Chapter 20 Kinley
“Joe, hi!” I couldn’t walk away now.
Wyatt looked at Joe and rolled his shoulders like he was gearing up for a confrontation.
“Wyatt, this is Joe Sony, my previous boss. Wyatt Sterling is my current employer.”
As I made the introductions, Wyatt held out his hand.
“Wyatt Sterling. How do you do?”
Joe didn’t bother to shake it, though, and just looked at me with narrowed eyes. Oh well, what did I expect? He then turned to Wyatt and said, “Good luck. Hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Joe, I’m innocent. You know that!” I didn’t want to let him get away with that snide comment.
He laughed without humor. “I’m tired of hearing that BS. You’ve been hanging around Mark’s neck for a decade. You knew him. It’s insane that anyone believes you didn’t know what he was up to.”
I closed my eyes. I wasn’t in the mood to have this argument again. I didn’t have it in me anymore. But I didn’t want to appear weak, so I pulled myself together and said, “Actually, Joe, I don’t care what you think. The jury believed me, and that’s all that matters.”
He looked at Wyatt. “Man, if I were you, I’d fire her before she can do any damage.”
“Good thing I’m not an asshole,” Wyatt said.
“That’s the wrong attitude,” Joe scoffed. “Wait and see. You’ll find out.”
I shook my head. “Wyatt and I are moving on. There’s nothing more to be said.”
Then Joe launched into a horrible tirade. “But I’ve got a lot to tell you. You fucked that bastard for ten years. You knew what he was up to, and you never told me. You could have been a whistleblower.”
“I would have if I’d known, but I had no idea what he was doing,” I repeated. “I’m not going to have this conversation again. I’m sorry for what happened to us both, but it’s Mark who needs to apologize, not me.”
“You are so full of shit—” Joe was livid now, but Wyatt outshouted him.
“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” he exclaimed. Unfortunately, we were attracting a few stares now from people standing by.
“How do you plan to stop me? She’s a—”
“Don’t you fucking dare finish that sentence.” I was getting worried now, as Wyatt was positioning himself to land a punch, his fists curled and stance firm.
Joe’s eyes widened. He was used to people being intimidated by him due to his stature, but he and Wyatt were close in height, and Wyatt was way more muscular. But the last thing I wanted was for this to escalate into a fistfight.
“Let’s go,” I pleaded with Wyatt. “Please. He’s not worth the argument.”
Wyatt nodded, saying, “For you, I will.” He instinctively put an arm around my waist, and Joe didn’t miss it.
“Oh, you’re fucking him too? This is rich!” He fake laughed, adding, “That’s your MO, isn’t it? Well, I’d keep my bank account safe if I were you, buddy,” Joe said, now looking straight at Wyatt. “She’s going to drain it dry.”
Before I knew what was happening, Wyatt punched him!
“Shut your fucking mouth!” he roared as I gasped.
Joe did a double take before straightening up. To my horror, he hit Wyatt right back.
Oh my God!
Wyatt didn’t de-escalate the situation, though. Quite the contrary.
“Stop, please,” I begged the two of them as a bona fide fight ensued. “Please, stop!”
Several security guards came out of nowhere. They grabbed each man, pulling them apart. “For fuck’s sake, there’s no place for drunkards here,” one of them snapped.
“We’re not drunk!” Wyatt exclaimed.
“We’re only going to let you go if you leave the premises right away.”
“Wyatt, let’s go,” I said.
Joe started fighting with the security personnel as well. The man didn’t know when to quit.
“We’re going,” Wyatt said. “We’re so fucking going.”
I wanted the ground to open and swallow me up. What were the odds of us running into Joe? Then again, he did live in the area, and he loved wine.
I took Wyatt’s hand, pulling him toward the entrance. He didn’t put up a fight, but his body was full of tension.
“I can’t believe he’d talk about you like that,” he said, still fuming.
I started to laugh. “That wasn’t even that bad.”
“What do you mean?” Wyatt stopped, looking in Joe’s direction. He was still fighting the security guards. “What the hell is wrong with that guy?”
“Wyatt, let’s just go.” I took his hand, pulling him away once again. After we left the festival, I turned to inspect him. “You’re going to have bruises.”
“Yes, I am. He can pack a punch.”
“But so can you,” I replied, feeling oddly proud of him. My knight in shining armor. “A few spots definitely need ice.”
Wyatt touched one corner of his mouth. “Yeah.”
“Let’s get an Uber and go to my place so I can take care of them.”
He looked at me intently. “I have a counterproposal. Why don’t we head to my house? You can take care of me all you want. I’ll show you all of my bruises.”
My jaw dropped. Wait, did he just flirt? He wasn’t even mad at me or questioning me about everything?
My respect for him had found new heights. He trusted me, and that meant more than he’d ever know.
