I frowned.“We haven’t even gotten our entrees yet.”
“Rory, what you just did was embarrassing.”Emily’s voice was still quiet and she leaned into the table as if she were attempting to keep her voice from traveling.Her eyes were widened yet weary.“You could have been more effective by simply saying ‘ok,’ rather than make that man feel like a heel for something that wasn’t even his fault.”
“But—”
“No,” she cut me off, holding a hand up.“I’d like to go home now.”
I stared at her, fucking baffled.What in the ever loving hell just happened?
She stood, opening her purse while doing so, and dropped a couple twenties on the table.
“Jesus, Em, I’ll cover the damn bill,” I said, my irritation starting to come to surface.I stood, pulling my wallet from my back pocket, and replaced her bills with my own, holding hers out in front of me.She reluctantly took them and started for the restaurant, leaving me behind.
I shrugged into my sport jacket and followed, still confused as all get out as to what just happened.So she was embarrassed?Didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy her dinner.We could laugh about it later.Why did we have to go without enjoying ourselves a little more?
I reached her in the middle of the inside dining area, but when I moved to place a hand on her back—possessively, yes; fuckers were looking at her—she stepped away from me.
I could feel those same fuckers laughing behind my back.
She wanted to play this way?She wanted to go back to bitch mode?Well so fucking-be-it.
We waited in silence by valet as my truck was retrieved.Valet helped her into the cab, so I just walked around to get in myself.After being sure she was situated, by quick glance only, I threw the truck in drive and headed back to her place.
The entire drive was made in silence.It allowed me to stew on her words and her reactions.
She fuckingstepped away from me, putting more distance between us when I had been pretty sure that wall was fucking eradicated.
She was unbuckled before I could even turn the truck off at her place, out her door before I could get my own belt to unlock.“Goddammit, Emily,” I said, frustrated, as I moved after her.
“You don’t have to walk me to my door.”She was looking through her purse as she walked.She pulled out her keys as she reached the stairwell, jogging up them in a pretty impressive fashion, seeing as she was in heeled shoes.
“I’m walking you to your damn door,” I muttered, only a few steps behind.
Emily unlocked her door in probably the quickest time I’d ever seen a key insert and twist, and she was sliding through the doorway.I pushed in after her before she could slam the door on my face.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”Her voice was still devoid of emotion, very much the Emily I had known for the last year.
“What the hell is your problem?”I let my irritation come through, but I didn’t fucking care.
She whipped back toward me, her hair flying.“You are, Rory!You!”
“Me?What the fuck did I do?”My voice was raised as loud as hers.
“You’re such a goddamnedchild, Rory.You don’t behave like that in public.You are a grown man.Not only that, but you run a respected establishment.Just like that restaurant.How would you like it if someone acted the way you did?”
“We don’t run out of shit.”I stood in my spot, arms crossed over my chest.
“Oh, so O’Gallaghers is better than everyone else.Just like you fucking think you are.”
I lifted my brows, but kept my arms crossed.“Oh-ho, tell me how you really feel, Emily.”
She threw her purse down on the couch and came up to me, toe to toe, eye to eye.Her slight chest brushed my forearms and I watched as her mouth tightened in anger, her chest heaving with pent up anger and emotion.
Well guess what, Cupcake?You and me both.
“You are a cocky asshole who thinks he’s better than everyone!You are the least genuine person I have ever had the misfortune of knowing.You are all about the bottom line and don’t care how you get what you want.You’re self-centered, materialistic, andheaven forbidyou take on a client for your,” she waved her hand in the air, “other business—who actually needs your fucking help.But no, because they don’t fit in with your ideals and who you think is worthy of your time, you push them aside to figure things out on their own.”
“At least people know what they’re getting with me.I don’t lead people on.The women all know what I’m about, and my clientele and teamthank mefor what I bring to the table, because I’m helping further their careers.You, on the other hand, are a fucking block of ice.Who the hell knows what they’re gonna get with you?Sweet in the middle?I thought so, but apparently that was all a fucking façade too.Embarrassing is leaving a restaurant before they’ve even given you your meal.”
