I scoff and peer at his name tag. “Brandon, could you just call up to Seven’s office and tell him Sophia is here to see him?”
Brandon stares down his nose at me and shakes his head dismissively.
“That won’t be necessary.” Seven appears behind Brandon, eyes dark, mouth bent into a furious grimace.
“My apologies, Mr. Delaney. I was just showing her out,” Brandon says.
“Why would you do that when she has an appointment with me? One that we are late to begin because you’ve delayed her?”
“I… I… It’s not on my…” He flips papers on his clipboard.
“Get your things, Brandon. You’re fired.” Seven has a few inches of height on Brandon, but the energy he’s putting off makes him appear much bigger. He’s livid. The testosterone-charged, big-boss intensity focused on Brandon would make anyone’s stomach clench. I take a step back, and it isn’t even directed at me.
“But… I…,” Brandon blubbers, pointing at his clipboard as if an excuse might spring off the pages there.
Seven snaps his fingers and a woman in a suit appears by his side. Where did she come from? Her lashes flutter when she looks at him like she’s staring into the sun. Gods, the Seven I once knew is gone, replaced by leviathan in a dark suit. Is he always this intimidating at work? “Claire, please escort Brandon to the back room to gather his things and then accompany him off the premises. Find someone else to man the door.”
“Yes, sir,” she says, taking Brandon’s upper arm. He’s still gaping at Seven and then at me even as he’s ushered away.
The severe edges of Seven’s expression soften when he turns to me, morphing into that crooked smirk I know so well. He places a hand in the center of my back and guides me toward the elevators. “Shall we?”
Momentarily stunned, I shuffle into the compartment. His hand fills the space between my hips and my ribs, and for a second, I feel small and insignificant beside him. Only for a second. The sound of the doors closing snaps me out of it.
“I can’t believe you just fired that guy!” I step away from him and cross my arms over my chest.
“His actions display a level of incompetence we don’t tolerate at Lucky Enterprises.”
I laugh. “The fuck you don’t. Your family has been treating pixies exactly like that for decades.”
He grimaces. “I have a meeting with you. It’s on my calendar. He didn’t even look. It’s blatant ineptitude. We pride ourselves on top-notch service—”
The snort I give is laden with derision. “Right. So you didn’t fire him because he was a bigot who accused me of trying to sneak into the casino to find a sugar daddy, just for not double-checking your schedule. Makes sense.”
His features tighten, and he shakes his head. “He disrespected you. It was wrong. Gods, Sophia, I fired the man. What more do you expect from me?”
“How long has Brandon worked here?” I tap my foot.
He slants me a sideways glance. “I have no idea.”
I shift, putting myself in front of him. “How badly did he need this job? Does he have a wife? A family?”
Seven pinches the bridge of his nose. “What do you want from me, Sophia?”
“I don’t know. Your heartlessness just surprises me, that’s all. It shouldn’t, but it does.”
Our eyes lock. “Heartlessness.”
“Yeah. Heartlessness,” I drawl.
He holds my gaze as he pulls his phone from his pocket. “Claire, retrieve Brandon and offer him his job back, with a warning. Yes. Thank you.” He hangs up and stares at me. “Problem solved.”
If I roll my eyes any harder, I’m going to see my own brain.
The elevator doors slide open, and his hand is on my back again, ushering me through a shiny marble reception area. I don’t shrug it off. I should, but I don’t.
A lanky redhead in an elegant black sheath dress reaches us right outside his office door. “The report you asked for,” she says, shoving a stack of papers into his hands.
He thanks her with a shallow smile. They exchange pleasantries before Seven specifies we’re not to be disturbed. She directs a wink in our direction before clopping off in her stilettos. Seven removes his hand from my back and leads me into his office where he closes the door behind us. He squares the papers on his desk.
