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“Your woman, Luke? Please. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. You’re married to your job. This little experience of yours, it’ll pass. This fling will pass.”
I stand up, planting my fists on the table and looming over him. “Pack your shit and leave before I throw you out.”
Andy stands, an insolent smirk on his face. “No offense, Luke, but if you want to go down that road, you’re going to need to call security.”
“I highly doubt that, you ungrateful bastard. If my woman wasn’t so brave, your actions could’vekilledher today. If she hadn’t stood up to Damien?—”
“Your woman? Give me a break.”
“What happened to you?” I growl.
“What happened is, you gave more to a disgruntled employee than your own damn assistant.”
“You could sell your shares for at least a million dollars.”
“Why should I have to?” he yells.
All around us, people stare. My hand trembles as I think about breaking his jaw.
“Leave. Now.”
Andy pushes away from the table, turns and stalks away, then seems to think better of it and walks back over to me. He puffs up his chest. “I’m going, Luke, but drop the tough guy act. Don’t threaten me.” He lowers his voice to a hiss. “Because if it was like your said, if this turned violent, it wouldn’t go well for you.”
“You sure about that?”
He squares up to me, staring into my eyes. “Just so happens I am.”
“Then take your fucking shot,” I growl.
He punches me in the stomach, winding me for a moment, then tries to hit me again. He’s lost his damn mind. I grab his arm and twist it up behind his back. He gasps and whines as I twist it again, shoving him up against the table.
“You stupid bastard,” I growl.
I want to break his arm. I want to hurt him even more. To punish him for endangering my woman. But I have to think about the company, about the fact I won’t be around for my Sera if I cross that line.
Letting him go, I take a step back. “Go, Andy.”
But the prick won’t learn his lesson. He yells and tries to hit me again. This time, I duck out of the way and punch him hard in the face. He stumbles into the table, his tray clattering to the floor, holding his hand to his mouth.
“I should kill you for trying to hurt my woman,” I roar, glaring down at him. He stares up at me with fear-filled eyes. “Nobody touches her, not my woman. Ever. Understand me?”
Andy climbs to his feet, looking like he’s about to cry, then runs from the cafeteria.
I rush from the room, ignoring my gaping employees.
On the ride home, Sera sits beside me, watching the video on her phone.“Nobody touches her, not my woman. Ever. Understand me?”
She touches my arm, squeezing. “Thank you for standing up for me.”
“I didn’t know anybody was recording,” I mutter. “So much for handling the PR.”
“Actually…”
“What? It’s not that bad?”
“The comments are positive. People are saying things like,‘It’s refreshing to see a CEO act like a human being for once.’”
“That’s good,” I say. “But I didn’t do it for that. I know Andy… at least, I thought I did. I figured he was being threatened by Damien like Ellie, but no, this was about cash. Then it became about something else. Pride. He said some stupid crap about you not really being my woman… Like he knows a damn thing about how dead my heart was before you came along.”