8. Ivy
8
IVY
T his was it. The straw that officially broke the camel’s back. Sitting in a beautiful room in a beautiful lodge, forced to stay with a man whose skills in bed in no way outweighed his capacity for being a vindictive asswipe.
“I hope you’re proud of yourself.” I couldn’t look at him. My entire body was so tight and tense I could barely move. It took everything I had not to start screaming and maybe break a few things for good measure.
“It doesn’t have to be so bad,” he offered with a shrug after closing the door. The man lived on another planet. That was the only explanation I could come up with for his blasé attitude. “Everybody was pleasant and helpful about sharing rooms.”
“Stop talking,” I warned. He had the nerve to wander the room and make it sound like I was being irrational. My heart was breaking, and I was on the verge of collapse after working my ass off to put this together in no time, but this spoiled baby couldn’t let me succeed without throwing one more wrench into the works just because he could.
“You can always stay with one of your friends.” He set his bag on the bed and unzipped it as he spoke, already getting himself settled in. “That Brad guy would share his room with you,” he mused with a nasty little chuckle like it was all a big joke.
“I’m pretty sure I told you to stop talking.” My head snapped up so I could glare at him even as I fought back frustrated, weary tears. “And you have no right to make jokes like that. Why don’t you go and stay with Brad, instead? Or literally anyone else but me.”
I might as well have recommended major surgery with no anesthesia. “News flash… it’s not going to happen.”
“Right. Because you are so much better than everybody here.” The worst part was he didn’t bother contradicting me, only lifting a shoulder as he began to unpack.
“Stop.” I groaned. “We are not sharing this room, and we are not sharing a bed.”
“We’ve done it before,” he reminded me with a knowing laugh that made me wonder how he’d look with only one eye after I clawed the other one out.
And yet, my entire body insisted on reacting favorably to the memory. It didn’t matter what my brain thought about it. A shiver ran through me and made goose bumps race up and down my arms while heat exploded in my core. Not the time, not the time. He’s literally the devil.
“That was then,” I reminded him back. “Like I told you, I didn’t know at the time we would be working together, and neither did you.”
“You’re still going with that argument, Poison?”
I would lose teeth before much longer if I kept grinding them every time he called me that. “So help me, God, I will throw you out,” I whispered. When he had the nerve to snort, I stood and held him in place with my unblinking stare. “Try me.”
“Okay, for fuck’s sake.” He raised his hands like I was holding him up. “Things have happened, but you know, we might actually be able to enjoy ourselves.”
“Unlikely.” A horrible thought crossed my mind and almost made me forget how furious I was. “We can’t have people knowing we share a room. This isn’t going to work. You have to go.”
“Nobody needs to know. Unless you decide to start bitching about it to your friends.”
“I have more important things to worry about. Such as keeping this whole event on track.” When he didn’t seem impressed, I added, “You know, you don’t even have to be here. Why are you here, anyway?”
He paused in the middle of placing socks in the dresser. “This is my company.”
“It’s your father’s company,” I reminded him. He could pretend, but I wasn’t fooled. The reminder irked him to no end. “And considering how you think you’re so far above sharing a room with one of your employees, I can’t imagine you getting anything out of the experience.”
“Let me worry about what I’m going to get out of the experience.” He slammed the suitcase shut, his jaw tightening. “You worry about everything else. And don’t worry about what will happen if we have to share this king-size bed. Right now, I wouldn’t touch you on a dare, Poison.” He had a talent for sounding brutally dismissive.
“So long as nobody knows,” I reminded him, and his only response was a sigh.
What could I do? Short of killing him, which was still not completely off the table, I had no choice but to accept this infuriating turn of events. Since we were already running late, and my schedule for the evening was completely screwed as a result, there was no time to hash things out. “I need to get down to the banquet room. I need to make sure everything’s all set for dinner.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
I knew I should walk away, at least let myself cool down a little before I said anything that would get me fired. Then again, I had already said more than enough that would’ve had me packing my things under any other circumstances. Somehow, I was still employed.
“I just want to know why.” With my hand on the doorknob, I turned to him. He had the nerve to arch an eyebrow like he was genuinely unconcerned. “Why did you do that? Why go out of your way to sabotage me? I wouldn’t have done it to you.”
His features shifted, and for a second there, I thought he might genuinely feel sorry, but it didn’t last long. By the time he took a breath to speak, he was wearing the same unconcerned expression. “Maybe you deserved it after undermining me.”
“After you cut me out of that meeting,” I reminded him, my voice shaking with barely suppressed hatred. That was the excuse he was going with? “You know, it’s no wonder your father didn’t trust you to run things on your own because you are a complete child.”
Satisfaction spread through me at the sight of his jaw falling open as I made my exit. Good. Let him figure out he’s not playing games with somebody who would turn the other cheek when he insisted on acting like a bastard.
I only wished I didn’t feel slightly bad about saying it as I hurried down the hall on my way to the banquet room. If his feelings were hurt, he deserved it. Maybe he would learn not to cross me. Though, I doubted anybody had ever stood up to him the way I did.
Either way, he was old enough to handle it.
“Thank you all so much for bearing with us tonight.” When the room erupted in applause, I took a tiny bow. It was almost surreal. Standing in front of so many people, trying to keep the energy high and positive, I felt Lucian’s eyes on me throughout my little speech after dinner.
Let him stare at me now while sixty of his supposed employees applauded me.
“You’re all free to explore the lodge,” I announced. “There’s a nice lounge down the hall, in case you haven’t visited yet, and a game room past the lobby. The weather is supposed to be much better tomorrow, so it looks like we’ll be able to get out there for a hike before our mixer tomorrow night.”
