I can’t help what I do next. My hand wound up on its own, and I slap him across the face as hard as I can. “You’re a sick pig.”
“Everything okay over here?” Noah’s voice booms behind me.
“No,” I tell him.
“Max, my man, what are you doing here?” Noah asks, keeping a calm voice. I don’t know if he saw me slap him or not.
Max places his menu down flat on the table and crosses his hands on his lap. “I was coming to see my girl at lunch, but she’s acting a little feisty today.”
“Your girl?” Noah questions. “I didn’t realize you two were an item?”
“We’re not,” I interrupt.
Noah places his hand around my wrist and gently pulls me back to step in front of me. “You’re choosing Ashley over the money, huh?”
“I’m having my cake and eating it too, bro,” Max continues. “If you know what I mean.”
I don’t know what kind of boiling point Noah has, or if what Max is saying even bothers him, but Noah leans down and places his hands on his knees so he can speak a little closer to Max’s face. “Did Ashley consent to this?” Noah asks Max.
“I don’t need consent from her,” Max says, laughing like an ass. “We’re all here for the same reason, bro. Let’s not pretend like this isn’t a competition, and she isn’t one of the prizes. Where there’s a will, there is a damn way, and come hell or high water, I will win that money and then take the girl with me. I’m here to prove that I can win both.”
“Ashley is not an object you can win,” Noah explains in a soft voice.
“She obviously agreed to that type of commitment when deciding to be a whore who moves into an all-male community.”
My blood is boiling while listening to the words coming out of Max’s mouth, and I am tempted to jump over Noah and punch Max in the face.
Before I have a moment to react, Noah pulls Max’s arm, dragging him from his seat with what looks like little effort. There are veins in Noah’s head, protruding at the sides of his temples, and his jaw clenches, but his lips remain in a straight line. He drags Max from the table, across the restaurant, and out the front door. Max tried his best to escape Noah’s hold, but Noah was holding him in a way that he couldn’t fight back. I followed the two of them to the front door and take a quick peek out the window to see what is happening. I shouldn’t be surprised to see two men dressed in black pants and black shirts, topped with dark sunglasses, pull Max away.
When Noah returns to the lobby, he places his hand on my back and ushers me toward the kitchen and up the side stairwell to his office. “Are you okay?” he asks on the way up.
All I can wonder is if there are other men feeling like Max. What if Noah is the same way and just pulling the wool over my eyes. “I'm not surprised by Max’s behavior,” I tell him. “He’s been acting like a whack-job since the day I moved in.”
“We’re not all like him, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Noah says, opening up the doors that lead to his office.
“I wasn’t going to assume you all were, but I don’t feel like I know anyone’s intentions too well at the moment. Honestly, I still have the urge to leave, but at the same time, I’m curious to see how this all plays out.”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll be seeing Max again.”
“Good,” I tell him.
“Can we chat for a minute?” Noah asks, taking a seat behind his desk.
“Am I in trouble again?” I ask, laughing with a bit of apprehension. He is still my boss, and I do need this job.
“Oh, no, not at all,” he says. “It’s actually about last night.” Last night, the period of time I was out with my boss, ditched my boss at a carnival, and then snubbed him at the fire pit. I can only imagine what he wants to say.
“Ah,” I sigh, wishing this drama with the prize money wasn’t a thing in my life.
“I had a rough night,” he says, closing his eyes for a long second. He hardly knows me. I can’t be the cause of a rough night—not yet.
“Look, I’m sorry if I caused you problems, but this is a lot for me to take in, Noah.”
“This actually isn’t about you, Ashley.” Of course it’s not. I have to look like an insensitive egotistically bitch right now . “So, I’m a sensitive man after years of being desensitized while in the Marine Corps. The story from that woman last night set me back a bit. I was feeling weak and having a moment.” In other words, Noah is letting me know he made a mistake by telling me he wished he asked me out before hiring me.
“What do you mean?” I’m not sure I can handle the truth.
Noah inhales sharply. “Well, on a personal side, I suffer from a lot of PTSD from combat, but last night was the first time that internal pain I experience, hit me like a sack of bricks about another person. I fall into this black hole and as stupid as it sounds, I just need someone to hug me when I’m feeling that way. It’s the only thing that brings me out of my dark place if that makes sense?”
