Chapter 28
28
S am deserved a trophy.
In fact, she deserved an entire truckload of acting awards for the performance she put on today.
She’d been the epitome of the efficient personal assistant, like her boss wanted. Because that’s how Dylan had behaved all day, like a tyrannical boss who demanded nothing less than perfection from an employee.
There hadn’t been a hint of the intimacies they shared last night, not to mention their steamy session in the shower this morning.
Instead, he pretended as if nothing had happened between them and she picked up on his cues and followed suit. After all, it was for the best. They had no future beyond next week and it was time she started to believe it.
“Could you pass me that document?” Dylan pointed at the pile of papers to her left while studying the invoice in his hand.
“So much for the magical P word,” she muttered, resisting the urge to throw the paper at him.
“Don’t be childish.” He glared at her as if she’d uttered an obscenity.
She quirked an eyebrow. “Since when are manners considered childish?”
He ignored her and returned to studying the document, while her temper rose several notches. She’d tolerated his barked commands and surly attitude all day, knowing she could only take so much.
Though he’d been demanding over the past few months, he’d never been rude, and she wondered if his churlish display today was designed to push her away.
If so, he was doing a fine job of it.
She took a calming breath and returned to adding the column of figures she’d been working on, wishing her life was as easy to compute.
“By the way, we’re leaving as soon as we’ve finished this pile.”
She looked up in time to find him staring at her with the oddest expression—a bewildering mix of confusion, regret, lust, hope—before he quickly returned to the paper in his hand.
“Thanks for the notice,” she said, wondering what had happened to the easy-going camaraderie they shared before last night.
Rather than bringing them closer as she’d anticipated, their interlude had widened the gap between them to massive proportions.
“I’m not in the mood, Samantha.”
That did it. She’d had enough of his condescending tone and all-round bad attitude for one day.
Standing, she slammed the completed spreadsheet on the table in front of him, and stalked toward the door, only pausing when she reached it.
“Pity you didn’t say the same last night when I came onto you. Would’ve saved us your immature performance today.”
Shocked, he gaped, but she didn’t give him a chance to reply.
“I’ll meet you out the front in fifteen minutes,” she said, hoping her voice wouldn’t quaver. “After all, our business here is finished.”
She walked away, head held high, while for the second time in as many days, Sam fought a useless battle against tears as she silently cursed the man who had turned her world upside down.