“All right.” I really did want to take care of him. I needed this man in so many ways.
“Perfect.”
Wyatt took out his phone and tapped the screen. A few seconds later, he announced, “Our Uber is already here.”
As if on cue, a black Ford stopped in front of us. We slid into the back, and my adrenaline was buzzing. I couldn’t stop looking at him. Wyatt stood up for me tonight. He’d protected me, and it meant so much.
Now I was trying to gauge where he would need ice. He had several red spots on his jaw. Damn it, I hated to see him hurting.
What a night!
“Thank you,” I told him in a quiet voice.
“Of course. I take care of what’s mine.”
God, I loved the sound of that, I really did.
“I’m really sorry for this,” I whispered. “I can’t believe we ran into him.”
“I can’t believe he talks to you like that. The bastard.”
“Joe didn’t used to be like that,” I said, then decided to share more.
“He changed after he found out about Mark. I guess it is hard to believe that I was clueless the whole time. I’m still coming to grips with it all myself.
” I sighed heavily. “Oh, Wyatt, I don’t know what to say. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Kinley, stop. You have no fucking reason to be embarrassed.”
I didn’t reply, just went back to checking him out. He grabbed my hand, moving his thumb back and forth over my knuckles. It was such a simple gesture, and it warmed my heart. Wyatt truly cared about me, and that scared me a bit.
It didn’t take long to get to his place, which was a surprise because we had to pass over the Coronado Bridge.
I knew Wyatt had to live in a mansion because Coronado was known for extravagant homes.
But when the car stopped in front of a huge old redbrick house, my jaw dropped.
It was humongous. Wyatt laughed at my expression, and we both got out of the car.
“You live here alone?” I asked. Oh no, I think I squeaked again. Ugh.
“Yeah. It’s huge, extravagant, and I fucking love it,” he said unapologetically.
“I can see why you would.”
“You haven’t even been inside.”
“I know, but it has such a fantastic vibe. I’ve always adored brick homes.”
After we got out of the car, we headed to the front door. There was still light outside, so I could get a good idea of the landscaping. The yard was beautiful, clearly professionally maintained. Then a security light flashed on as we got closer, and I could see how manicured the yard really was.
The inside was even better, the decor a mix of old and new.
Everything seemed made out of wood, even the light fixtures.
The living room was absolutely enormous, with several couches facing the spacious yard.
He even had a fancy pool. The large picture windows with black frames stood out because of the way the light filtered in.
Wow was the only word that popped into my head.
“This is a bachelor’s dream.”
He grinned. “It is. A large family used to live here, but my decorator did an overhaul after I bought it. Want a tour?” He lowered his jaw, moving it slightly. Then he winced. His skin was already turning red.
“First thing’s first. I’m here to take care of you. I need to know where your ice is.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I elbowed his arm, intending to tease him, but he grimaced.
“Oh shit. I hit a bruise?”
“Yeah. I didn’t even know it was a sore spot.”
“Come on, mister. I need that ice.”
The kitchen was around the corner from the billiard table. It was combined with a huge bar.
“I could live in this house and never leave it,” I mumbled.
Wyatt took a glass and pressed it against the ice dispenser on the fridge door, then handed it to me. “I’m of the same opinion.”
He grabbed two ice cubes from the glass, but I shook my head.
“No, no. I’m doing that.”
He dropped the ice cubes right back, grinning at me as we went to the couch in the living room. It was all leather and looked very comfy. Wyatt sat down, and I immediately climbed onto his lap.
Then I realized, “Oh, I need a cloth or something. Wait here.”
I dashed to the kitchen, spotting three clean dishcloths folded by the sink. I grabbed one and hurried back to Wyatt. Grabbing three ice cubes, I wrapped them neatly and then held it to the corner of his mouth where his skin was red.
“I can see the spots on your face, but you have to tell me where else it hurts.”
“Of course. I’ll happily guide you,” he said with a wink.
“Hey, I thought you were in pain. You lured me here under false pretenses.”
“You’re the one who offered to take care of me.”
Maybe he was just putting up a facade. I knew men didn’t like to admit when they were hurting. Dad was like that for sure. He’d walked into work with a broken ankle once. The boss sent him home when he noticed the limp.
Once I finished with his face, I cleared my throat. “Where else do you need ice?”
He lazily opened the buttons of his shirt all the way down, and then he pulled the T-shirt underneath up. There was a red bulge on the right side of his torso.
“Oh, that looks bad.” I frowned, hating that I was the cause of all of this.
“It doesn’t feel that way. Face is worse,” he replied as I held the ice there.
“Any other spots?”
“There is one that needs your attention immediately.”
“Oh my God, what did I miss?”
In response, he just unzipped his pants.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Wyatt. Seriously?”
“I go straight for what I want, Kinley.”
I laughed. “And I will happily oblige.”