“Answer me!” I tell him, glancing between Drew and Aaron. And something about the sight of them both sitting on the floor, something inside me stirs, something that can’t be explained, but I start laughing. Uncontrollably laughing. Three adults sitting on the floor of Drew’s office looking like we just had a bar fight. Drew, the owner of AM Global Advertising—the now owner of the best advertising agency in New York City—getting scrappy over what I presume is me.
“You’re all certifiable.” Jamie clucks her tongue, standing up. “I’m going to get ice for you two.” She points at Aaron and me. “Don’t open this office door. If anyone sees you all like this, they’ll think you’re nuts…and honestly, they wouldn’t be wrong.”
Jamie opens the door only a few inches and shimmies out, but not before peeking her head back in, directing what she’s about to say to Drew and me. “And keep your voices down or everyone in this goddamn office is going to know you two are fucking and Aaron wants in on the action.” She huffs indignantly then shuts the door, and I burst out in laughter again. It’s a case of the giggles and I can’t stop. Because all of this is simply ridiculous. My left hand holds my cheek as more tears come, but this time from laughter, not the bruise I feel forming on my cheekbone.
Drew and Aaron sullenly look between each other before their eyes land on me. I’m a mess. Crying and laughing with my blouse untucked and my hair wild. My cheek still burns, but honestly, I’m fine. It startled me more than it injured me. But here I sit, cackling like a lunatic, looking like I’m drunk.
“Why are you laughing?” Drew’s brows pinch in confusion.
I try to catch my breath as I look around the office at us. He stands up and straightens his suit jacket, tugging at the arms to smooth the expensive material. He bends over and reaches his hand out to help me up. I take it as he gently pulls me up and into a hug. His arms hold me tight and he presses his chin to the top of my head. “I’m so sorry, Gracie.”
I feel his body trembling. To ease him, I reach around and hug him back.
“It was an accident,” I tell him.
Aaron snorts.
“Fuck off, Aaron,” Drew says sharply. “I’d never lay a hand on her, ever.” And I know he means this. He’s been nothing but gentle and caring with me. Something inside me tells me he’d never intentionally hurt me, physically or otherwise.
“Is she why you bought Williams out?” Aaron asks, now pushing himself up. He stands with his back pressed against the wall while he straightens his disheveled clothes.
Drew releases me and I take a step back, tucking in my shirt and smoothing out my hair so that we all look professional again.
“No,” Drew snaps. “You know I’ve always wanted to expand, especially to the East Coast, and I got an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Bullshit.” Aaron’s eyes narrow with suspicion. “You bought a company based on some pussy you got a taste of.”
Drew yanks his fist back like he’s going to go for Aaron again, but I stop him with my hand to his chest. But then, instead of talking to him, something inside me snaps and I march straight across the office to Aaron Maxwell and, without a second thought, slap him across the face. Hard. I’ve never hit anyone in my lif e, ever.
Aaron yelps, “Whoa! Easy there, slugger. I don’t need a matching bruise on my right side!” And he smirks. The asshole smirks at me. Obviously, the slap wasn’t as hard as I thought it was. With his golden hair, blue eyes, and perfectly straight white teeth, he fucking smirks and then he winks at me.
“She’s feisty,” he says, looking impressed. “Just how I like them.”
I roll my eyes, knowing he’s only saying this to get a reaction out of Drew. I turn around and give Drew a look that tells him I have this handled. Taking another half step closer to Aaron, I narrow my eyes and whisper, “You’ll never know how feisty I can really be.”
He smiles, licking his lips and lowering his eyes to my chest just as I raise my leg and knee him square in the nuts.
A loud gasp fills the office and Aaron doubles over in pain. Now it’s Drew who is chuckling as he pulls me away. The office door opens and Jamie enters quickly with two bags of ice from the kitchen before closing the door again.
“Jesus Christ, what the hell happened now?” She looks at Aaron.
“Unfortunate accident,” I respond, feeling triumphant, though my heart is beating so hard, it might leap right out of my chest.
Jamie stops in front of me and lifts my chin to get a better look at my cheekbone before handing me a Ziploc baggie full of ice. She exhales disapprovingly. “There might be a little bruise. Hold the ice on it, and by tomorrow, you won’t even see it. Foundation will cover it up if it turns purple, but hopefully, it won’t.”
“Spoken like a true fighter,” I tell her and she winks at me. Jamie is the one who’s been in scuffles before, not me.
“And you,” she says to Aaron as she strolls over to him. “Need to stand up so I can look at your eye.”
“Can’t. Right. Now,” he mutters between groans as he holds on to the side of the small table in Drew’s office to balance himself.
I press the bag of ice to my cheek and Drew rubs his head, obviously upset about this entire situation.
“Man up!” Jamie says to Aaron and tosses him the bag of ice. He groans as he straightens and Jamie grabs his face. “You’re going to have a nice shiner tomorrow. Get the ice on it now.” Spinning around, she glances at me and Drew. “You two get out of here. I’ll stay here with Aaron and make sure to contain the office gossip.”
The words “office gossip” make my heart drop. This is exactly what I didn’t want. Drew glances at his watch and nods, but I shake my head in disagreement. I refuse to let Drew or Aaron, or any of this, come between me and my work. “I still have work to do.”
“Bring your laptop and do it at home,” Drew says unthinkingly.
“Home?” Aaron mumbles. “You two live together already?” How this asshole manages to talk through his pain and still piss me off is a true talent.
Drew throws his head back in frustration with Aaron, and in lieu of another argument, I submit, “Okay, but I’m working.” I look pointedly at Drew. “No distractions.” He studies me carefully, but before he speaks, I continue, “And you leave first, without me. Send the car back for me in an hour.”
“I’m not leaving you here with him.” He gestures angrily toward Aaron, who just rolls his eyes.
“Couldn’t try anything if I wanted to. She broke my dick,” Aaron grumbles.
Jamie’s eyes widen and she huffs out a laugh.
I look back to Drew to signal that all is going to be fine. He studies me for a moment, looking for something. A lie? Anger? But then his eyes soften when he sees I’m being serious and this isn’t open for negotiation. “Deal.”
I offer a tight smile to Jamie in appreciation for her help and take another moment to make sure I’m composed before leaving Drew’s office. I take a deep breath, pull my shoulders back, plaster the most sincere smile on my face, and leave.
Once in the hall, heads rise and eyes meet mine as I saunter as casually as possible back to my desk. That’s me putting on the air that not a damn thing unusual happened. And I must be believable, because heads simply fall back to their desks, phones, and laptops. I’m pretty sure it worked. If I could pat myself on the back, I would.