Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
brITTANY
B rittany woke up the next morning certain she had not died, since death had to feel better than she currently did. If it were up to her, she would fall back to sleep and try to be unconscious for the worst of her hangover, but alas. Her mouth was a desert of sand, and her bladder was full enough to be threatening an accident she’d never forgive herself for.
She forced herself to roll over in bed, discovering that she hadn’t actually woken up on her own. Her phone was on the nightstand, plugged in next to a large glass of water, and the alarm was currently going off like it was begging to be thrown out the window.
Brittany sat up the least amount that she could manage and drank from the cup, guzzling the whole thing down in a way that had her stomach rioting almost as much as her head. Memories from the night before flooded in—the horrible fight with Gus, dancing with Dev, and the many, many shots of something called “The Health Potion” that was proving to actually be quite the opposite. She remembered Gus appearing out of nowhere, scooping her up in a way that made her breathless and taking her home. Putting her in his bed, that still smelled like him and drove her wild.
And then, with horror, she remembered exactly how much she had told him while she was drunk. Last night, Brittany would’ve given anything for him to join her in that bed, and with a wince, she remembered pleading with him to touch her.
Of course he hadn’t. But she remembered his words, weaving together what he would do to her if the situation were different, if she wasn’t drunk and they were allowed to touch each other, and oh lord, she now had to spend all day with him at a convention pretending she didn’t know what he would do to her body if they both just gave in.
She steeled herself, standing with only a slight swaying of the entire room, and carefully made her way to the door, noting with chagrin that her ankle had a lot to say about how she had danced the night before. Brittany pushed into the bathroom, doing her business and then staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was practically green. Her makeup was a shallow approximation of what it had been the night before, the circles under her eyes showing exactly how little sleep she had gotten. She washed up, leaving her skin bare, and carefully stepped out of the bathroom toward the main area, ready to face whatever lecture Gus had prepared for her recklessness last night. She knew she deserved it.
Brittany stepped into the living room, her eyes finding Gus in the open kitchen, working on breakfast. He looked up, immediately putting down what he was doing and coming to her, nothing but concern in his eyes.
“Hey, let’s get you to the couch.”
He helped her sit, only touching her as was necessary to steer her there, propping her foot up on a pillow. Satisfied, he left and came back with more water, a sports drink that promised electrolytes, and a bottle of painkillers.
“I’m doing some plain toast and eggs right now. Coffee will be ready in a minute. Stay here.”
He went back to the kitchen to do whatever he was doing. So far, Gus was patient and kind and understanding and Brittany suddenly found she was very, very annoyed.
“Just say it.”
“Say what?”
“Whatever lecture you’ve had brewing in you since we got back. Lay it on me already. The suspense is killing me.”
“I haven’t been working on a lecture.”
She snorted. “Please. You probably have a list of grievances in the notes app on your phone.”
“I’ve never used my notes app in my life.”
“That’s weird and you know it.”
He just shook his head, focusing on his sizzling pan.
“You have nothing to say?”
“Not a thing.”
“Not even about Kyle?”
He paused at that, and Brittany felt a moment of victory as well as a moment of disgust with herself. Who was this person itching for a fight?
“If I had anything to say about last night,” he finally said carefully. “I would keep it to myself. It’s not my place to question your actions, or to lecture you on your behavior. I’m an employee, and you’re my client.”
Brittany hadn’t really been prepared for how much that hurt, even though she recognized the words. She felt the bitterness, the unfairness of it all rising inside her, and needed to unleash it somehow.
“So you don’t care if I spend the rest of the weekend fucking Kyle.”
Gus walked toward her, his eyes stormy, and she wondered if she had finally gotten to him, but all he did was hand her a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, and then placed her coffee on the table where she could reach it.
“Who you fuck isn’t my business, Brittany. You made that very clear last night.”
She stared down at the breakfast he had made her, after taking care of her the night before, after watching her act like an idiot on the dance floor, after the horrible fight they had had where he laid out what he wanted and she had been too scared to try.
“What if I want it to be your business?” She almost whispered it, so quiet it was possible he didn’t hear her. But the tension that filled the room, the electricity that felt like a current zapping through everything around her was palpable. She glanced at him, saw his eyes were dark with thought as he stared at her so intensely her hair stood on the back of her neck.
“What changed? Last night you didn’t want me near you. What’s suddenly different?”
Brittany didn’t know how to answer that. Because the truth was, she felt the loss of him when he left her in that photo booth, felt the deep regret and pain when he walked away that she didn’t think she could stand it. That emptiness was why she had thrown herself into the party, and why she had started on the drinks.
She looked away from him, not able to meet his eyes. But she told him the truth.
