A hand slips between the doors just before they close. Mitch presses the button and they open, giving me a clear view of the man standing outside. My jaw drops.
Asher?
“Violet?” He gives me a puzzled look as he steps inside. “What are you doing here?”
I could ask him the same thing.
“I… live here.”
“Oh. Really? So do I.”
What? I didn’t know that. Stella didn’t tell me about it. Besides, I’ve never seen him here before, though I guess it’s entirely possible for two busy people not to bump into each other even if they’re living in the same building.
Still, I don’t like the fact that we’re living in the same building one bit. But I do love my apartment, so as long as he stays out of my way, then…
“You didn’t ask Mitch to press the button for your floor,” Asher points out.
I look at the button for the thirty-fourth floor. It’s still lit.
“Oh, but I did. I…”
I stop as I realize none of the other buttons are lit, which can only mean one thing. No way.
Mitch chuckles. “Congratulations. It looks like you’ve finally met your neighbor.”
What the hell?
Chapter Five
Asher
“I want her out of The Mistral by tomorrow,” I tell Ethan as soon as I find him in his office at the mansion.
He puts down the piece of paper he’s holding and lets out a sigh.
“Who did you sleep with this time?”
I frown. “What?”
“The last time you asked for someone to be kicked out of The Mistral, it was a woman you slept with,” Ethan reminds me.
I remember. “A woman who turned creepy and started stalking me.”
After our one-night stand—and I did make it clear to her that that was all it was—she made it a habit to camp outside my apartment. She would even ambush me whenever I was in the pool or the gym. Worst of all, once while my apartment was being cleaned, she snuck inside and hid in my bathroom, popping up just when I was about to take a shower. I sued her for trespassing and had Ethan kick her out of the building.
“You do have that effect on some women, don’t you?” he says. “So, who did you turn into a creep this time?”
“Nobody,” I answer. “I haven’t slept with anyone staying at The Mistral since then.”
“Wow.” Ethan’s eyebrows arch. “Maybe I should give you a cookie.”
I ignore his remark and draw a deep breath.
“I’m talking about Violet Cleary.”
Ethan’s expression turns serious. “Did you sleep with Violet Cleary?”
Did he not hear what I just said?
“No, but judging from your question, I’m guessing you know she lives at The Mistral.”
“I do.”
“And do you know she’s my neighbor?”
He pauses a moment. “I do.”
I give him a puzzled look as I cross my arms over my chest. “Didn’t you warn me to stay away from Violet Cleary? And yet you’re okay with us being neighbors? What is this? Some kind of test?”
Ethan goes through the papers on his desk. “It’s nothing personal, Asher. Violet Cleary is the top executive we gained from the Odermatt acquisition. She needed a place to stay. I felt it was our responsibility to find her one, and the apartment next to yours just happened to be the best option.”
“Bull.”
Ethan narrows his eyes at me. “I thought you’d be thrilled. Why aren’t you? Is it because of your new rule about not sleeping with women who live at The Mistral?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Violet may be attracted to me, but she’s determined not to have sex with me, not after she nearly did at a party years ago and I went home with another woman.”
Ethan’s eyebrows furrow. “Wait. You had met before Zurich?”
“Yes. At Wharton.”
“And you were dating?”
“We only went out once and like I said, that ended disastrously.”
“And you never thought to tell me?”
“I didn’t think it was any of your business,” I answer.
“The women you sleep with aren’t my business either, but you tell me about them anyway,” he points out. “Or is it because you didn’t sleep with her? That’s why you didn’t tell me?”
“I never thought I’d see Violet again,” I tell him. “I didn’t even recognize her when I met her in Zurich.”
“You didn’t?”
“She had contacts on. And you know how I am about names.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, she hates me. She’d sooner hurl herself over a cliff than sleep with me.”
“I can see why.”
“Then you can see why I can’t live with her.”
“You’re not living with her, Asher,” Ethan says. “She’s your neighbor.”
“Exactly. We live in the same building. On the same floor. I can’t have that.”
“Because?”
I raise my shoulders. “I already told you. She hates me.”
“Lots of neighbors hate each other.”
I let out a breath of exasperation. “Ethan.”
He taps his fingers on his desk. “You know what? I don’t understand. You say she hates you, but you’re the one who’s here asking for me to kick her out of the building.”
“Would you want to live next to someone who hates you?” I ask him. “Anyway, just find her a new place.”
I turn towards the door.
“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Ethan speaks. “Seeing someone you want every day, knowing you can’t have her.”
I glance over my shoulder. “Yeah. I know that’s how you used to feel. But I had nothing to do with that. Besides, you’re not suffering anymore, okay? So just spare me the pain.”
“I can’t.”
What?
“You already dumped her on me at work. I already have to suffer at work. Can’t you let me have some peace after work?”
Ethan shrugs. “You can find your own place if you really want.”
And leave all my stuff behind? Give up that amazing pool on the rooftop? And the gym that I helped design?
“No.”
“Then stop whining like a child and just grow up and deal with it, Asher.”
My jaw drops. Didn’t he hear a word of what I just said? I came all the way here just to ask for his help. I poured my heart out to him. And this is how he treats me? I’m his brother, for fuck’s sake.
“I’m busy.” Ethan turns back to his papers. “Are you staying for dinner?”
My jaw clenches. “Fuck you.”
I leave his office and slam the door behind me.
I should have known Ethan wouldn’t help me. Ever since he got himself a pregnant girlfriend, he’s stopped caring about me and Ryker. Well, he can shut himself in his office and rot behind his desk for all I care.
I scratch the back of my head as I walk down the hall. When I see Stella, I stop.
Has she been out here the whole time? Did she hear my conversation with Ethan? It doesn’t matter.