“Seems to be.” Hux paused, and shut his folder. Fell silent.
I blew out a breath through my teeth, facing off with him in pure exasperation. “Out with it.”
“Is Sia okay?”
I glared at Hux. “Keep your head in the game and out of my wi—other people’s problems," I grated. “And don’t bother her. She’s got enough going on right now.”
Lewis tripped back through the door, red faced and sweaty. “I found security!”
“Case in point,” I said softly as Hux stared.
“What the–”
“Did they find anything useful?” I faced Lewis, holding up a hand for Hux’s silence.
“They said the police are taking finger prints and those will be another seventy-two hours to process. I know that’s a long time,” Lewis said quickly. “The glass in her window will be replaced tonight, and the door—we’re uh…” His quick speech faded and his eyes got shifty.
Hux groaned and wandered away. Self preservation was strong in that one.
“The door what, Lewis?” I murmured. “Don’t hold back.”
Lewis jiggled from foot to foot. “The club is getting quotes on the door replacement. Three?” Lewis winced and shrank a little. His skin blanched all over until he resembled a red topped snowball.
“Three quotes.” I folded my arms, and glanced at Hux. “There will be a meeting later. If anything comes up, handle it. Because I need to be there. Three fucking quotes. Get the girl a damn door, give her the privacy she deserves.” I stalked toward the kitchen, in desperate need of coffee.
“Ah, Coach?” Lewis’s voice stopped me mid escape.
I closed my eyes and didn't turn back to the ginger topped intern. “Yes, Lewis?”
“Sia mentioned something about keeping, uh, things at home.” Lewis gulped visibly when I pivoted on my heel to face him. His round cheeks flushed red again. “With, uh, Cora and Mister Valentine. Something about not bringing it to work. Heheld his hands…” He demonstrated shaking hands across his chest and throat.
My eyebrows rose for my hairline. Behind Lewis, Hux’s entire body shook. At least Valentine would get a kick out of being addressed as aMister.“That’s a fascinating question, Lewis. I’m sure the club captain has an excellent answer for you. I’ve got other duties right now. Hux?”
And with that, I left our virginal intern to discuss Cora and Valentine’s primal play kink with Hux who had his own little brat at home to tame. Which left me free to day dream about my plans of what I wanted to do with my wife who had a very specific set of kinks of her own.
And I smiled all the way to the coffee maker.
CHAPTER FIVE
Two days until our Anniversary. Can it get more complicated?
SIA
Ice cold eyes stared at me across the boardroom table. Ward was as unflinching as he had been the day I suggested we separate. He hadn’t taken the news well then, and it didn’t look like this meeting would be any different.
At least I wouldn’t be delivering that death knell today.
The Chimeras’ CEO and President, Mickey Lutz, the man responsible for the intern I had left with Ward for most of yesterday, stood at the end of the table. His hands were stuffed into his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. This was just another meeting in a long stream of today’s cluster fuckery for him. I knew, as I was a part of that endless stream. Unfortunately, I was also the subject of this one, if in an unintentional capacity on my part.
Ward’s gaze focused only on me, to the exclusivity of the heads of each department and the shareholders of the club seated around the table. He saw everything. I wished I’d worn a jacket, rather than leaving it in my taped up office as an afterthought. My flimsy, white silk shirt did nothing to protect me from his furious glare that seemed intent on razing me to ash where I sat.
“Recently, the club has been the focus of several negative attacks.” Mickey bounced on the balls of his feet, a change from his motion sickness inducing rocking. “I would like to thank Cora and Hallie for their assistance in helping cull the media storm that could have arisen from those incidents.”
On Ward’s other side, Cora positively glowed, while Hallie sank in her seat, as though she wished she’d never been invited to this meeting at all.I know that feeling well.Especially next to Ward, who offered no support at all, and continued to glare at me like this while schmozzle was my fault to start with. Which it was, kind of. I sent her a commiserating glance, and she inched her way back to her former position.
“The vandalism last night,” Mickey continued, oblivious of the undercurrents around the table as usual, lost in his happy CEO mental space of policy and action plans. “Has to be addressed. The damage to Sia’s office is still being cleaned up.” He nodded apologetically to me.
Ward glared at the whole table.
