Page 56 of The Boss
“You need a cab,” I countered. “You can’t drive home, and I don’t–”
She wasn’t listening. She was passed out.
“Motherfucking–” I bit back the rest of the curses. I needed to decide what to do now. I could call Angus, but he usually had a standing dinner date with his daughter on Wednesday evenings. I’d always respected that, taking other forms of transportation on the odd Wednesday’s I wanted to go out. I didn’t intend to interrupt his dinner because my ex had done something stupid.
I could still call a cab, but now I remembered that I didn’t have a key to her place, which meant I’d either have to dig through her purse or pockets to find hers or I’d have to break in. Neither of which were good options since she could end up feeling vindictive enough to accuse me of something.
Which meant the best option I had was to let her stay here.
I really didn’t want to do that, but it was the choice I could live with.
After I got her settled into a guest room, I went to the kitchen to find something for dinner. I was halfway through my reheated stew when my phone rang. Finley’s name on the screen was the only reason I answered it, and as soon as I had, I wished I hadn’t.
“What the hell are you thinking, Nate?”
I wasn’t sure which surprised me more: the intensity in his voice or the fact that he hadn’t made his usual polite small talk before getting to the reason for the call.
“If you tell me what you’re pissed about, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.”
“Ashlee Webb. I thought we agreed that you needed to leave that girl alone.”
I put down my fork, my food forgotten. “Are you spying on me?”
“I don’t need to spy on you, Nate. You’re rarely as discreet as you think you are, especially when it comes to someone who knows you as well as I do.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that he was the only person who knew me well, the only one I didn’t hold at arm’s length. It didn’t mean he was my father, though. He couldn’t tell me what to do.
“Spit it out, Finley,” I snapped.
“I saw her leaving your office this afternoon, and I took the elevator to the lobby with her.”
“And?”
“And I’ve seen enough of your women to know what they look like after you’ve…had your way with them.”
I barked a laugh. “Had my way with them? What is this, some gothic romance novel? There’s nothing wrong with consensual sex, Finley. And honestly, I’m surprised you’re being so prudish about it.”
“Prudish? There’s nothing prudish about this.” The frustration level in his voice was as high as I’d ever heard it. “She’s youremployee, Nate, and she could ruin everything we’ve worked for if she decides she was coerced into sex with you.”
“She won’t do that.”
“And how do you know that?” he asked.
“She hasn’t yet.”
He sighed. “You’ve got to walk away from her. She clearly isn’t going to heed my warnings. Maybe she’s gathering as many complaints as she can before going public or trying to blackmail you. Or maybe she’s some innocent kid you’re taking advantage of, and if that’s the case, there’s a special kind of place in hell for people like you. Stop messing with her before you do something you can’t take back.”
I stared at my phone as the call ended.
What in the actual fuck was that?
Thirty-Five
Ashlee
I wasn’t goingto have sex with Nate. Again.
I repeated that every time my mind started drifting toward my boss and everything that came with it. Which meant it was in my head nearly non-stop until Mr. Hancock gave me a set of figures to look over. I’d never been bad at math, but double-checking the list of expenses for the event with the various receipts took all of my concentration. I was grateful for it.
