“Where’s the fun in that? And your brothers loved it. Really, it was some of my best work.” He sighs, his hand fanning his face. “And you can unclench your asshole. All of my recordings are on a closed-circuit feed. No one is gonna see it without me giving it to them.”
That makes me feel better, but only mildly. Polite society wouldlikely be shocked seeing such a video of me, but not because I fell for the trap.
Because of how violently I reacted.
Regardless, they wouldn’t mention it. Not to my face, at least.
My brothers don’t bother conforming to social politeness in that way. They were allowed to become who they were meant to be.
Unlike me.
Neo sets the laptop aside and then cocks his head. He leans back on his hands, and my eyes take him in. The torn jeans, the oversized shirt that keeps slipping off one shoulder. The messy state of his blue hair.
Effortless chaos.
“Like what you see?”
My cheeks warm, and I fold my arms across my chest. “Of course not. I’m straight and have a girlfriend.”
He snorts loudly. “Yeah, I’ve heard all about her. Candace. Well, I don’t like her. She was mean to Ansel, so she’s dead to me. In fact, I have a fun little surprise for her.”
Unease washes over me. “What kind of surprise?”
“Well, if I told you, that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”
My nostrils flare. “Neo.”
He sticks out his tongue. “Fuck off, Wylder. I’m a very important and busy man.”
No one has ever talked to me like this. The disrespect. The way my body warms when he does it.
I tell myself I hate it.
But I’m not sure that’s what it is.
His attention is back on his laptop, making my skin prickle. The brat all but demands my attention with his antics, then refuses to give it to me. “What are you working on that is so important?”
He rolls his eyes. “Answering your emails. You suck at them. Did you know you have some that go back six weeks? That’s unacceptable.”
So, not only is Neo interfering in my business, but he’s criticizing how I run it?
Even for him, this is pretty ballsy.
My nostrils flare, and I stalk toward him, yanking the computer off his lap. He scrambles to reach it, but I shove him back, my eyes catching on the screen. He really is answering my emails—the scholarship ones.
What the fuck has he been doing to these? Is he trying to sabotage me?
I turn away from him and hold the screen up so I can read what he’s written. My eyes scan it quickly, and then I peer over at him in confusion. He’s red in the face, his lips pursed, his eyes flashing.
It takes a moment to find the right words. “This is…decent.”
Neo folds his arms. “It’s more than decent. I’ve seen your other email responses, and they’re shit. You don’t even start with a greeting. You just jump right in. So unprofessional.”
My lips narrow into a scowl. “Yes, well, my assistant rudely went on leave.”
Neo gawks at me. “For ababy. Dude, I can’t believe you asked her to hold it in. Did you not payanyattention in biology?”
My scowl deepens. “Yes, of course I did. Besides, I didn’t ask her to do that.”
