One of these days, you lot are going to have to stop doing illegal shit.
This was true. We'd have to stop the habit. But we knew our opponents were always playing dirty.
Emma squeezed my hand. "Are you okay? You seem tense."
I smiled and then reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Nah, just thinking about something."
"Anything I can help with?"
I shook my head. With Middleton on the plane within hearing distance, there wasn't much we could discuss other than basics. Her mum's impending visit. My mother's insistence that we needed another reception to include her mother and all of her aunts. Emma did mention her father, and it felt like a betrayal in that moment not to tell her he’d paid me a visit.
I’d struggled with it for the last couple of days, but other things always seemed to require our immediate attention. And then this morning… Well, to be fair, this morning wasn't my fault. She'd woken me up with a blow job. So I'd been in no position to think of anything clearly. So the subject might have to wait until we reached Barcelona.
I cleared my throat. “Okay, there is something I wanted to get your thoughts on. I don't know what it means yet though.”
“Fire away, my thoughts are all yours.” She shifted in her seat to face me directly.
“The morning after our little misadventure, I got a call from a solicitor. Burkes and Associates.”
Emma lifted a brow. ‘Our misadventure? You mean when you kidnapped me”
“Bygones love, bygones.”
“Nope. I'm still angry. Matter of fact, you might have to make it up to me when we land.” Her grin was saucy as she added, “What did the solicitor want?”
“I'm not entirely sure. Something to do with my grandfather’s estate. They need me to go into their office.”
“Okay? What do you think it means? And do you think your father knows about this?”
“No bloody idea. But they've been rather insistent on speaking with me. So, I don't think this is something he can take care of. I honestly don't think it's something he knows about.”
Her brow furrowed. “I mean, if it's something to do with the estate, maybe it has something to do with money. But not sure that makes sense. The Edgerton estate has so many holdings. And well, you have a fortune of your own.”
“That's the thing. That's what I don’t get. But it distinctly sounded like this was something that I needed to take care of. They've been very insistent.”
“Okay, then we'll see them when we get back. Who knows, this might be the answer we've been looking for as to why your father is so insistent on ruining your life.”
“That's where my mind is going too. I just haven't been able to put much focus on it because we've had bigger fish to fry.”
As if Middleton could hear me, he sat up straight and closed his laptop. "Okay, Emma, if your husband will allow it, we'll head straight to the offices when we land. And then there are some people I want you to meet. We’ll have a casual cocktail hour, and then afterward, the team will have dinner together, and then there will be drinks."
She laughed. "You said a lot of words, and it seemed to be a lot of things to do in one night. I am only attending the client meeting.”
He scowled. "You recognize you're here for a work event, right?"
"Yes, and you're telling me that cocktails are part of the work?"
He pressed his lips together. "It's a team bonding experience."
"Fine. What time will we be finished?"
His gaze flickered to me and then back to her. "When I say we're done."
I lifted a brow. "Wow. I see why so many of your employees leave."
I could have directly made a comment about his RFP bid for the Zicks account, but I didn't. His animosity toward me was well known, but he would punish Emma. So I deliberately made my voice louder when I whispered to Emma, "Look, you know what you need to do. When you get home, I'll be waiting." Just to let him hear it.
She checked her itinerary. "Tomorrow, all that’s scheduled is the team meeting, and then it says we have free time.”
Middleton frowned at that. "Well, usually during free time, everyone unofficially hangs out and stays together. We explore the vineyards near the villa that we'll be staying in. It allows for great bonding time."
I glanced over at the other employees and their furrowed brows. The woman started furiously typing on her phone at that point. God, never once have I wished I was East more. I could hack her phone and find out who the hell she was texting and why she looked so damn confused. I looked back at Middleton. "Well, since it says free time, I will be taking my wife sightseeing. We're going to enjoy the day together."
He rolled his eyes. "As long as she's back for the team dinner."
"Oh, she'll be back. And it does say here that spouses are invited. So I'll make sure I'm in attendance."
He frowned again. "Bridge, I'm so glad that you could join us. It's not impeding our work at all,” he said sarcastically.
"I'm so glad to hear that."
I didn't have any proof, but he wanted Emma for himself. And he’d thought Barcelona would be an opportunity for him to make his move. I was going to have to be a lot more careful of him than I thought.
Thirty-Three
Emma
Barcelona started rocky and only got worse from there. On the second day when I had a free morning, Bridge took me sightseeing around the city, but we lost track of time, and I was twenty minutes late for the team meeting.
When I walked into the villa, I smiled apologetically at Middleton. "I'm so sorry. The traffic was so much worse than we thought. We were down by the wharf."
Frances scowled at me. "Are you serious about this job or not?"
"You know I am."
I needed to be done with this. I just wanted to be done and free. Why had I ever thought this was going to be a good idea?
You were trying to avenge your brother.
"If you're ready, I have the client files right here."
He slammed his hand on the desk in the conference room.
"What's the problem?"
"The problem is you're fucking with me."
I scowled. "No, I'm not."
"This is not a holiday for you and your husband. Your attention should be focused on me, on this company, on the obligations that you have. Instead, you're traipsing around at beaches?"
He was furious. I could see it on his face, the anger, the betrayal. "Hiring you was a mistake. I thought you were going to be something shiny to show off, keep the male clients interested. It turned out you are halfway decent at the job, but I can't fucking count on you, can I?"
I frowned. "I haven't missed a single item with a client. My work is impeccable. You're just pissed off."
He rounded the table, and I backed up a step. "Yes, I am. What makes you think it's fucking okay for you to be on your goddamn honeymoon right now?"
I tilted my chin up. "You can't talk to me like that."
"I'll talk to you however the fuck I like."