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“The hell you are,” said Earl, lunging for the phone and successfully knocking it to the ground. It cracked and went scattering under Lilac’scar.
The door to Lilac’s car opened as Earl and Nolan locked hands, Nolan pushing as hard as—harder than—he got but not wanting to resort to punches. The guy deserved more than a few, but he didn’t exactly want blood on his hands, even if it was shitty blood. The guy was older than hisdad.
“Stop it,” said Lilac, her hands out toward Nolan’sarms.
“Stay back,” said Nolan through clenched teeth. “Call thecops.”
“Don’t youfuckingdare,” said Earl. “Do you want to get fired, too, bitch? Huh?” He turned and spat on the back of her car. The loogie dripped down her license plate. “Bringing cops to a Tent Tildy parking lot, that’ll look good on your performancereview.”
“Do it,” said Nolan. “I’ll takeresponsibility.”
Lilac dialed and then put the phone to her ear. “Security?” she said, and Nolan didn’t know whether it was a good or a bad thing that she’d gone for security before the police. “There’s an issue in the West Tent Tildy parkinglot—”
But Nolan didn’t hear anything else she said as Earl roared then, putting his all into shoving Nolan forward. The shock made Nolan unprepared and his back slammed into a Chrysler parkednearby.
He grunted in pain, then went to kick at Earl, anything, but Earl was dropping his grip on Nolan’s hands now, turning towardLilac—
But before he could turn, a small, pointy dress shoe came up between Earl’s legs and slammed right into his crotch. He winced and his hands went to his balls as he fell to his knees. Nolan scrambled up and went to Lilac’s side, not caring that his foot “accidentally” kicked forward into Earl’s thigh as hedid.
“Are you all right?” he asked Lilac, taking her by theshoulders.
“Better than all right,” she said. “He just gave me cause to kick him in the balls.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as her face took on this devilish grin and Nolan wanted to slam her lips to his and never stop kissing her. “Self-defense andall.”
“Or saving me.” Then he did put his lips to hers, gently nibbling on her bottom lip, sliding his tongue just slightly inside, grazing the tip of her tongue as shivers ransacked his wholebody.
“If you’refuckingher,” said Earl between breaths, “you can forget any complaint you made up to use against me.” He smiled, even through the tears watering his eyes. “That’s right. Iknowit was you who went to HR aboutme.”
Reluctantly, Nolan pulled away from Lilac’s lips, although he kept his hold on her upper arms. “Half the staff filed a complaint aboutyou.”
“Because ofher.” Earl pointed toward Lilac, his finger shaking with rage. “No onehad any complaints until youdid—”
Lilac’s nose went up in the air, the perfect example of the uptight, mature businesswoman Nolan initially thought her to be. “You can speak to my lawyer,” she said just as the security Jeep pulledup.
“Oh, I will,” said Earl, leaning on Lilac’s car to stand himselfup.
“Get your hands off her car—” Nolan started, but Lilac put a hand on his chest and shook her head, as if to tell him to let itgo.
“I’m going to get a lawyer, too,” he said. “And tell them shefuckedher way into getting help to make up this whole case againstme.”
Lilac took a step away from Nolan as the security guys got out of their vehicle and Nolan waved at them. She crossed her arms, staring Earl down. “Now I’m confused. Was Ileading you onor did Imake the whole thingup?”
Earl spit again—this time at Lilac’s feet. She jumped back. “Both,bitch.”
One of the security guys shook his head in exasperation and went straight to Earl without even being told. “You were told to clean out your office,” he said, as if he’d been fully aware of the situation. “And to wait there for an hour before youleft.”
Earl stepped back out of the man’s grip, waving his hands toward him. “Like I’m going to do what they say? What are they going to do if I don’t, huh? Fireme?”
The second security guard said some code gibberish into his walkie-talkie.
“Okay,” said the guard nearest Earl with all the patience of a Tildy’s Tots Tildy Scout speaking to a child camper, “let’s take a ride to ouroffice.”
“Likehell,” said Earl, jumping back and wincing. His junk probably stillached.
“Sir,” said the walkie-talkie guard, “we have jurisdiction under the state of Florida to detain people on-site in the event of anincident.”
“Detainthem, then!” shouted Earl. “They assaultedme!”
“Uh, no,” said Lilac, all-business. “He tried to keep me from leaving,” she said, “and thenheassaulted Nolanfirst.”
