“Not enough.”
“You cleared at least two hundred K from that auction.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act stupid. I know you sold the things I gave you.”
He knows?
“Don’t even think about denying it. I saw the listings.”
He actually sounds like he’s upset about that.Why didn’t he reach out if it mattered that much to him? Or maybe he didn’t want to bother because they were really just a payment for my virginity like Sadie said, but now he’s unhappy because… Is this because he had to buy me things again, so I look “nice enough” for him?
“What did you do with all that money?” he demands.
“It’s none of your business what I did with the money. It was mine. I earned it.” The bitterness I tried to hide spills into my voice anyway. But it’s hard to hold back when he’s acting like I’m in the wrong.
“Youearnedit? I gave you those dresses and so on as gifts, and you turned them into barter items.”
I let out a cynical laugh. Ofcoursehe’s one of those people who revises the past to make himself come out to be the good guy. He’s conveniently forgotten about the bet and the streaking and the humiliation I suffered. Whenever the memory of other students laughing at me surfaces, I feel like throwing up.
“If you don’t have any further instructions, I’ll leave,” I say. “I do have real work to do.”
“The workIhave assigned you.” His jaw flexes. “Don’t act like we’re nothing.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Of course we’resomething. You’re the boss, and I’m the assistant. Thank you for pointing that out, because I would’ve never known otherwise.” And I walk out of the office before Grant can say anything else.
Chapter Forty-Five
Grant
I glare at the door. Unlike before, Aspen shut it after slipping out.
It’s none of my business what she did with the money? It was somethingsheearned?
She should’ve just admitted that she used me. I would at least have some respect for her honesty. But now the fury that’s been simmering in my blood is at a full boil. I only kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to say something too revealing—like how much her betrayal hurt me. That’d be too humiliating.
Regardless, having her confirm that I was an idiot all those years ago makes me want to kick something. The fact that sex in the office didn’t do a thing to lessen my appetite for her worsens my mood. Now every time I look at my desk, my mind conjures up the image of her sitting on the edge of it, legs spread and ready…
And—of course—now my dick is hard again.
Fuck. Me.
Stewing about what she’s done to me would be letting her win, and I’m not going to give her that much power. I wrench my attention back to work, spending the rest of the day in one meeting after another. Aspen wisely keeps her distance. Perhaps she can sense I’m ready to bite her head off.
Still, as the day goes by, my temper starts to cool and my mind clears. I realize that some things about Aspen just don’t add up, and I didn’t get the answers I needed earlier because she distracted me by pissing me off.
Those answers are still important. With them, I won’t have to second-guess myself or wonder if I’ve misjudged her. Although Kenny’s outburst was shocking, he knew exactly whom he was talking to. I doubt someone with memory problems would generate so much anger over nothing. Something’s triggered it, and his resentment isn’t just old—it’s genuine.
Did Aspen blame me? Why? To distract Kenny from asking about why she wasn’t finishing her degree? Given how much she loves her grandparents, she must’ve used some of the money on Kenny and Kat. And they must’ve questioned her about it, and she probably lied to them.
But why is she secretive about it with me? She doesn’t care what I think about her, and has to know my opinion of her couldn’t sink any lower. Lusting after her body is a separate issue. Actually, she should’ve used my curiosity as an opportunity to manipulate me into giving her more—whether it was money or something she could sell.
Larry sticks his head into the office. “Are you coming to happy hour?”
“No.” I have a couple of things to clear on my agenda, items I’ve had to push back because I was dealing with the scandal.
His face falls a little—he’s probably wondering who’s going to foot the bill, since Emmett is out of town at the moment.
