A dingechoes right before the doors slide open and a short man with gray hair in his fifties steps towards me. “James, I wasn’t expecting you,” Collins says as he reaches out his hand.
I shake it firmly before looking down my nose at him. “Unexpected visits tend to happen when you start trying to poach my clients, especially the ones who have been with me from the start.”
The confusion on his face makes me pause. “Let’s go to my office and figure this out.” He glances over his shoulder at the open offices surrounding the elevator, but doesn’t say anything more.
I follow him down the hall to the corner suite where windows line every external wall and the view of the city is spectacular. The sun reflects off the river to the East with snow lining the shore. Collins motions for me to sit on the chair in the middle of his living room-like set-up, while he sits in the chair adjacent, leaving the couch open. He reaches towards the phone in the center of the table between the furniture and dials. It rings three times before a man picks up. “Yeah?”
“My office. Now.” He hangs up and throws me a sympathetic smile, but I just sit back and wait to see what’s going to happen next.
I turn towards the door when it snicks open. A mousey looking boy barely in his twenties steps through, and another slightly older version of him follows behind as theyshuffle to the couch.
Collins looks at the boys with disdain. “What have you two idiots been up to?”
The older one elbows the younger in the ribs. “Ouch, Josh. Could you not?”
“This is your fault, Bobby.” Now Bobby slaps Josh across the head.
“I didn’t tell her to go fuck that idiot!” Bobby yells at his brother.
“Enough! I asked you a question.” Collins throws a coaster at Bobby and nails him in the face. It’s really hard to keep my composure.
“Ugh! What the f…” His dad shoots him a death glare. “Hell. I was going to say hell.” Josh elbows him again. “Motherf—.” He looks at his dad and stops. “It wasn’t us.”
“What do you mean? What wasn’t you?” Mr. Collins is getting red in the face. I lean back in my chair and enjoy the show. Josh lifts his arm to hit Bobby again, but Collins jumps to his feet. “I asked you morons a fucking question!”
It’s Josh’s turn to look like he’s going to get beat when I leave here. “We just made a bet. You wanted more clients, so your princess, Clair, decided we should see who could get the most first. It’s not our fault she’s cheating and using some other guy to do it.”
“Clair?” Collins’ face turns more white than red. “Where is she?”
“Uh. I don’t know. Probably with that guy?” Bobby slides down the couch.
Yelling starts in the hall, and I crane my neck to get a better look of what’s happening now.
“What in the actual fuck is going on in my business?” Collins points at the boys on the couch. “Stay, idiots.” Collins opens the door to his office, and I spot Taylor speed walking down the hall with Celest and the giant trailing after him.
“Taylor, get back here! I’ve told you, you can’t come up here without an appointment!” Celest yells.
“I’m going to make Mr. Collins millions. I think the least he can do is not listen to that dumbass James over me,” Taylor shoots over his shoulder.
Well, this is going to get interesting.Collins holds a hand up. “It’s fine. Celest and Bruno, you can go back down, so I don’t have any more guests coming upstairs. I need a fucking minute to deal with this shit-show.”
CHAPTER 21
Alexandra
I wakeup to an empty bed. Again. “This is getting old.”
I look around the room, but everything looks the same as it did when I passed out last night.
I look at my phone and see there are texts from Jaz and Ashlyn.
Jaz: Are you alive?
Ashlyn: Yeah. Hello? We would like to see these epic paintings.
Ashlyn: And girls night.
Ashlyn: And we have an event to go to.
