Bronagh #2
However, she was beyond hearing him. She began wailing loudly, drawing heads to turn and stare. I wanted to slap her, but figured that wasn’t the way to go in a roomful of people in my fiancé’s club. Suddenly, Troi appeared.
“Escort Briar to my office so she can recover,” Cathal told his bodyguard.
“Gladly,” was all Troi said.
“No, I need to speak to him! This can’t be real,” she bawled.
Troi had to drag her away. Whispers were coming from all around us. Cathal looked down at me.
“I’m sorry, leanbh. I want you to stay here with Dario and Cashel. I’ll be back once I take care of this.”
His other two guards had joined us without my noticing.
“No, why don’t I go with you while you deal with her? I don’t think it’s wise for you to be with her even if Troi remains. Two men with a woman isn’t smart. She can say you did something to her,” I warned him.
He seemed to think about what I said for several moments, then he nodded.
“Okay, if you’re sure you want to. She’ll say things that you might not want to hear.”
“Cathal, I know you had sex with her. It’s obvious. I doubt she’ll be the last upset woman I have to face. You told me that an O’Sheeran being taken off the market is news. I agree. And it’s also disappointing. Let’s get this over with so we can get back to the tour.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You’re fucking amazing,” he told me.
I let Cathal steer me through the throngs of people until we reached the elevator.
We got off on the fifth floor and then walked to the far end on the right.
There was a closed door. He scanned his thumbprint, and the door unlocked.
We swept inside. Dario and Cashel took up posts on either side of the door in the outer hall.
Inside, I found a large, tastefully done office, similar to the one he had at home.
Briar was seated in a chair in front of his desk, crying.
Troi stood against the wall, arms crossed, pretending not to hear her.
When he saw Cathal, he rolled his eyes. The door shutting got Briar’s attention. She shot to her feet.
“Cathal, this isn’t funny. How could you bring this woman here and have her lie to me? I know she’s not engaged to you. You told me you never wanted a wife or kids.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. That was the opposite of what he’d told me. For a moment, unease crept in.
“Briar, sit down and listen. I’m only going to do this once. And after that, if you continue to make scenes, you’ll be removed as a member of the club,” he said firmly.
Her mouth dropped open, and shock spread over her face. Without waiting for her to say anything new, he led me to a couch. We sat on it. Cathal held my hand.
“I told you that I wasn’t looking ever to marry because I wanted it clear that no matter what we did together, I wouldn’t marry you.
I tried to prevent you from hanging your hopes on something more than play and sex between us.
That’s all it was or would ever be. You’ve been with others in this club, and you’ve never expected or thought it would lead to more than it was.
So why this sudden fit? You don’t love me. ” Cathal told her plainly.
“Oh, yes, I do! I love you so much, and I know you have feelings for me. It’s not fair,” she snapped.
“What’s not fair is you thinking that you should get Cathal when what you really see is a meal ticket, not him as an individual. You want his money and power,” I said. It was clear as day to me. Yes, she desired him sexually, but the bigger draw was who he was.
“Shut up, no one asked your opinion. You’re the one who’s after his money,” Briar snarled.
“I don’t need his money. I have plenty of my own. I work and take care of myself. The fact that he’s an O’Sheeran and wealthy doesn’t matter to me. I’m with him because we love each other,” I countered.
“You’re a damn gold-digging slut! I refuse to lose him to someone like you!” Briar shouted, then she launched herself toward us. Her hands were raised, displaying the claws she had for nails.
While we’d been talking, she’d paced and kept coming closer.
I saw Cathal wave off Troi, who had moved toward us.
I’d been prepared for her to go from crying to psycho.
I recognized the type. When she figured out she couldn’t change his mind with tears and proclamations of love, she’d get ugly. I was right.
As her hands closed in, I lashed out, bringing up my leg. She ran into my heel. I shoved hard, which caused her to stumble back and fall on her ass. As soon as I leg-checked her, I stood, then I stomped over to her.
“You bitch! I’ll—” Her shout stopped when I placed my heeled foot on her neck. I didn’t press hard, just enough to get her attention.
“Don’t come at me like a cat with your claws up. You want to do this, fight like a real fighter,” I told her. I didn’t yell it. I spoke calmly, then I lifted my foot away.
Her sniffling continued for several moments before she rolled and got to her feet. I wasn’t sure if she’d do anything more or spew more smack talk.
“Cathal, how can you let her treat me this way?” she whined.
“You started it. Bronagh is just finishing it. You should learn to watch what you say and do. And you know that I don’t put up with drama.
That was always a hard rule, Briar. And this act, that you love me, is ridiculous.
If you did, you wouldn’t have fucked other men inside and outside of the club.
If I had feelings for you, I would’ve told you and not been with other women. ” He told her briskly.
Briar’s gaze slid from Cathal’s over to mine, where she glared, then to Troi, where it turned pathetic.
“You’ve seen him with me. He always came to me more than anyone else. He wouldn’t do that if there weren’t feelings there,” she aimed at Troi, who pretended to be blind, deaf, and mute. Frustrated when he didn’t respond, she looked back at Cathal.
“You can’t marry someone when you have feelings for another woman,” Briar said to Cathal.
“I have no feelings for you or any woman but Bronagh,” he countered.
“Does she know that you’ll never be faithful to her?
That you’ll come here and slake your urges on women who know how to satisfy you?
I can tell, this isn’t her scene. She dressed the part, but she’s not part of our world, Cathal.
I’ll give it a month. Tell the truth. Your family is making you marry her,” Briar smirked cruelly at me.
I felt my stomach cramp at her words. It was as if she’d found what my insecurity was.
I thought that it had been snuffed out, but there seemed to be one tiny percent left.
And Cathal knew it. I didn’t stiffen in his arms. My facial expression didn’t change.
I don’t think my breathing did either, but his hand tightened around me.
“Briar, your patronage is revoked at Wicked Desires. You will be escorted to retrieve anything you brought, then you’ll leave. You’re no longer allowed in any Wicked Desires, not even as someone’s guest,” he told her coldly.
“You can’t do that!” Briar cried.