“But you said that you were in Toronto.” His eyes flash with sudden inspiration. “How could you lie to me?”
I stomp on the urge to yell at him for trying to pin the blame on me. “It was anautocorrect error,” I manage between clenched teeth. “And you said you were dealing with a client emergency in Seattle. Didn’t realize tonguing a tonsil was a billable emergency.”
His face turns purple. “Excuse us for a moment, Samantha,” he says to the redhead, who slips into the bar after casting a curious look at me. “Max, be reasonable. I’m just meeting my manly needs.”
“Manly needs?” I can see Trevor nodding in the background like some kind of amoral cheerleader. Can’t decide which is worse—Jeffrey’s betrayal or Trevor’s getting a front-row view of my humiliation.
“A man has needs,” Jeffrey explains like I’m a three-year-old. “Like, for consistent sex and a woman who has nice, hot dinner ready for him when he comes home after a long day at work. You were on your period before you left for London.”
What does that have to do with anything?“And…?”
“And it was gonna be, like,three weeks.”
Oh my God. “So what you really want is a hooker who moonlights as a free maid,” I say, my jaw tight.
“Well. I would never put it that crudely.”
“Euphemisms don’t change… Never mind. How long has”—I gesture toward the bar—“this been going on?”
He raises a placating hand. “Not that long. It’s our first vacation together. She had tickets to the expo here and invited me. I said yes, since you said you were going to be inToronto.”
“Uh-huh.” My left eyebrow is pulsing so hard, even my eyeball hurts. “And how about before Samantha?”
“Not that much,” he mumbles.
I narrow my eyes.
“Just here and there, when I really felt the need. Don’t be weird about it.” His tone turns soft and soothing. “You’re the only woman who’s been in my life consistently.”
“Am I supposed to be happy about that?” My voice turns shrill toward the end.
“What do you want me to say?” He spreads his hands. “Why are you acting like I’m some special kind of villain? Every man does this.”
“Hear that, Maxine?Every man,” says Trevor smugly.
A scream wells in my chest, rising to my throat. I want to yell at the universe for humiliating me, and in front ofTrevor, of all people. I despise giving him another weapon to wield against me—and my mom. And I loathe Jeffrey for backstabbing me in the worst way possible and looking at me with that shameless I-didn’t-do-nuthin’ expression.
“Thank you,” Jeffrey says, giving Trevor a nod. “Besides, sometimes even when you’re around and not on your period, you just take too long to warm up. Oftentimes a man just needs an outlet to release the pressure fast and easy—you know, wham, bam, thank you, ma’am—and a woman who can accommodate him.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rhys
“Wow.” I give a slow clap that echoes through the lobby. “I’ve never met a man so eager to announce he’s inadequate in bed.”
Max scrunches her face, her shoulders practically hitting the earlobes. Her expressive face says,Shit.
But she’s not the problem, Slick is. Him, and the guy who had the honor of fathering my amazing assistant, only to toss her aside. If I were him, I’d be kicking myself, but he honestly seems too stupid and self-absorbed to realize his mistake.
I thought I knew some shameless people, but Slick and this so-called father are showing me what’s truly possible.
“If you want ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am,’ you get a sex doll, not a girlfriend. You’re in the right city for it, too,” I say.
Slick turns a red bright enough to replace Rudolph on Santa’s sleigh. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Behind him, Max’s father starts slinking away.Loser. Can’t handle it when the fight’s more balanced. “Normally it wouldn’t, except you’re actuallyflauntingyour stupidity and ineptitude. It’s offensive. In fact, your very existence is offensive.”
“Look, if she hadn’t lied that she’d be in Toronto, this wouldn’t have become a problem.”
