“Can I help you?”
“Yes, you can. What floor is Mr. Stone’s office on?”
“Floor forty-seven, madam, but I’m afraid you’re not allowed there unless you have an appointment. He’s in a meeting.”
“It’s okay. I’m his girlfriend. He’s expecting me.” I smile convincingly and head toward the elevator. Yeah, his girlfriend who doesn’t know where his office is. Super convincing, Dayton.
Still. Meeting or no meeting, this shit gets sorted today.
I take deep breaths as the elevator takes me to the top floor. It’s all glass doors and walls up here, and it takes me seconds to find the boardroom Aaron’s having a meeting in.
I push the main doors open and walk right past his receptionist, who does her best to stop me. I ignore her calls of “Miss, miss! You can’t go in there!” and shove the door open.
Six men in tailored suits sit around the table. Aaron is at the head of it, and he slowly comes to a stand when he sees me. Silence descends on the room as everyone turns to look at me, eyebrows rising and lips pursing as eyes settle disapprovingly on me.
“Dayton?”
“Who the f**king hell do you think you are, Aaron Stone?” I point my finger at him. “How dare you!”
He smiles apologetically at the shocked faces between us. “Excuse us, gentleman. It appears I’ve done something to anger my girlfriend.”
“Anger? This is beyond damn anger! You’ll be lucky to be breathing when I’m done with you, you presumptuous bastard!”
Aaron takes my shoulders and pushes me from the room. He leads me across the floor, past his bewildered receptionist, and unlocks the door to what is presumably his office. I don’t pay any attention to the room around me as we step inside and he releases me.
“I’ll be back in five minutes.”
The door shuts behind me, and my mouth drops open when I hear the click of a lock. I grab the handle and shake it. That ass**le! Where the hell does he get off locking me in his office—again?
I pace angrily, my fists clenched at my sides. Thankfully his office doesn’t have glass walls. I’d probably bear a great resemblance to a caged animal to anyone walking by. A rabid bear or hungry tiger are my guesses.
I stop and perch on his desk, leaning my head back with a deep sigh. Pacing is doing nothing but hurting my feet. Stupid f**king boots. I pull the evil heeled boots off and look around his office.
The windows to my side are floor to ceiling, giving an uninterrupted view of Elliott Bay and the fat, green-and-white ferries running back and forth between the city and Bainbridge Island on the opposite shore. It’s a soothing sight, and a little of my anger trickles out of my body.
The desk I’m perching on is thick glass, perfectly cleaned, and covered in neat stacks of paper and files. I lift some of the files, drag my fingertip across the glass, leaving a long smear across it, and smile. Immature, yes, but now I feel slightly better.
Aside from a leather corner sofa at the far end of the room and two leather chairs in front of me, the rest of the office is empty. Nothing on the walls, nothing telling where the two doors behind me lead to…
The lock clicks once again, and Aaron strolls in surrounded by an aura of calmness. Like I didn’t just storm into a meeting and scream at him.
I fold my arms across my chest and watch him as he shrugs off his jacket and hangs it on a hook behind the door. He brings a strong hand to his neck and loosens his tie, his nimble fingers deftly undoing the top button of his shirt.
A flutter hits my lower stomach. I may be vibrating with anger at him, but he really does look hot as hell right now. He’s tall and commanding, and when he finally turns to me, I can see his own annoyance in his eyes along with a glare of pure power.
His gaze flicks to my feet before roaming leisurely up my body and finding mine once more. “Making yourself at home, Dayton?”
“Why not? For all I know, I could have been here for a while. You should really get a coffee machine in here if you’re going to lock women in your office.”
“Not women. Just you.”
“I’m flattered. Really.”
He tilts his head slightly to one side, and his lips curve into that smirk that’s so dangerously alluring. “Care to explain why you interrupted my meeting?”
I mirror his movements. “Care to explain why you called my agent and threatened her with closing her business if she didn’t let you buy me indefinitely?”
“I told you, Dayton. No one but me gets to touch you.”
“And I told you, Aaron. You lost that right when you f**ked me over and broke my heart.” I stand. “Threatening Monique was absolutely unnecessary and marks you as a downright bastard in my books. How dare you do that to her when she kept your secret from me?”
“I wouldn’t have shut her down. I was calling her bluff.” He walks around his desk, and I stand, following him with my eyes. “I may not understand her chosen…profession…but I respect her.”
“At least you respect someone.”
His eyes flash at my words. “I have never disrespected you.”
“No, of course not.” I laugh bitterly. “You only lied to me about your wife. Remember that? Oh, yeah.” I tick that off on my fingers, and a bit of the righteous attitude leaves his eyes. “And you continue to push me, and then you freaking buy me, yet again, when I’ve made it quite clear I have no desire to have anything to do with you now. You continue to force me into situations I’m not comfortable with. Where’s the f**king respect in that, huh, Aaron? Because it’s lost on me.”
He fiddles with the cuff link at his wrist, his eyes steadily holding mine as he does so. The intensity in his stare makes me tremble a little, and the silence lingering heavily between us is uncomfortable. Turn-around-and-run-like-hell uncomfortable.
He places his hands flat on his desk, leaning toward me. “You’re right. Lying about Naomi to you wasn’t respecting you at all.”
“Thank you.”
“But I refuse to agree with the second part of your statement. If you were uncomfortable around me, sweetheart, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
“I’m here to kick your ass, not f**k you.”
“You’re here because, regardless of my paying for you, there’s nowhere else in this world you’re supposed to be.”
I know he’s right, but the tug in my heart that wants me to move closer is still clouded by my anger.