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“I’ve got an extra,” he offered, but I was already halfway out the door.
After a little exploration,I found a supply closet to hide out in. This was the best place I’d found to escape from Easton, but I still couldn’t breathe.
There seemed to be nothing I could do that he wouldn’t forgive me for. The way I’d behaved over the last several months was nothing short of awful. Necessary, but terrible nonetheless. He’d stroked out over the pregnancy tests and gotten over it nearly as quickly. Had the roles been reversed, I’d have shot his dick off, plain and simple. The icing on the cake was Drew all but accusing me of shady shit when it came to my business dealings.
Easton hadn’t questioned me any further, his expression at the time Drew planted the seed unreadable. I’d stayed up combing through every figure and document I had access to. All the numbers aligned on my end. I couldn’t figure out what figures Drew was talking about.
I’d messaged the Houston office to send me that binder of approvals I kept for all my projects, but it wouldn’t arrive until morning. Until I got my hands on whatever Drew had given Easton, I wouldn’t make much progress because it had become apparent that the information I had was strikingly different than what Drew had.
As much I wanted to avoid Easton, I had to state my case.
“Are you looking for something, sugar? Or just avoiding work?”
My skin crawled at the sound of Drew’s voice. He stepped inside the small closet and stood next to me. I wanted to take a step back to get him out of my personal space, but I held my ground, refusing to give him an inch.
“Unfortunately, I found more than a pen,” I said, plucking one from the nearest box.
He appeared more than pleased at my annoyance before he canted his head, that disingenuous smile flattening out. “You and my brother are awfully cozy. Wonder what our new colleagues will think of that?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Although I wasn’t completely sure of that. He’d been over to the apartment last night, but it was practically impossible for him to know I was sharing bunk beds with Easton.
“Should we let them in on the little fact that you were CEO when Carter Energy failed? Wouldn’t take much for them to connect that a ride to the top is much more comfortable on your back.” His words raised the hair on my neck. “It’s no wonder we went down. After all these years in the business, one would think you’d know how to procure funding for projects. Or maybe you were too busy lining your own pockets.”
My mouth and left eye twitched. Turned out Easton was right about my reactions when I was angry. And those slippery words told me everything I’d not believed until my talk with Easton last night.It was Drew.Easton hadn’t been fucking with me all this time. Because that wasn’t his character. Drew had somehow ensured Easton didn’t get to my project requests when I needed them done.Asshole. Slimy asshole.But why?
“Stop. Talking.”
We were in a stare off. I waited for him to move out of the way instead of shoving him, but he didn’t.
“Come on, sugar. You don’t have to play games with me,” he said. Every time he called me sugar I had the urge to knee him in the balls. Letting him know it bothered me had been my mistake. Once he found out, he never stopped.
“Is there something you wanted?” I asked irritably.
“I have to hand it to you. I’ve never seen anybody quite so good at job security. We had to lay off—how many people was it?—and you managed to keep your position. Pretty obvious why that is.” He looked at me like he knew a fat, juicy secret.
I balled my blouse in my hands and willed my racing pulse to calm. The asshole was baiting me. Knowing that didn’t make it any easier to take.
“Just say what you really want to.”
He stepped closer, to the point I felt claustrophobic. “That if you want real job security, you picked the wrong brother.”
“Don’t start shit you don’t intend to see through.”
“Lucky for you, I don’t mind sharing. You like that kind of thing, don’t you?”
My heart stopped beating for a long moment, and when it started again, it pounded so hard it hurt. He was truly repulsive. It was hard to believe he and Easton were brothers.
“Wouldn’t you like that?” I turned on the seduction, trailing my fingers across his chest as I skirted to the side. Interest sparked in his eyes. When I had the angle I needed, I reared back and kneed him in the stomach. He doubled over. “All that pile of garbage you just said stays right here,sugar.”
“You’ll be on your knees begging me for mercy,” he wheezed, still bent in half.
I paused in the doorway, not bothering to hide my disgust. “That’s impossible when you don’t have a thing I want.”
I flexedmy hand and rubbed my knuckles. Nobody in the office seemed to have a clue as to what had just taken place. Begging, my ass. The only thing I’d ever consider asking him for was to disappear from my life. I might hit my knees for that. But then I felt shaky as the adrenaline left me.It had been Drew screwing with me all this time. He’dbeen the one to hold up my funding and make me lose important projects.I owed Easton an apology.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Easton
