“Maybe you didn’t hear me, Lex? I said, let her go.” Chase Drake stood still as a statue, his eyes blazing with dangerous intent as he surveyed the scene before him.
Lex held me tight for a moment longer, then let out a nervous chuckle and eased his grip.
“What’s the matter, Chase? Can’t keep track of your girl?”
I jerked my arm away and stumbled away from him, staring daggers at the man who may just have ruined one of the best things to ever happen to me when he grabbed me and kissed me. What was his game? Why would he do this to his partner? Hell, why would he do this to me? I’d barely met the man, but here he was trying to destroy one of the best things to ever happen to me.
My head still swam from that last shot of whiskey, but I braced myself against the wall of the hallway. The shock of the past few minutes had helped clear away some of the spinning queasiness, but I didn’t trust myself not to swerve on my heels just yet.
“It seems it’s you I can’t keep track of,” Mr. Drake spat. “Why, Lex? Why must you always try to ruin me? All the women I’ve dated, you’ve tried to steal away. Didn’t you realize it just showed me how fickle they all were instead of breaking me? How they were only interested in my wealth if you could tempt them away so easily?”
Lex’s eyes narrowed, the muscles in his jaw tightening. “Is it so hard to believe that someone would choose me over Chase Drake, golden boy?” He spat the last words, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
“I was never the golden boy, Lex. I just wasn’t an ass**le like you.”
Lex made a noise like a growl deep in his throat. Things were definitely getting out of hand. I edged slowly away from him, hoping to escape his notice.
“What makes you think she’s any different? Maybe she likes a man who takes what he wants, huh? Not some f**king boy scout...”
“Keep your hands off her,” Mr. Drake said, his voice calm despite the fire in his eyes. “I won’t ask you again.”
“Or what? What are you gonna do? What’s Chasey gonna do about it?”
Lex lurched toward me, trying to grab my wrist again, but I shrunk away. What the hell was going on between these two?
I screamed as Mr. Drake’s fist connected with Lex’s face.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down. I saw Lex’s eyes go wide, his arms shoot up too late, just before his head snapped back with the impact. I backed up fast, giving the two men space just as Lex lashed out, his fist swinging toward Mr. Drake’s stomach. Chase batted his hand aside and connected again with a vicious uppercut.
“Stop it!”
I covered my mouth with my hands, unable to look away, worried that this would get out of control, and maybe already had. Should I call for help? Or should I move in and get a couple of kicks in before the fight was over?
My head throbbed. Everything was happening so fast.
Lex landed a glancing blow on Mr. Drake’s face before he was tackled into the wall. The men were grappling now, grunting and straining as each tried to gain the upper hand. Mr. Drake pushed away and squared his shoulders, ready for the attack. Lex’s fist jabbed forward, but Chase was too quick for him, stepping aside, then following up with a blow to the face. Lex cried out and held a hand up, his fingers shaking. Blood poured down his chin.
“You broke my f**king nose!”
Mr. Drake bent down and ripped Lex’s pocket square out of his jacket pocket. “Go clean yourself up, Lex.” He tossed the handkerchief in his face. “It’s over.”
Lex Smith straightened up, holding the cloth to his face. Red blossomed onto the fabric as he stared at us both in a way that made my skin crawl. Then, he made a lewd gesture and slunk down the corridor, disappearing from view around the elevator banks.
I stared at Mr. Drake, not quite believing the scuffle that had just occurred between two grown men. I was torn between being appalled and impressed, especially since Lex had gotten a well-deserved beat down.
“Come, Isa. You’ve had a long night.”
He opened the door of the penthouse suite and gestured for me to enter. I shook myself out of my state of shock and made myself move, planting one foot in front of the other until I was safely in the room and deposited on the edge of the bed.
Mr. Drake sat beside me, breathing heavily. A cut above his eye was starting to trickle red.
“You’re bleeding.” I grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and dabbed gently at it, stopping when he winced.
“I’ll be fine.”
I lowered my hand, crumpling the blood-stained kleenex. “I’m so sorry.”
I looked down at his blood, staining my fingers, and noticed my vision beginning to blur as the tears welled up.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Mr. Drake’s hand cupped my chin, bringing my eyes up to his. A hot tear rolled down my cheek, and he brushed it away, the rough pad of his thumb more tender than a kiss.
“He... He just grabbed me. I tried... I tried to knee him, but...”
“Shh, Isa. I know. I believe you.”
His hand found its way into my hair, wrapping a loose curl around his fingers, caressing my neck. His gaze softened as he touched me, each stroke of his fingers through my hair releasing my tension until I felt like putty in his hands.
“Why does he hate you so much?”
The question was out before I realized it, my thoughts spoken aloud when I’d meant to keep them private.
Mr. Drake’s eyes narrowed, then focused out the window, over the twinkling lights of the city.
“He and I have known each other since prep school. Did you know that? As boys we were always together, our families close from summering in neighboring cabins by the lake.”
He ran his hand absently over my shoulder and down my arm as he spoke, making me shiver.
“Lex and I had so much in common, even though our personalities were so vastly different. We were both ambitious and bright, but Lex had a knack for getting into trouble. He loved pulling pranks and seeing how far he could push people before they reached their limits. His father was a hard man. An authoritarian with a penchant for drink.” He looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. “Let’s just say, they didn’t get along.”
His hands covered mine, his warmth calming me like a soothing balm.
“I was the opposite, focusing on working hard and lending a helping hand to my classmates. My mother used to say I saw the best in people... and that was the only reason Lex and I were close, but I don’t know. I just thought he went too far at times. His father used to praise me in front of him, talking about the two of us to my parents like we weren’t standing right there with them... Saying he wished Lex had my grades or my discipline.”