A tall, black-suited figure stepped out of the meeting room on my left suddenly, blocking my path, looming over me. “Well, well, well.”
I stopped. My breath left my lungs in a defeated sigh. “Richie.”
He chuckled. “You took averylong lunch, Susan Moore,” he gloated. “Spectacular timing, don’t you think?”
I clenched my jaw. “Richie?—”
“Your prolonged absence was noted, you know.” He smirked and put his hand on the wall, leaning against it casually, still blocking my path. “Yvette’s been trying to get hold of you all afternoon. She’s pissed that you aren’t answering your phone. She even did a couple of loops of the office, looking for you.” He laughed again, shaking his head. “To think I went to all that trouble digging up dirt on you, and you’ve gone and sabotaged yourself, anyway. I shouldn’t have bothered. Of course an unstable old cow like you wouldn’t be able to hold down a job for very long.” He let out a bark of laughter. “To think I once considered you a threat to my career.”
My ears began to ring. Panic was starting to overwhelm me.Breathe, Susan. Breathe. Don’t let your anger explode…
“In any case, I’m still going to let her know everything about you. Just in case she feels sorry for you and decides to keep you around after this little disappearing act this afternoon.She needs to know what you’re capable of. You’re a liability, Susan.”
My chest felt so tight; suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. “Don’t do this,” I whispered, panting softly.
“It’s already done, sweetheart,” Richie replied, eyes glinting. “I’m on my way to talk to Yvette now.”
“Don’t…”
“You know, you should have played nice months ago,” he said, wagging his finger. “This is what you get when you go up against the big guns, baby.”
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening.
Richie put his finger on his lip, pretending to think. “I’ll tell you what. I’m a nice guy. I can cut you a deal. How about you do what I asked you to do on the day you started here, and Imightthink about keeping your little secret for you.” He waved a hand towards the little meeting room. “In here. Nobody else has to know.”
My mouth dropped open; words refused to come out. “You— You—What?”
“You heard me.” Richie’s almost-black eyes roamed around my body lazily, lingering on my shirt, still clinging wetly to my skin. “Yvette might not fire you if I keep my mouth shut. And… If you keep playing nice, I’ll be a good boss to you when I’ve got her job.” He let out a soft chuckle. “Maybe.”
My pulse roared in my ears. Outside, a crack of thunder boomed. The thin carpet beneath my feet trembled slightly. Was that me?
“Come on, Susan. Don’t waste my time. I know you’re out of options, so you might as well give it up already.” He grinned widely. “Once you get over your pride, you’ll find it easy to get down on your knees for me.”
Breathe, Susan. Just breathe.
“Let’s get—” Richie glanced behind me, his eyes suddenly wide. “Hey. Who are you?”
A huge, dark figure stormed past me, brushing my shoulder. A low furious tone rumbled through the corridor like thunder.
“Howdareyou speak to her like that.” Donovan reached out and grabbed Richie by the throat with one huge hand.
Richie let out a strangled yelp. Donovan’s hand squeezed harder, and he shoved Richie backwards into the meeting room behind him.
Flailing wildly, Richie lost his balance, stumbling on his feet, but Donovan held him upright by the throat as if he weighed nothing. He threw Richie back against the meeting room wall, still holding him in the air, letting his cheap, shiny shoes dangle helplessly six inches above the ugly carpet.
“Howdareyou.” Donovan’s voice was filled with such fury, it shocked me out of my stupor.
“Donovan! Stop!” I raced into the meeting room, swinging the door shut behind me.
He didn’t stop. He held Richie up in the air by his throat, his dark emerald eyes almost burning into him. “You are a worthless snake,” he growled. “A revolting waste of matter. You do not deserve to even speak a word in her presence, slime.”
Richie’s face rapidly changed from white to purple. His weedy arms flailed around uselessly, smacking at Donovan’s bare muscular forearms. Good grief, the power in those arms, the insane strength…
Richie might as well be trying to fight a statue made of stone. Donovan’s grip didn’t even falter. Richie spluttered, a dribble of spit escaping his lips and dribbling down his chin.
Donovan was choking him to death. He didn’t look like he was going to stop. I licked my lips. “Donovan!”
My imaginary fae prince leaned closer, staring at Richie’s trembling face. “Listen to me carefully, scum. From this day forth, you will never look directly at the woman you call Susan Moore. You will not make eye contact. You will never seek to sully her name by even uttering it with your diseased tongue.” He bit the words out with effort. “Do you hear me, you worthless sewer rat?”
