He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.
“It’s Alice,” she corrects.
“It’s irrelevant,” he states, sounding every bit the boss he dresses to be. “Add Miss Anderson to the list. She can come up here anytime she likes.”
They look at me dumbfounded, both of their eyes pinching in the corners as Alice starts tapping on her keyboard.
“You going in, Pixie?” Elliot says, directing me away from the desk. “Lowell didn’t mention you were coming.”
“He doesn’t know. He came to my studio and started a fight with one of my staff. I thought I’d come and prove a point.” I nod towards the reception desk.
“Ah, calling him out on his bullshit again. You know I think he likes it. Those gifts you had sent back.” He laughs, but it just makes me even madder now that I know he didn’t buy them himself.
With the fire raging in my gut, I step out from under Elliot’s arm.
“I’m right behind ya,” he tells me, trailing behind.
The glass double doors vibrate off of the rubber stoppers, drawing every eye in the room to me. “Gentlemen,” I greet them all as I fling the bracelet from my fingers. It bounces across the carpeted floor and knocks into Mason’s perfectly polished shoe.
“Nina, what are you doing here? Montgomery?” He looks to Elliot then back to me.
“What, I can’t just drop in and see myboyfriend?” I say with as much contempt as I can muster.
I look to the other men in the room as I try to remain in control. They all sit with curious expressions on their faces—Lance and Charlie both among them.
What on earth am I doing?
This was a bad idea.
“We will give you a minute,” Charlie says, standing and leaving the room with the five other suits and Elliot.
“You’ve slept with your receptionist?” I ask once the room is cleared.
“No,” he answers far too quickly.
“Oh, it wasn’t a question,” I snap, walking closer to him. “I’ve never slept with Henry, or Logan, or anyone on the ‘regular’ for that matter. Yet you turn up to my studio and act like a jealous behemoth over someone I see like a brother?—”
“Nina—”
“You took someone you fuck to buy gifts for the woman you’re fucking?” I can see the tic in his jaw as he clenches his teeth, but he doesn’t answer me. “That was a fucking question, Mason!”
He bends, picking up the bangle from the floor. I don’t like to think how much it cost. “I picked this out for you, Nina, not her.”
“Oh, well good job, what do you want? A gold star? Or maybe your cock sucked? I can ask your receptionist if she is free.” I thumb towards the door.
“Stop!” he barks, cutting me off.
I know I’ve pushed him, and the stance he takes as he steps up in front of me has my shoulders dropping a fraction.
Why do I feel so stupid?
“I haven’t slept with anyone since the night I met you.” He puts his hands on his hips, not seeming to know what to do with them.
I roll my eyes, but the relief his words bring me puts out a portion of the fire in my gut. The office doors open, but neither of us turn to look at who has entered.
This entire plan of mine has backfired.
“Security is on the way. I’m so sorry.”
