I step forward. “Don’t talk to her.” My voice comes out like a growl. My jaw is clenched as I put a finger in his chest. “Get your shit and get out of here. As soon as fucking possible. No more meetings. You’re no longer welcome here.”
I turn and walk toward Ivy.
“She knew exactly what she was getting herself into.” Royce pleads his case. He doesn’t know when to stop. I know he’s walking behind me. I hate that he’s trying to convince me that his behavior was okay. Fucking pathetic. “She’s the one who is about to land a massive contract for her company. I spent a lot of money at your little establishment and if you want that to continue—”
Without a second thought, I turn to face him and throw a punch. It lands perfectly in the center of his face. The crack fills the room, followed by Ivy’s gasp, and then he’s on his back. I walk and stand over him, picking him up by his shirt. He doesn’t squirm or try to move, except to cover his nose.
“Don’t say another word.” Blood pours from his nose, and his lip is split open. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
I drop him back to the floor. And he finally listens to me.
I nod to the staff from the restaurant, watching from the doorway. They walk in and escort Royce out. It’s not often we have unruly guests, but they know exactly what to do. They’ll take him to his room, watch him pack, call the local police, and file a report. Once the police are done with him, they’ll escort him off the property.
I rush to Ivy in the corner and stand in front of her. It’s just the two of us left. I don’t want to touch her without permission. She picks her eyes up from the floor, red and panicked, and silently cries. When her gaze reaches mine, she falls into my chest.
And I catch her.
Ivy hangs onto me, her arms wrapped around my neck. It sounds like she’s calming down, doing her best to gulp deep breaths. We sway, kind of like at a middle school dance, and I rub small circles on her back.
It doesn’t matter how long we stay here. The room is empty except for Ivy’s things strewn on the table. I want to ask her what happened but I know better.
Fucking Royce. I had a feeling he was a piece of garbage but didn’t expect this. My face heats when I think of how he tried to pay for his behavior. He will not set another foot here. That’s for damn sure. I can’t wait to fill outthatpaperwork.
Ivy pulls her hands away and takes a step back, wiping her eyes. She stares at the floor.
“Are you hurt?” I quickly look her over and don’t see much of anything.
She rubs her wrist, flexing her fingers and then shakes her head no.
“Are you okay?” I know her pain could be somewhere else.
“I mean, no. But. Nothing really happened. He tried to…and he kissed me… and…” She’s nervously wiping her hands on the front of her blazer. Her face has a look of disgust on it.
I use my fingers to lightly tip her chin up towards mine. “What I saw was not okay. Not even fucking close.” I’m trying to keep my anger in check because that isn’t what she needs.
“I know. I know that.” Her voice is flat. Her hands are now nervously touching the top of her head and sweeping her hair back.
“What do you need?” She doesn’t say anything. “Do you want to call someone? Vivian?” I’m trying to be helpful.
“No, not really. I can call her later.” She finally looks at me and the adrenaline starts all over again. I can’t believe Royce made her feel this way. Put her in this position. “I want to change.”
“Okay, let’s go to your room.” I take her things from the table and putthem in her bag, swinging it over my shoulder.
I put my hand on her lower back, gently, careful not to startle her. I take her to the service elevator.
“Would you mind waiting outside my room?” she asks when we’re inside the elevator.
“I already planned on it. We can go wherever you want after. Unless you want to stay here?” I want her to feel like she’s in control. Whatever works for her, works for me.
“I don’t want to be by myself. If that’s alright?” The bright, vibrant Ivy I know has diminished. Seeing her small and shrunken makes me wish I got another good punch in.
“Whatever you want.” I lean up against the door as she walks in.
“I need to take a shower,” she says, seemingly conflicted.
“I’ll wait here.”
She’s in her room for a few minutes, long enough for me to call down to the front desk and see if Royce is still on the property. The last thing I want is for us to inadvertently run into him. Apparently, he’s taking his sweet time getting his belongings together. I ask the staff to keep him in his room for at least the next fifteen minutes.
