“I’m sure I CCed you on all of it.”
“You did not.”
“Maybe not, but I definitely told your lawyers.” He has the gall to smirk, like this is a positive development. “You put them in charge while you were out of town, remember?”
“Why? Just to try and get me laid?”
“Do I look like someone who would spend that much money just so my friend could get a date.” Ness stretches his long neck, and leans back in his chair. I hope he tips over.
“You look like exactly the type of person who would do that.”
He smiles broadly this time. “I was doing you a favor.”
“It is not a favor! She is furious! She thinks I planned it! That I did this just to be closer to her!”
“She’ll get over it.” He waves a dismissive hand.
“She won’t. You don’t understand.” I take a deep breath before admitting, “I didn’t tell you everything.”
“What didn’t you tell me?” Ness still grins, clearly not understanding the gravity of the situation.
I sigh and throw myself into one of the sleek leather chairs in his office.
I unload everything. I tell him about the weekend Piper and I spent together. Not the sordid details, not about how she cried, or how good her pussy tasted, or how I came in my pants just from touching her.
I tell him how she left me, and why she left me.
“You stalked her?” Ness asks after my story has trailed to a finish.
“I didn’t think of it as stalking.”
“Not stalking?” Ness’s hand tightens around a pen. He doesn’t yell, I’m not sure he’s capable of really getting angry, but this is the closest I’ve ever seen him. “What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking,” I admit. “It was just instincts and idiocy.”
“Damn straight, it was. You are an idiot. An absolute doofus. An imbecile.” Ness seems unable to move on to a new thought.
He puts his face into his hands, like he could wipe away all the stupid things I’ve told him, before he stands up, crosses his office and opens a cabinet. A fancy shelf automatically rolls out, bottles of alcohol and drink ware clink as it moves. He pours a tall glass of amber liquid and then stares at me.
“No thanks,” I say.
“I didn’t offer you anything.” He keeps staring.
I squirm in the silence between us until I can’t help blurting out an attempt at an explanation. “I never expected to see her again.”
“You’re an imbecile.” He downs his entire glass of Scotch in one long-necked gulp. His tone remains even tempered. “A complete and total dumbass. What are we going to do now?”
“Nothing,” I say. “I’ll leave again. She asked me to leave her alone. I’m going to do that.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No! I don’t! I want—” I don’t know what to say after that. “I love her.”
Ness’s shoulders slump. “Of course you do. I’m the real idiot here. I thought you just needed to be honest with her. I thought if you got over yourself, asked her out a second time, it would fix everything. Christ, Pontius.”
“I told you that it was over! I never expected you to buy her company behind my back!”
“We can still fix this.” He pauses, pouring himself a second glass of Scotch while he thinks. “You cannot talk to her. You cannot speak to her. You cannot utter a single word to her. Do you understand?”
