I went downstairs to work and tried to put all men out of my mind. I made a few more phone calls for Claire, and by the time I was done, I’d found three firms who were willing to take her on as a pro bono case. I lined up meetings for the following week for each of them to meet Claire with me present, and I prayed that one of them would be the perfect fit.
For lunch, Serena brought both of us roast beef sandwiches. I loved it when Kelly made roast beef because Serena would bring leftovers the next day. They were always so delicious.
And, even though it was just some phone calls and good food, I was starting to feel better about the day. It reminded me that I’d lived without Maddox Wolfe in my life for twelve years, and a few nights of hot sex didn’t change that.
But then five thirty rolled around, and as I was just finishing up work, the phone rang.
“Addison Graham’s office. How may I help you?” Serena said from the front room. She paused and then said, “Okay, I will let her know,” in a professional voice, and I had to smile. Serena sighed, and now, her voice was a little less professional as she said, “Yes, I’ll tell her.” She said, “Bye,” and hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, Serena got up and came to my office. “I’m supposed to tell you, your car’s finished.”
I smiled. She must have been talking to one of her uncles. That would explain the unprofessional voice.
“Great.”
The day was turning out even better. It would feel so freeing to be able to drive myself again. I laughed at myself. I hadn’t gone that long without a set of wheels.
I noticed that Serena was still standing in front of my desk.
“Sorry, did you say anything else? I was lost in thought.”
“No.”
But she didn’t leave.
“Is there something else you wanted to say?”
Serena looked down at her nails. “I was just wondering. Why was Uncle Maddox so mad when he found out I worked for you?”
I could feel my good mood slowly slipping away. I sat back in my chair to get a better look at my assistant. “What do you mean, he was mad?”
“He said, ‘What the fuck?’ when he found out. Then, he and my mom got into an argument. But, when I asked them why, he said, ‘It was a long time ago.’”
“Oh, he did, did he?”
“Yeah, I don’t get it. Because my mom and him also made references to you two doing it, like I’m some kid who doesn’t know what sex is. But I don’t understand why my uncle would be having sex with you when he’s obviously mad at you. Although he made it clear that it wasn’t going to happen again.”
Serena was kind of confusing me.
“So, let me get this clear. Maddox found out that you worked for me and he got mad?”
“Pissed.” She nodded. “Pissed would be a better word.”
“Okay, so he got pissed. And then he said the reason was because of something that happened a long time ago?”
“Yep.”
“And, to finish it off, he said he wasn’t…going to sleep with me again.”
“Yes. Although he actually said he wasn’t going to give you any more rides. He said your car would be fixed today, but I know he meant other rides.”
That son of a bitch. He was making me out to be the bad guy.
The phone rang again, and Serena ran to answer it. “Hello?” Sigh. “Okay, I’ll tell her.” Sigh. “I said I would. Good-bye.”
She came back in. “Uh…that was Maddox, and he said that the shop closes at six and won’t be open again until Monday, so if you want your car, you’d better go and get it.”
“Since when are they closed on Friday and Saturday?”
She shrugged. “He must really be mad at you.”
What an asshole.
“Uh, Addison?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s already after five forty. You might want to go.”
“Fucker,” I said under my breath as I grabbed my purse and ran out the door.
The garage wasn’t that far away, minutes in the car, but running in high heels gave me only seconds to spare by the time I got to the door.
“Oh, good,” Sally said. “I was told you’d be coming, but I didn’t know if you’d make it on time, and I need to go and pick up my husband.”
I didn’t say anything because I was too busy catching my breath, but I pulled out my card and handed it over for her to run.
I signed the receipt, and Sally handed me the keys and my card. I shoved both in my purse.
“Thanks, dear,” she said as she grabbed her own handbag.
“Hey, are you really closed tomorrow and Saturday?”
Sally frowned. “No. Why would we be closed?”
Inside, I was seething. It took every bit of control I had to ask, “Is Maddox still here?” as calmly as possible.
“Oh, yeah. He’s in the back.”
“Do you mind…” I pointed to the back.
“Go ahead. I’ll see you later, Addison.”
“Later.”
I waited until Sally was at her car before I stomped to the back of the garage.
“Maddox,” I yelled, not seeing him anywhere.
He came out of the back office, wearing cargo pants and a T-shirt. “What?” he said with a look of scorn when he saw me, as if he were the one who had a right to be mad at me.
I was so furious; I didn’t know what else to do with my anger. I dropped my purse on the floor, walked over, and slapped him.
Maddox slowly turned his head back to face me. The fire in his eyes should have had me running for the door, but there was a part of me that knew, no matter what had happened between us, he’d never hurt me.
He grabbed me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder. I kicked and hit him the best I could, but he held my legs, and my hands probably felt like pebbles as they hit his big muscles.
He dropped me down on my ass onto the open bed of a truck and stuck a finger in my face. “You get to do that once. Don’t ever hit me again unless you’re willing to suffer the consequences.”
That was exactly the wrong thing to say to me, and reacting on pure instinct, I raised my other hand and slapped him again.
“You’re going to fucking get it.”
“I dare you.”
Maddox pulled my legs toward him, and my upper body fell backward. I caught my head before it hit the truck bed, but my back took the brunt of the fall.
“Ooph.”
Maddox took off one of my heels, and it went flying. Then, he did the same with its partner. I tried to kick him.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Teaching you a lesson.”
Maddox trapped my leg between his and the truck.
“What are you going to do? Spank me?”
He stopped what he was doing and tilted his head. “I was just going to fuck you, but now that you say that, a spanking might serve your spoiled ass right.”
I sat up and beat on his chest a couple of times. “You asshole. I’m not a spoiled brat.”
Maddox practically ignored me and flipped me over. He pulled down my pants and underwear to my knees and swatted my ass.
“Motherfucker,” I yelled. I scowled at him over my shoulder. “That hurt.”