sure you’ll have a good time without
me.”
“We
certainly will, won’t we, doll?” Shane said to Mercedes with that damned pretty
boy smile.
She
didn’t answer, but Xander didn’t need her to.
Shane
didn’t waste any more time, nodding his head at Xander. “I’ll catch up with you
later.”
“Later,”
Xander called after him as Shane darted out of the office.
Xander
listened to his friend’s footsteps down the hall, then across the Travertine
entry way and then finally when Shane opened and closed the front door behind
him.
As soon
as he knew they were alone, he turned his attention back on Mercedes. “There is
no way in hell you’re going to the club tonight.”
Chapter
Five
Mercedes
didn’t know how she managed to keep from cracking her keyboard right in half
when Xander spoke.
She
inhaled slowly through her nose and then out through her mouth as she tried to
control the anger that snaked its way into her bloodstream and threatened to
burn her to a crisp.
The man
had balls; she’d give him that.
She could
handle a lot of things, such as Xander being an asshole when it came to his
business dealings, but she damn sure didn’t do well with anyone telling her
what she could or couldn’t do.
“Last I
checked, you don’t make my decisions for me,” she told him, grateful she’d
managed to hold on to some semblance of calm.
“The hell
I don’t,” he bit out.
Mercedes
clamped her jaw shut, afraid if she didn’t, it just might hit the floor. Never,
in all the time she’d known Xander had he talked to her like that.
The man
was clearly delusional.
Taking a
deep breath to calm herself, Mercedes got to her feet and moved around to the
front of the desk to where Xander stood. She crossed her arms over her chest,
keeping her back straight, her chin up as she approached him.
“Excuse
me?” She couldn’t go nose to nose with him because he was several inches taller
than she was. But she did meet his eyes. “Is there something we need to talk
about?” she asked him curtly.
“No,” he
bit out. “As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t anything to discuss,” he argued,
sounding not at all like the calm, confident man she knew so well.
“Well, I
think there is.” Mercedes took one measured step back, not wanting to crane her
neck as she argued with this insufferable man. “What the hell is wrong with
you?”
“ Me? What the hell is wrong with you ? Do you not remember anything that
happened last night?”
“Yeah,
actually I do,” she answered abruptly. “I remember going to Devotion with you
to help you with a demonstration. That’s what that was, right? A demonstration?
Nothing more, nothing less? As a favor to you, I was your assistant, if I
recall correctly.”
Xander
exhaled sharply, but he didn’t look away, the smooth skin on his freshly shaven
jaw taut, that telltale vein at his temple giving away his true frustration.
“It was more than that and you fucking know it.”
“I don’t
know anything of the sort,” she lied.
Yes,
Mercedes could classify what happened between them as un-fucking-believable.
But it was a fluke. A stroke of luck. Inconvenient timing. Strange alignment of
the planets. Call it what you will.
She knew
it had never happened to her before, but what Xander didn’t seem to understand
was that it would never happen again.
Nev. Er.
A. Gain.
“You’re
lying,” Xander said, his eyes locked on her. “You know how I know? Because you
can’t look me in the eye when you say it, Mercedes.”
Keeping
her eyes locked with his, just to prove him wrong, Mercedes argued, “I think
you forgot one little detail about last night. It was your idea. You’re the one
who needed my help on a demonstration. A demonstration , Xander. Nothing
more.”
Xander
didn’t say a word in response, so Mercedes continued. “Oh, and get this,” she
added sarcastically, recalling the email she’d received just a short while ago.
The one that had made her damn near
me.”
“We
certainly will, won’t we, doll?” Shane said to Mercedes with that damned pretty
boy smile.
She
didn’t answer, but Xander didn’t need her to.
Shane
didn’t waste any more time, nodding his head at Xander. “I’ll catch up with you
later.”
“Later,”
Xander called after him as Shane darted out of the office.
Xander
listened to his friend’s footsteps down the hall, then across the Travertine
entry way and then finally when Shane opened and closed the front door behind
him.
As soon
as he knew they were alone, he turned his attention back on Mercedes. “There is
no way in hell you’re going to the club tonight.”
Chapter
Five
Mercedes
didn’t know how she managed to keep from cracking her keyboard right in half
when Xander spoke.
She
inhaled slowly through her nose and then out through her mouth as she tried to
control the anger that snaked its way into her bloodstream and threatened to
burn her to a crisp.
The man
had balls; she’d give him that.
She could
handle a lot of things, such as Xander being an asshole when it came to his
business dealings, but she damn sure didn’t do well with anyone telling her
what she could or couldn’t do.
“Last I
checked, you don’t make my decisions for me,” she told him, grateful she’d
managed to hold on to some semblance of calm.
“The hell
I don’t,” he bit out.
Mercedes
clamped her jaw shut, afraid if she didn’t, it just might hit the floor. Never,
in all the time she’d known Xander had he talked to her like that.
The man
was clearly delusional.
Taking a
deep breath to calm herself, Mercedes got to her feet and moved around to the
front of the desk to where Xander stood. She crossed her arms over her chest,
keeping her back straight, her chin up as she approached him.
“Excuse
me?” She couldn’t go nose to nose with him because he was several inches taller
than she was. But she did meet his eyes. “Is there something we need to talk
about?” she asked him curtly.
“No,” he
bit out. “As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t anything to discuss,” he argued,
sounding not at all like the calm, confident man she knew so well.
“Well, I
think there is.” Mercedes took one measured step back, not wanting to crane her
neck as she argued with this insufferable man. “What the hell is wrong with
you?”
“ Me? What the hell is wrong with you ? Do you not remember anything that
happened last night?”
“Yeah,
actually I do,” she answered abruptly. “I remember going to Devotion with you
to help you with a demonstration. That’s what that was, right? A demonstration?
Nothing more, nothing less? As a favor to you, I was your assistant, if I
recall correctly.”
Xander
exhaled sharply, but he didn’t look away, the smooth skin on his freshly shaven
jaw taut, that telltale vein at his temple giving away his true frustration.
“It was more than that and you fucking know it.”
“I don’t
know anything of the sort,” she lied.
Yes,
Mercedes could classify what happened between them as un-fucking-believable.
But it was a fluke. A stroke of luck. Inconvenient timing. Strange alignment of
the planets. Call it what you will.
She knew
it had never happened to her before, but what Xander didn’t seem to understand
was that it would never happen again.
Nev. Er.
A. Gain.
“You’re
lying,” Xander said, his eyes locked on her. “You know how I know? Because you
can’t look me in the eye when you say it, Mercedes.”
Keeping
her eyes locked with his, just to prove him wrong, Mercedes argued, “I think
you forgot one little detail about last night. It was your idea. You’re the one
who needed my help on a demonstration. A demonstration , Xander. Nothing
more.”
Xander
didn’t say a word in response, so Mercedes continued. “Oh, and get this,” she
added sarcastically, recalling the email she’d received just a short while ago.
The one that had made her damn near
Similar Books
