presence at all times, like a magnet pulling me closer.
Her easy interactions with Jules, Ford, and Lucia piss me off to no end.
Iwant to be the one on the receiving end of her bright smile.Iwant to be the reason behind her infectious laughter.
