Page 39 of Dirty Martini

“No.”

“And is it also too much to ask that my employees don’t assault guests while they’re trying to do good work?”

“No.”

He gives me a tight smile. “Wonderful. So, can you explain why you stopped doing your good work to assault a guest in the middle of what was a very good night?”

“I…” But I can’t find the reason. That’s a lie. I know why I jumped over the bar and decked Knox in the face. If I’m being honest with myself, I think I’ve known it for some time now. Yet, my voice is quiet like a whisper, harsh even to my ears as I speak. “He was touching him.”

Davis raises a curious eyebrow. “Care to be more specific?”

“They were just dancing, and he got all handsy, and I…” I let out a puff of air and drop my face into my hands. “I lost it, I’m sorry.”

“Was someone touching your boyfriend?” Davis asks.

To this, I scoff and look up. “Everest isnotmy boyfriend.”

“Christ, I forget how young you are sometimes,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So, all of this was just because some guy was touching some other guy who’snotyour boyfriend?”

Well, when he puts it like that, I sound like an idiot.

Because Everest isn’t my boyfriend. He’s not even my friend. After all the shit we’ve said to each other, enemies would be a more fitting title.

But then, why did my blood run both hot and cold at the sight of Knox’s hands all over his bare skin? Why did I feel the need to burn the world down when their lips met? The idea of him touching something as precious as Everest… But he’s not precious, he’s a nuisance. Annoying, entitled, self-centered. I keep repeating that to myself, only it doesn’t matter.

None of the shit between us mattered anymore. The only thing that mattered was getting him away from someone who doesn’t belong to him.

Someone who belongs tome.

Maybe my hatred has taken on a possessive streak that’s both unwarranted and unwanted. Maybe fucking with him has unlocked something I didn’t realize existed within me. All I know is that something needs to be made loud and clear.

The only one who gets to have Everest is me.

Davis leans back against his desk and raises an eyebrow. “It’s settled, then?”

“Yeah,” I mumble, getting up with a newfound resolve. “It’s settled.”

“Just don’t be a fucking idiot,” he snaps, and his voice is uncharacteristically filled with venom. I do my best not to raise a brow in curiosity while he quickly masks his expression. “You’re a good worker, Rhys. I need you here.”

“Thanks,” I say.

And as I leave his office, it’s with a confidence I hadn’t expected. I whip out my phone, determined to see this through.

Me: You’re coming home tonight.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Everest

I can’t seemto settle my nerves.

I’m shaking as I watch the numbers in the elevator tick higher and higher with each floor I pass, each rising notch making my breath hitch and my teeth chatter. After what happened tonight, I should be staying far away from Rhys. I should be livid, worried about Knox, and making sure my friend is okay.

But then why did I haul my ass home the second I received Rhys’s text?

It’s like I know I should have fought back and told him to fuck off, but something was calling me to bend to his will. Shit, it’s like…

It’s because of what he did. That’s it. I’m going home to rip him a new one. It’s what I keep telling myself. There’s no way I’d be standing here with a twisted stomach and sweaty palms otherwise.