I simply point to the only office with an open door and he nods before shoving me hard with his shoulder when he passes me by. Asshole.
“Nice to see you too, brother,” he mumbles.
Gracie’s eyes widen in surprise when she hears him and I can see her connecting all the dots.
She pulls her hands over her face to hide behind them, before whispering, “I didn’t know.”
I’m so angry with Aaron right now that I don’t even bother trying to explain all of this to Gracie. I simply walk away and try to convince myself not to murder my brother in my new office.
Fourteen
“What the hell just happened?” Jamie asks as the entire office falls into an eerie silence. You can barely hear the sounds of keyboards clicking as people get back to work. I slide into my desk chair and sink real low, resting my head on the high back as I let out a deep sigh.
“Aaron is Drew’s brother,” I say quietly, processing the last five minutes.
“Aaron Maxwell is Drew’s brother?” Jamie blinks.
I nod my head and close my eyes, recalling our dinner where Drew shared very limited information about his brother with me. I didn’t make the connection with the different last names and a sudden wave of nausea hits me.
“Huh,” she says with a shrug. “They’re nothing alike.”
I couldn’t agree more. I had no idea who this cheerful Southern California boy was when he waltzed into our office this afternoon. He gleefully walked through the office, stopping at every desk to introduce himself as Aaron Maxwell, the managing director of the Public Relations division of AM Global Advertising in California, and he was here for a meeting with Drew, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.
I know of Aaron Maxwell. Everyone does. But what I didn’t know is that Aaron Maxwell is Drew’s brother. Maxwell? I shake my head, trying to think. Where does that name come from? My mind is all over the place trying to piece all of this together.
Regardless, that boy has charm and a dimple that could drive a girl crazy. A dimple just like Drew’s. I saw the way Jamie was looking at him, but for some reason, he honed in on me. He found me, introduced himself with a handshake he wouldn’t release, and then took a seat right on my desk, showing me photos of his clients in today’s online tabloids as if we were old friends.
He’s friendly, engaging, and downright adorable. But it was when he started talking about the competition dancing show, the most popular show on television right now, that a crowd gathered around us in the office. He has two celebrity clients competing against each other and the stories he was telling had everyone intrigued.
But then he decided to show the group some of the dance moves one of his clients is performing. He yanked me from my chair to demonstrate, and that was when Drew appeared out of nowhere. Just as Aaron slid one hand around my waist and pulled me close, so close, before dipping me back and twirling me around. I couldn’t help but laugh at the insanity.
But the look on Drew’s face was absolute rage. So far, I’ve never seen Drew angry or snap at anyone in the manner he did with Aaron.
“Earth to Gracie!” Jamie snaps her fingers, getting my attention. “Are you going to go in there?”
“Where?” I ask, rubbing my temples harder.
“There.” Jamie points to Drew’s office across the hall.
The sounds are muffled but noticeable. Two grown men shouting at each other.
“You can hear them fighting,” she whispers.
I groan. “Everyone can hear them fighting.”
One glance around the office and I can see everyone sitting still and doing their best to listen to the argument behind the closed door.
“I don’t think I should go in there,” I tell Jamie. Just the thought sends my heart fluttering in panic.
“You have to,” she tells me, one bossy eyebrow raised. “Drew can’t do this in the office; it’s unprofessional.” She waits, then adds, “And he’s your boyfriend, so go make it stop.” She smirks at me.
“Dammit,” I grumble, pushing out of my chair. My knees are knocking against each other, I’m so nervous.
I stand in front of my desk, both palms resting on the surface as I will myself to go to Drew’s office and stop whatever madness is happening in there.
“Hurry up,” Jamie urges me along, clearly not worried about my impending doom.
“Shut up,” I hiss at her. “I’m going.” I narrow my eyes at her as I pass her desk and she breaks into a fit of laughter. I promptly raise my middle finger and she throws her head back, laughing even harder now.
“Go get ‘em, tiger!” she whisper-yells at me.
Ugh. I wish I was a tiger, fearless, intimidating, and ready for a fight. But I’m not. I’m scared and full of worry of what I’ll find behind that door.
My feet feel heavy as I take my time getting across the office. I pause just outside of Drew’s door, where I can hear every word of their argument clearly.
“Fucking touch her again and I’ll murder you!” Drew shouts and I hear laughter in return. It’s Aaron laughing at Drew. I raise my hand and rap lightly on the door, only their loud voices drown out the sound.
“It’s like you can already hear her screaming my name while I fuck her, huh, Drew?”
Oh, shit. I shove the door open just as Drew’s fist connects with Aaron’s face. With a loud thud, Aaron slams into a wall and Drew lunges at Aaron to get in another punch.
“Stop it!” I yell, reaching for Drew’s arm, and I catch his elbow to my face in the process. “Shit!” I sink to my knees, white stars filling my vision.
“Oh, shit, Gracie.” Drew’s voice breaks as I feel his arms pull me into him. “Oh, fuck,” he says, both of his hands now cupping my face. My cheekbone feels like it’s on fire. Automatic tears flood my eyes because of the sting.
Drew tries to pull my hand away to assess the damage.
“Stop!” I yell as I catch Jamie running into the office. I can barely make out her form through my blurry eyes, but I hear the office door close and she steps into action immediately.
“Gracie,” she says with worry, bending down to get a better look at me.
“It was an accident,” I tell her. “I was reaching for Drew and caught an elbow,” I tell her, wiping the tears from my cheek.
“Mine was not an accident,” Aaron grumbles from the floor behind us. He must have slid down the wall because he’s now sitting with his back pressed against it and his knees propped up. He’s wincing and covering his left eye with his hand.
Jamie stands up and walks over to Aaron, bending down to check him out. “It’s like fucking toddler time on the playground in here,” she admonishes, pulling Aaron’s hand away from his eye. “Instead of using our words like adults, we’re resorting to temper tantrums and beat downs.” She turns her head and glares at Drew.
“Gracie,” Drew says quietly, ignoring Jamie. His voice breaks and I hold up my hand to stop him.
“What is this all about?” I ask, looking between him and Aaron.
Aaron smirks but doesn’t say anything.
“Gracie,” Drew starts again.