“I can’t watch you walk away again.”
It was so quiet she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had left the room.
“If we do this…” his voice trailed off just as Brittany’s eyes snapped up. He was still in the kitchen, his hands on the counter, leaning forward as if bracing himself. His tone was calm, but his eyes were burning. He swallowed hard, and she watched his throat, wondering what it would be like to taste him there. To taste him everywhere.
“If we do this, we do this together. I can’t be thinking that you’re waiting to sneak out to go meet up with douches at parties.”
She nodded, excitement building. “Same for you. If we do this, it’s just us.”
“And once one of us is done, we’re both done. No hard feelings. No temper tantrums. No water damage to my condo.”
He gave her a stern look at that, and fuck her life, it was sexy.
“Don’t give me a reason to torch your place, and I won’t.”
He smirked at that before growing serious.
“I’ll handle Robbie.”
Brittany winced. “He doesn’t have to know. If you want. We can keep this secret.”
“I want him to know.”
“Oh.”
They stared at each other, the tension building, and Brittany could feel herself grow warm. Fuck, if he could do this just by looking at her…
“When?” Even she could hear how husky her voice had become.
Immediately, he stood up from where he had been leaning against the counter and started toward her, his steps purposeful and his eyes so full of heat Brittany was sure she was going to come before he even touched her.
And then, because the universe hated her, there was a knock at the door.
“Fuck,” Gus bit out, and Brittany agreed with the sentiment wholeheartedly. He stormed to the door and pulled it open to reveal a tall, slender Asian woman with a short-cropped hairstyle that Brittany liked to call “I’m hot, go fuck yourself.” Another man was with her, muscular, a little shorter than Gus, older and bald. The Asian woman didn’t flinch at the stormy look on Gus’s face.
“Good morning to you, too,” she said. She strode in like she had been to Gus’s condo before, and Brittany sat up straighter, not sure what was going on, but knowing somehow that she wasn’t going to like it. The woman scanned the area, and then approached Brittany on the couch, putting on a professional expression.
“Ms. Jenssen, my name is Valerie Shang. I own Shang Security. It’s nice to meet you in person, even under these unfortunate circumstances.”
Brittany eyed her warily. “You’re Gus’s boss?”
“Mr. Lozano is an employee, yes.”
“Okay.”
Brittany didn’t know what was happening, and the whole situation was weird. She didn’t know how to talk to this woman and the man she had brought with her when only moments ago, she had been ready to strip and beg Gus to touch her. The whiplash was discomforting.
“I’ve been notified that you would prefer a different security agent, so I’ve come personally to introduce you to Curtis. He’s been with me for almost ten years, is ex-military, and is one of my most requested security personnel.”
Curtis stepped forward at that, holding out his hand for her to shake, which she did on reflex, still trying to figure out what was going on.
“Um, it’s nice to meet you, but I think there’s been a mix-up. I didn’t ask for a new guard.”
Val glanced at Gus, so Brittany followed her gaze to find Gus was glaring at Val as if he could shatter her with his eyes. Unfazed, Val turned her back on him and focused on Brittany.
“Mr. Lozano mentioned he was going to be unavailable for the remainder of your trip here in Kimball, and he wanted to transition you as smoothly as possible.”
Brittany’s blood froze. He had asked for someone to replace him. He was going to leave her. The fight last night had been too much for him, so he had pulled the parachute with his boss. Brittany didn’t even know what to say to that. She was shocked and hurt, and even though she understood it, she was sliced down the middle.
“Oh, okay. Sorry, this is a surprise to me. I guess just let me get my things together and—”
“Fuck that, no. Brittany, stay where you are. Val, my schedule’s opened up, you don’t need to replace me.”
If Gus was a live-wire, Val was nothing but cool, calm water. She gave him a neutral look, then turned back to Brittany.
“Let me speak with my employee for a moment. Curtis will be here if you need anything.”
And with that, Val stepped out of the condo and into the hall, Gus hot on her heels. The room was silent once they left, either speaking incredibly quietly or the door was super thick, because Brittany couldn’t hear anything.
Trying to gather herself, Brittany turned to Curtis. “Can I get you anything?”
He nodded. “I’ll get myself a glass of water. I saw in your file you’ve injured your ankle, so it would be best if you rest it as much as possible. I’ve been briefed on your schedule.”
He went to the kitchen and helped himself, and Brittany didn’t know what to do. He seemed like a nice guy. Capable. Ready and willing to keep her safe.
He just… wasn’t Gus.
But Gus had apparently told his boss to get him off her case. Which meant she needed to move on.
“Curtis, I actually have to set up a stream for today. Could you help me?”