“You don’t need to transfer the files. We won’t be taking your account.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m telling you I’ll bring you my account—my very large account—and you’re telling me no thank you?”
I nodded. “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We don’t do business with guys like you,” I said.
“I have an account worth well over ten million dollars,” he argued.
“Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll find a new firm.”
“I’d like to talk to Saige,” he said.
“No. That will not happen. In fact, I’m telling you not to contact her ever again.”
“You can’t do that,” he scoffed.
“I can and I am. Don’t bring her into this. This is my firm. I decide who we take on as clients. Not her.”
“Is this because I said she had a nice rack?”
“Have a good day,” I said and turned to walk away.
The man had the audacity to grab my upper arm. “Don’t,” he growled.
I jerked my arm and stepped up to him. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“You’re fucking her.”
“Shut up and leave. Now.”
“You didn’t put a ring on it. Not that it would stop me, but don’t act like you own that fine piece of real estate. Saige looks like she needs a man that knows a few things. You’re a young pup. You don’t know what it takes to please a woman like that.”
I was going to kill him. “Say her name again, and you’re going to be drinking through a straw for the next six weeks,” I hissed.
“Are you threatening me?” He smirked.
I slowly shook my head. “I never make threats. I do, however, make promises. Your ten-million-dollar company will be destroyed if you fuck with me or her. Do you understand me?”
“And how exactly do you think you’ll destroy me?”
“Do you know who I am?”
“I don’t give a shit who you are. Young bucks like you are a dime a dozen. You burn hot and fast, and next year, you’ll be wallowing in your own shit.”
I smirked. “Not a chance in hell, but I’d be willing to wager on it. I bet that by this time next year you will be on the street with your hand out. I’ll own your company. I’ll own it and then I will dismantle it. Get out. Don’t ever come in this building again. Do not contact her or I will follow through with my promise.”
I walked away and directly to Saige’s office.
“How’d it go?” she asked. “Is he bringing the account over?”
“No. I’ve told him to take his business somewhere else. I will not do business with a man like that.”
Her mouth dropped. “You’re joking.”
“I never joke about business.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about it. This is my firm, and I will not allow that man to step foot in my office again.”
She scowled. “Do you know how business works?” she asked sarcastically. “We grow by bringing in accounts. We sink if we get pissed and fire clients.”
“I won’t sink.” I walked away and headed for my own office. The moment I got into the office, I closed the door and stripped off my jacket. I loosened my tie and flopped in my chair. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
Chapter 43
Saige
I scrambled the eggs, spacing out while the eggs sizzled in the pan. I couldn’t figure out what happened yesterday. Things had been going well, and then bam, they weren’t. He left shortly after the Eli situation. I didn’t know what was said between the two of them, but something had gone bad. Very bad. He didn’t even say goodbye when he left.
I flipped the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. “Jace,” I hollered.
“I’m not hungry!” he shouted back.
“It’s time for breakfast,” I said. “Please, come and eat. We need to get going.”
He stomped into the kitchen. “I don’t want eggs.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Is Joss taking me to school today?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you want eggs?”
“Fine. Is Caitlyn going to be here?”
“Of course, she is.”
He scrunched up his nose. “I don’t want to go to school with her!”
“What?”
“I’m not going to school. I don’t want to go with Caitlyn!” He rushed out of the kitchen. The door slammed a second later.
I blinked and tried to figure out just what happened. “What the hell?” I muttered. First Nash, now Jace. “FML.”
I buttered the toast and put it on the plate before going to check on Jace. I knocked on his door. “Jace, can I come in?”
“I don’t want to go with Caitlyn,” he said.
I pushed open his door. “I made your breakfast. You need to eat before school.”
“I said I’m not hungry.”
“I know what you said but breakfast is important.”
“No,” he said.
“Jace, why don’t you want to go to school with Caitlyn?”
He walked past me and into the bathroom. Once again, he slammed the door. The doorbell rang a second later. I shook my head and walked out to answer the door. “Hi,” I said with exasperation.
“What’s going on?” Joss asked.
“Long story,” I said.
“Caitlyn, why don’t you go make yourself some toast?” she said.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Jace is not in a good way.”
“I was going to talk to you last night, but I had an emergency client last night.”
“What happened?”
She pulled me into the living room. “He’s having a hard time at school again,” she said in a low voice.
“What? How? Why?”
She slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry. These kids are just assholes.”
“Is it the same bullshit? The ‘he’s not a real boy?’”
“Something along those lines,” she said.
The way she said it told me there was more to the story. “And?”
She looked down at her feet. “And Caitlyn stood up for him.”
I shrugged. “That was nice of her. I’ll thank her.”
“No, you don’t understand,” she said and actually looked pained.
“I guess I don’t. What am I missing? Have I had my head up my ass the last week? I feel like I’m in a dark room and can’t see or hear anything.”
“Now the kids are making fun of Jace because a girl had to defend him,” she explained. “Jace is mad at Caitlyn for sticking up for him.”
“I’m sorry,” Caitlyn said and came into the room. “I saw those boys being mean and I got mad. I told them to leave Jace alone. Then they started making fun of him and calling him a girl.”
“She wasn’t trying to embarrass him,” Joss said. “She was doing what she thought was right.”