“Asher, we are not in any form of a personal relationship in or outside the office.As such, you have no say regarding my conduct or what I do in my life.”My gaze speared Marcus and Miles.That goes for you both.My determination surprised me.In the past, I would’ve avoided confrontation.
Asher glared at me, but I wasn’t going to give an inch.
“I am responsible for you as long as you’re working for Fantasies, Inc., so you will do as I say.”
Oh HELL no, dude.
I straightened my spine.“Your name is not on the bottom line of my contract.You are a colleague, maybe even a peer, if you’re having a good day.”I stood and maneuvered so that I was right in his face.“I’ve been taking care of myself since my teens, all without your help, so don’t youdarecome at me with youryou will do as I saybullshit.”
I felt like I’d added at least five feet to my height, and the heat at the back of my neck had turned into a five alarm fire.I pulled money out of my pocket and dropped some bills on the table then looked from Cassie to Marcus to Miles.“Thank you for a nice dinner.Have a good weekend, and I’ll see you in the office on Monday.”
Without even a glance at Asher, I turned and walked out of the pub.
“Neanderthals.Can’t live with ’em, and it’s not worth kicking their butts,” I muttered
Chapter Nine
Asher
“My man, you fucked up,” Miles said.
“Yep.Royally and then some,” Marcus added.
I heard their words but right then, they didn’t register.What the hell just happened?
“Aren’t you going to go after her?”Cassie asked.
“What?”And just like that, my brain came back online.Oh shit.I jumped up, dropped some money on the table, and took off after Emma.Once outside, I double-timed it back to the building, but didn’t see her anywhere.Damn.
I scanned my badge in the elevator, hoping she was in the office to get her backpack.It was empty and her bag was gone.
“Fuck.”I pulled my cell out and dialed her number.Voice mail.Ending the call without leaving a message, I made my way to the garage.
Why had Emma reacted so strongly to my worrying about her?Everyone at the table had stared at me when she got up and walked out.Miles said I’d fucked up, but how?I was only expressing my concern about her safety.Protecting those I care about is in my DNA.
I tried calling her again when I got home.Again, voice mail.This time, I left a message.“Emma, it’s Asher.I get that you’re upset with me, and we should talk about why.Call me, please.At least let me know you got home safe.”
That was all I could do at the moment.Well, I could get her address and go see if she was okay, but that was a bit stalkerish.All right, a lot.I marched into my kitchen and pulled a beer out of the fridge.
Thirty minutes later, my phone pinged, and I picked it up.
“I’m fine.No need to check up on me.I am an adult.”
I read the message three times.When did I say she wasn’t an adult?What now?I had no idea.This might not be the time to hash this out.I needed to give her time to think, to calm down.I texted her back:“I’m glad you’re home and okay.See you Monday.”
That was the best I could come up with at the moment.It was going to be a long weekend.Tomorrow I’d chat with Miles and Marcus to figure out what I’d done, because I wanted to fix this situation.
***
I barely slept all night long and finally accepted that sleep was out of reach when my phone vibrated late the next morning.A call from Marcus with an invite for lunch with the guys that afternoon.
The front door was open, and I called out before walking in.Marcus responded and told me to grab a beer from the fridge.They were all out on the patio.
Everyone was already there.Miles, Lucas, Josh, and Dean.Marcus shook my hand, and I raised my beer in an air toast to the other guys around the table.“Where’s Cassie?”
“She went into town to do some shopping.Said she needed some girl time.”
I nodded.Usually Marcus kept Cassie close.I pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
