I knew Chelsea wanted him. I knew she was beautiful. I knew they worked a lot of hours together, but the feelings I felt toward her, had nothing to do with that. It never made sense to me, getting jealous because someone else wanted your man. I’d be concerned if no one else actually wanted him. The feelings I felt nagged at me because I knew she was deceptive, but because it wasn’t work-related, Colt couldn't care less.
Still, I made my way toward Colt’s office, where a secretary sat just outside his door. She was old enough to be my grandmother, sweet as pie, and held the same ire toward Chelsea as I did. However, she had to keep her mouth shut about it-I didn’t.
Colt arrived a few minutes later. I watched him walk through the cubicles. His stride demanded attention. His thick eyebrows set in a firm line as he talked on his phone while he approached us. I stood up from my seat and it put a smile on his face.
“I’m going to call you back. It seems I have a meeting to get to,” Colt told whoever was on the other end of the line. He ended the call and slid his phone in his pocket before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.
It made my toes curl before I tapped him on the shoulder and gently pushed him away. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I was certain everyone’s eyes were on us. Colt didn’t care. He wanted the world to know how he felt about me.
“What’s the matter, Nina?” He asked me as we stepped inside his office and he closed the door behind us.
“I have an odd question to ask you.”
He sat behind his desk and patted his lap for me to come and sit down, but I didn’t want to be distracted. I needed an answer to this because he may have sparked something unintentionally.
“This is serious,” he joked as he sat up and smoothed out the creases in his pants. “Alright, lay it on me.”
“Did you get Ray Lansing fired?”
Chapter 14
Colt
“I did.” I told her matter-of-factly. “There’s no reason the security guard for an organization you did work for followed you home and accosted you outside of your building, Nina. He’s lucky I didn’t have his ass arrested. How did you find out I got him fired?”
“That’s what he told me,” she huffed as she made her way toward the large windows with sweeping views of downtown Broad City. Something in her tone didn’t sit well with me.
“What do you mean by that’s what he told you? When did you see him?” I asked her.
She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. “I stopped at Cocoa Caffeine before I came here and he was there as soon as I stepped outside. He asked me if I got him fired. When I told him that I didn’t have any idea of what he was talking about, he yelled at me not to lie to him. He told me that I had some rich asshole call and file a complaint against him. Colt, why did you do that?”
“Because thatanimalbroke the law! He followed you. He scared you! He doesn’t deserve to work at any building you’re going to be working at!”
“That’s just it,” she let out a controlled breath, “I wasn’t going to work at that building ever again! That’s the beauty of my job, my career. I get to choose when and where I conduct my business. I wasn’t ever going to see him again.”
“Clearly, that’s not the case!” I slammed my hands on the desk to get her attention. “If you just saw him again, he’s still following you!”
“I don’t know that! You don’t know that! He could have just as easily been down here looking for another job becauseyougot him fired!”
It took every ounce of strength to take my anger and frustration down from boiling hot to a simmer. “Let me get this straight because I want to understand. You’re upset with me because I got some two-bit thug fired from his job after he stalked you home and harassed you? For fuck’s sake, Nina!”
“What if you getting him fired got him all riled up? And it was for nothing? What if those times we ran into each other was pure coincidence? Circumstance?”
“You’re not making any sense,” I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry if you care about the guy-”
“I don’t care about him! I don’t want him anywhere near me, but that doesn’t mean I want him to lose his job! You don’t get it. Coming from where I do, if you mess up somebody’s money, they’re going to come after you! And FYI, everyone from the west side of Broad City isn’t a two bit thug.”
“Don’t do that!” I shouted. “I calledHIM… Ray Lansing… I called him a two bit thug because his rap sheet, arrest record, and convictions say he is! You know damn well I wouldn’t generalize an entire portion of the city or people like that. You know me better than that by now! What the fuck are you doing with me if you think I feel that way, Nina? How long have you been holding that in?”
“I need to get out of here. I need to be around someone who’s going to understand where I’m coming from and not be defensive,” she shook her head and moved closer to the door.
“Nina, don’t walk away from me! You’re mixing up two very important issues and making a big deal out of nothing.”
“You don’t get to tell me how to feel or what to feel about anything! What you did was tantamount to pouring gasoline on a fire. Why couldn't you just leave it alone?”
“Leave it alone? And let the woman I’m in love with be tormented and followed by some creep who couldn't take no for an answer? You’re fucking kidding me, right? What’s the point in having all of this position, power, and money if it doesn’t make things move when you need or want them to? I will not have your life or mine threatened, Nina. I won’t.”
The finality of my words was all she needed to hear as her eyes welled with tears. She stormed out of my office, but before I could move to follow her, my secretary came in with my missed messages. This wasn’t one of those sappy romance movies where I got to chase the girl of my dreams in a scene of dramatic flair. I was still in the process of buying a company while running my own. There were decisions that needed to be made and I’d spent too much time already arguing with thewoman I’m in love with.
