Page 122 of Handsome Devil

“No, you can’t,” I agreed.

“We should sit down and see how we solve this predicament with your head still attached to your neck.”

I wasn’t opposed to negotiations. Not necessarily for striking a deal, but it was always good to gauge my opponents.

“Sure. I’ll be indisposed for the next few hours, but you can call my PA and ask for a meeting.”

Rebecca was still less capable than a rotten tuna sandwich discarded at the bottom of a third grader’s backpack, but this was an example for an event Iwantedher to fuck up and not put in my calendar.

Tiernan was about to mouth me off, but I had already killed the call and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat.

Andrin used to say I never learned from past mistakes, but I disagreed.

This time, I was going to kill Nash Moore deep in the woods.

Red didn’t go well with the dark green wallpaper of my property.

Tate made himself unavailable to me the week after I broached the subject of his disorders. He went both to the Hamptons and on a mysterious trip abroad. I was left with Enzo, Filippo, and a million unanswered questions. Oh, an ailing mother who was still in a medically induced coma.

The fun just never stopped for yours truly.

In lieu of a husband, I threw myself into visiting Mum, making arrangements for her hospice transfer, and work. All my colleagues were wondering why the big, hulking men in suits followed me everywhere. Even though I worked diligently on forming a union, most of them still didn’t approach me.

My five-day streak of not seeing my husband was coming to an end, though. Tate had texted earlier today he would be picking me up for a mysterious meeting.

Tate: We’re leaving the office at four today. Meeting in Brooklyn. Be ready.

I was.

So were the twenty people sitting in my office, serving as the organizing committee of our freshly formed workers’ union.

Tate arrived on the HR floor half an hour before we were scheduled to leave, accompanied by his two bodyguards and Rebecca.

Seeing her next to him made my heart squeeze with jealousy. He entered my office poker-faced, as though being ambushed by twenty of his employees was nothing out of the ordinary.

“You unionized the staff.” He reached to give me a cold peck on the lips. The gesture caught me by surprise.

I swallowed down the ball of wariness in my throat. “What makes you think that?”

“You haven’t fired anyone in two weeks.” He shouldered off his coat, ignoring everyone, eyes trained on me. “And haven’t done anything to ruin my life in almost a week. I was starting to get worried.”

Rebecca tutted in disapproval, shaking her head. The gesture forced me to turn my attention to her. I had worked with her back when I was assisting Tate full-time. She never wore skirts this skimpy before. And knowing she was openly flirting with him bothered me, I realized. A lot.

It also didn’t help that my husband had been ignoring me for five days. My confidence in our shaky marriage had hit rock bottom. She was still propositioning him, I’d bet. Her attire was only appropriate for brothels and a Victoria’s Secret runway.

Tate followed my line of vision. He nodded swiftly. “I see. Rebecca?”

“Yeah?” she purred behind his back.

“You’re fired.”

She gasped. “What?”

He tossed a glance at her over his shoulder. “Fired. Discharged. Laid off. Done-zo. Can’t think of other synonyms.”

“I believe ousted is also an appropriate term.” I cleared my throat demurely. It wasn’t like me to be gleeful of another person’s woes. “Exiled is a bit of an overkill but also a fitting substitute.”

“Yes.” Tate grinned at me with open admiration, and my whole body blossomed with warmth. “That. Anyway.” He waved a hand. “Goodbye. Apricity, find me a replacement.”