Page 58 of High Rise Secrets
He turns to face me, a fake smile plastered on his face. I straighten my spine as I stare him down, offering my own false smile in return. “Good evening, Mr. Dumurs.”
“Thank you for coming, Ms. Snyder. Please, have a seat.” He motions to the seat next to him, and I take it, pushing it a little further away to keep some distance between us.
“I’m sure you’re aware this company is doing very well, and there are many prospective clients who want to work with us.” I offer a small nod. “There are a lot of clients we have been trying to procure as well, clients who would make a world of a difference to have in our court. We’ve been trying to expand out into other cities across the United States.”
He pulls out a binder with the list of business names and figures on them. I don’t have to be a genius to realize the numbers are potential profits, and these aren’t small numbers by any means.
I look up at him. “These are some hefty numbers and some big-name clients. What do you need me for? I’m just an executive assistant.”
“It’s recently come to light that you have certain… talents.”
I quirk my eyebrow at that remark. “Talents?” His hand comes down over my wrist, and he squeezes when I try to pull out of his grasp. “Let. Go. Of. Me,” I grit out in my most menacing voice.
He gives me a deprecating look, his dark eyes cold and void of emotion. He pulls at me, and I all but fall out of my seat and into his lap, the move unexpected. He holds me tight against him as I struggle to free my arms from his boa constrictor-like grip. “I’m sure a pretty thing like you knows how to use her mouth and body to please a man.”
A bit of bile works its way up my throat as I take a deep breath and work on focusing my energy on what I’ve been taught at kickboxing classes. My nostrils flare as the anger works its way through my body and into my muscles.
“You could be the extra incentive we need to make some of these deals. There are a lot of bored and lonely men in the world who would appreciate your talents.”
I jam my head back into his face and hear the distinct crack of his nose. When his grip loosens on me, I clamber off his lap and punch him in the face and then in the stomach until he’s doubled over in pain. All my anger comes to a point, and I pummel him, taking out everything on his poor, battered body. He’s trying his best to cover his body from my harsh blows, and when he can’t stand sitting anymore, he stands, trying to work his way into getting me to stop my attack.
I feel him before I see him. A strong set of arms wraps around my midsection and pulls me away from my assailant, shielding me from view. Clive wipes the blood from his face and spits a tooth out.Good. Hope that costs a lot to fix!
“Ethan, glad you’re here. Now, you can talk some sense into Addison since giving her this opportunity was your idea.”
Are you fucking kidding me?
Chapter 38
Ethan
Oh, fuck no!I pull my fist back and slam it into Clive’s face. He goes down like a ton of bricks, and I have to shake the pain out of my hand. I turn to look at Addison and see the unshed tears in her eyes. I reach out to her and pull back at the last second when she flinches.
“Addy, I promise you, he’s lying. This wasnotmy idea. He called me the other day when you quit and told me to make you take this role or I’d lose my spot as CEO here.” She scoffs and shakes her head in disbelief. “I wrote up my resignation letter that day and sent it to Aiden.”
The utter look of shock has me stifling my laugh.Glad to know I can still surprise her.“I no longer work forEmulation.”
She clears her throat and swallows thickly. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m thinking of starting my own company. I’m sure there are a few people here who would love to get out from under the board of directors, and there’s plenty of untapped potential around Atlanta.”
A set of uniformed officers comes to the door and pushes it open, startling her. “Miss, are you okay?” one man says, his gun pointed at me. I raise my hands to my head but stay silent and still. I called them when I heard this meeting was happening tonight. I wasn’t sure what Clive was going to do, but I figured it was better safe than sorry to get the police here.
She finally nods at the officer’s question. “Please, don’t point your gun at him. He hasn’t hurt me. It’s the man on the floor you need.”
The cop moves past us to see Clive on the floor, unconscious. He turns to look at us. “Self-defense. He was trying to assault me,” she blurts out.
Instinctively, I reach out and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her to my side. She melts into my embrace for a moment before pushing me away and putting some distance between us.
“We’re going to need to get statements from both of you as to what happened here.” We both nod as they call for an ambulance for Clive.What a complete shit show this turned out to be.
“Where did you learn moves like that?” I ask her when we have a moment alone.
She smirks before her face goes stoic again. “Kickboxing. We make all the girls take classes at the club to protect themselves.”
My kick-ass girl. She had this handled even without me. I should have known she could take care of herself. She’s been doing it so long on her own.
“Addy, I have a question to ask you.” I take a deep breath. “When you were working under Vince atThe Devil’s Playground,were you trafficked?”