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"This ought to be good." Damien stands up and places his money on the table too, then gestures for me to lead the way out. I glance at Chloe one last time before walking out of the restaurant. She doesn’t even look up.
I need to blow off some steam and fast. I used to do this all the time, whenever I was angry or couldn’t control myself. I haven't needed this in a long time, but now I’m aching for this kind of raw, physical release.
Chloe’s face pops into my head as I head to the old metal-gray building a few blocks from my office building and change into one of the sets of clothes I keep in my locker. More accurately, the memory of our shared kiss keeps replaying in my mind, interrupted by the vision of Tyler's hand rubbing her lower back. As I wrap my hands with the long strips of stretchy cloth, I try to focus my anger.
I walk straight over to one of the open punching bags and hit it hard.
"He’s gonna have her sooner or later. Who knows, it might be tonight… or right now before she heads back from lunch," Damien croons teasingly as he holds the bag, obviously trying to draw out my fury. I punch the bag harder until my hands and muscles scream with pain.
I keep pummeling on and on, imagining it's Tyler’s face. This isn’t normal, is it? Being on the verge of destruction and worse, relishing in imagining the murder of some kid?
"Are you done?" Damien asks quietly, his voice serious. The question is jarring, dragging me back from my thoughts.
I nod and lean against the wall close to me, sweat dripping down my face. That and my pent-up rage are making my vision hazy.
"You need to take it easy on yourself," he warns. "You made the choice to let her go. I know I've had a field day picking on you for this, but I think you’re a better man than I am."
I close my eyes and when I open them again, I’ve made my decision. A very selfish one.
"I'm not letting her go," I say, pushing back off the wall and panting. "I can’t let her mess with my head like this and then have her just enjoy a peaceful life. You think I'm not selfish?" I smirk. "Wait til you see how selfish I can be."
"Whoa, Jeremy. Don't do anything stupid." I scoff when I see that Damien actually looks scared.
"The only stupid thing I did was try to let her go. I'm about to fix that. I'm not letting her go until I purge her from my system completely."
"You’re making a serious mistake, think about how that could affect our company. She might be an entry-level employee but if she goes to HR or sues… You could destroy everything we’ve worked for!"
"I’ll worry about that after it happens."
Damien looks around as if he’s trying to find some other way to convince me. "What about Ella?"
"What about her?"
"She’ll be hurt if she finds out what you’ve been doing with her best friend. You’ve just gotten to be a part of her life. Are you really gonna piss that away over a girl?"
"Like I said, I'll worry about it after it happens."
"Excuse me, sir,"Chloe calls out, but I ignore her. I’ve been on edge around her since I saw her with Tyler two days ago. Today isn’t any better because I happened to see a message he sent her today.
The storm that’s building inside me is unable to be soothed or derailed. It’s not only eating everything in its path, but it’s also destroying any semblance of calm.
I went into Chloe’s office to drop off a file earlier today. Unfortunately, her phone beeped and a message popped up. I chanced to glance down at it and saw it was from Tyler, confirming their dinner plans. Damien’s goading from the gym came back to haunt me.
"He’s gonna have her sooner or later. Who knows, it might be tonight…"
I order the secretary to send up more files, enough that I know she won't be able to complete them today. There's no way I'm letting her go to that dinner.
I get up from my desk and walk over to my conference table, pretending to be engrossed in blueprints. I hear her following behind me. She looks radiant in a tight-fitting skirt that molds her perfect ass, and a silky button-up blouse that accentuates her curves.
"I didn't send for you. What do you want?" I ask over my shoulder, not even looking at her. Wow, way to win her back Jeremy…
"Sir, the secretary just gave me tons of files to work on and..."
"Is that a problem?" I interject.
"No but..."
"Good," I snap, cutting her off. "Get started on them. With some focused attention on your part, I’m sure you’ll plow right through them.
