Chapter 25 #2
“Go ahead and tell them all. Make an announcement to the entire building,” she grated, though fear pulsed inside.
“I’ll survive. Because I’m not walking away.
I’m here because I believe in what I do, and I’m good at it.
” Outrage flared hot in her chest, her belly.
“How dare you threaten me? For what? Because I didn’t leap into your arms and thank you for giving me another chance?
Did you really think I was so damned needy I’d come back the moment you crooked your finger?
You broke up with me!” she shouted, uncaring who heard.
“I didn’t do this to us, you did. And now you’re angry because I’m being honest and telling you that you’re better off without me? ”
She poked a finger in his chest. The rage in his expression didn’t dissipate, but he took a step back. “Go ahead, Joel. Tell them. Tell everyone. I’ve survived worse, and I’ll survive this. Fuck you, asshole.”
Diana spun on her heel and marched toward the building, dragging her controlled access card from her purse and pressing it to the reader when she got inside.
Her cheeks flamed and acid boiled in her stomach.
She didn’t want people to think she couldn’t accomplish anything without her family connections, but she also wasn’t going to cave in and do whatever he wanted just to keep him from talking. How dare he threaten her like that?
Her temper was still at the flashpoint when she reached her desk, throwing her purse down and heading for the coffee pot. Alex had made coffee for her, but she could use more. Maybe she didn’t need the caffeine, but she wanted it. It was that or go find Joel and strangle him.
Ackerman was in the break room, pouring a cup of black liquid in a mug. He looked up when she stormed over. “Whoa, what happened to you? Do I need to go kick some ass over at One Shot Tactical?”
“You’d get your ass kicked if you tried. But thank you. And no, it wasn’t anyone there.”
“Probably right,” he said with a grin. “Those dudes are big and badass. But I had to offer.”
She snatched a cup, peeled back the tabs on three creamers, and dumped them in.
Ackerman poured her coffee while she fumed.
Joel had always been so predictably even keeled and dispassionate.
But that? It was like that silly movie where the cute little gremlins turned into hellish demons when you got them wet.
He knew her real name because she’d been stupid enough to tell him once when they’d been sharing things about themselves, but she would have never thought he’d threaten to use it against her.
“You gonna tell me about it or you want to be pissed a while?”
She grumbled. “It’s personal shit. Joel ambushed me in the parking lot with a speech about getting back together. When I said no, he dropped the nice guy act and said a few choice things that I’m still processing.”
“Whoa.” He shook his head. “Men can be assholes when they don’t get their way. You know that.”
“I think lots of people can be assholes when they don’t get their way. I guess I didn’t expect it out of him.”
Ackerman leaned against the counter. “I never understood what you saw in him if I’m honest. Not my business though.”
“I thought he was nice. Attractive. Plus, we both work here, which means fewer explanations about workloads that keep you at the desk after hours, or bad moods because it was a shit day dealing with criminals. Clearly, I was wrong about the nice part.”
“I’m sorry it happened, but glad it wasn’t Bishop that pissed you off. I liked him the first time we went out there. And whether you believe me or not, I could see you were attracted to each other.”
She gaped. “You’re making that up.”
He shook his head. “I’m not. Your nostrils flared and your pupils dilated whenever he was near. He did the same. He could barely take his eyes off you to look at me. Hell, I thought he’d ask you out at some point, but you just kept circling each other every time we went out there.”
“Since when did you become an expert in attraction?”
He elbowed her, smiling. “Being single in my fifties and hitting the clubs taught me a lot.”
“Apparently.”
They walked back to their desks. “Believe me, I know not every woman is attracted to a man my age. Helps to know what the signs are so I’m not that creepy old dude hitting on a woman half my age.”
“You’re a good guy, Ackerman.”
“I try. Think the world would be a better place if we all tried harder.”
“I can’t argue with that.” She typed in her password to pull up the files they’d been working on. Then she looked over at where Ackerman was doing the same. “Hey, how did the hot date with the line dancing lady go?”
He frowned. “It didn’t. She ghosted me.”
“I’m sorry.” She hesitated. “Okay, now hear me out—do you think maybe nightclubs are the wrong place to be looking for companionship?”
“Probably. But it’s something to do at night when my house is too quiet. I can’t watch TV night after night or read books like you. I’m an extrovert. I need people and noise.”
“Why don’t you come to the Founder’s Fest in Sutton’s Creek this weekend? There’ll be booths around the square, hayrides, and free concerts in the park. And you can’t miss Colleen Wright’s ghost walk cemetery tour.”
He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?”
“No, but she does. She’s quirky and, swear to God, strangely perceptive about things she shouldn’t know anything about. You might meet someone at the fest, and that’s so much better than a club, don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll think about it. You going?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yep. The One Shot group has a booth. Daphne’s idea. I’m going to go and laugh at Alex while he smiles and hands out the flyers Daph managed to get printed practically overnight. He’s more anti-social than I am, so it’ll be fun.”
Ackerman shook his head as he chuckled. “Strange relationship you two have. But you seem happy.”
He had no idea how strange it was. Or how fake. Except the sex, of course. That was anything but fake.
“I am happy.”
It might be based on a lie, it wasn’t destined to last, and the only thing real was the sex and the affinity she felt when she was with him.
But damn if those things weren’t fantastic.
And worth the risk to her heart.