There were a few whistles of appreciation when I brought that up. Somehow, Cynthia had managed to call in a favor and arranged for a popular band to perform at the party scheduled for Saturday night. There would be dancing, drinking, and unwinding after a day spent together.
Everybody seemed to be in good spirits by the time we broke up for the night, with some people talking about heading to the lounge while others seemed more interested in heading back to their rooms. I would’ve liked to go back to my room. I was exhausted and knew exactly the kind of long day I had ahead of me. What a shame I would have rather chopped off my hand than spend another minute with a vile piece of shit who wasted no time heading out after the post-dinner meeting was over.
“Why even bother coming?” I heard the question and turned to find the speaker, who was none other than Molly Kramer from Jones. “It’s obvious he has better things to do.”
Oh, how much did I want to agree with her? She didn’t have a clue just how far the man could sink. I could tell her stories that would curl her hair—one of Mom’s old sayings.
Thinking of her reminded me I had promised to call once things had wrapped up for the night. It also reminded me I still needed to play nice, even if Lucian was making it harder every damn day.
“I’m sure he’s got other things on his mind,” I pointed out as I approached the cluster of women hanging out near the doorway. “Not everybody in his position would join in on something like this. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.”
The words practically curdled in my mouth, but everybody seemed to accept them, even blushing and looking at the floor like they were embarrassed after getting caught. “So, what do you think of your rooms?” I asked, changing the subject when it was obvious I had made everybody uncomfortable. I was still getting the hang of this whole managerial thing, though I knew damn well I was better at it than Lucian could ever hope to be.
Funny, but I was dreading being alone with him only minutes ago. Now, I could hardly wait to point out what an uncooperative prick he was.
After saying good night to everybody still hanging around, I trekked through the lobby to the elevator. The lodge was more like a small city. I had scheduled free time tomorrow at Cynthia’s suggestion and now considered visiting the spa on the premises. If there were anybody in history who deserved a massage, it was me. The idea danced around in my head as I waited for one of the two elevators to arrive.
“There you are.” I recognized Brad’s voice before turning to find him coming my way. The rustic surroundings made him look even more like a model about to do something outdoorsy for a photo shoot. “Going back up so soon? I thought for sure you’d want to hang out, grab a drink with us.”
Was there any nice way to tell him I wanted almost nothing less than I wanted to do what he described? Sure, the alternative was going upstairs and facing Lucian, but at least then I wouldn’t have to pretend to be in a better mood than I was. I didn’t have it in me to be social, and it was that prick’s fault.
“I’m wiped,” I confessed with a weak shrug. “And I have so much to go over before tomorrow. I wouldn’t be any fun, anyway.”
“You don’t know that.” His blue eyes searched my face like he was looking for a hint of encouragement.
“I don’t know how I feel?” I tipped my head to the side and watched his face fall. “I think I know how I feel, Brad.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, I’m messing this up.” He ran a hand through his blond hair and sighed. “I was hoping you wanted to hang out. That’s all.”
“I’m awfully sorry to disappoint you.” I had to tread carefully. This would be a lot easier if I didn’t know he liked me. The saddest part was how I craved someone simple and uncomplicated like Brad. I knew where I stood. There was no screwing around, no games.
But I was his superior, which meant a whole other set of problems. That, and he had never sparked anything in me. We had no chemistry, unlike Lucian and me. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning at breakfast. And have fun,” I encouraged once the elevator doors finally opened so I could make my escape. “That’s what this weekend is all about, right?”
He didn’t look convinced. If anything, he looked even more disappointed than he was before. What? Did he think this would be the weekend when we finally got together? Oh, no, I hoped not.
One thing at a time.
My immediate problem was figuring out a way to coexist with Lucian without committing homicide. Not that I particularly cared whether he lived or died at the moment, but Mom needed me. I wouldn’t be much good to her in a prison cell.
My feet were lead blocks, but I dragged myself down the hallway anyway, my heart pounding in anticipation of what was to come. If only it didn’t feel like I was preparing for battle.
The shower was running when I opened the door to the room. He was humming in there, the prick. He even managed to sound happy. A man without a care in the world. That was how he had always lived, wasn’t it? And he had the audacity to sabotage me when he had lived life on easy mode all along.
While he was safely behind a closed door, I quickly unpacked since I didn’t have a lot of time to do it earlier. I was also feeling more than a little stubborn. Unpacking meant admitting there was no getting out of this situation. Fighting against it was a waste of time, though, and I didn’t want to make an ass out of myself by refusing to make myself comfortable on principle.
How were we supposed to share a bed, and why the hell did my body insist on tingling at the thought? Okay, so there was no real question there. The night we spent together was probably the hottest ever. It would be stupid of me, unforgivably stupid if I gave in to my body’s urges.
Lucian Diamond wasn’t just dangerous as far as my career was concerned. He was a walking nuclear bomb that could blow everything up and leave me scrambling to pick up the burned pieces. No amount of sex was worth that, no matter how good. Stop thinking about it, you idiot.
The shower turned off, giving me no choice but to step out onto the balcony to call Mom without him hanging over my shoulder. The night air was fresh and clear after all that rain. The clouds were breaking up, giving me a glimpse of a starry sky and a three-quarter moon.
It was gorgeous up here. I had no idea it was possible for this many stars to be visible. Too much time spent in the city.
Unfortunately, Mom didn’t answer. I was worried when I called the nurses’ station, but they assured me she was fine and had gone to sleep a little earlier than usual. At least I knew she was all right, even if I hated the idea of being all the way up here when literally anything might happen. “Please, don’t decide to get out of bed on your own again,” I whispered to my phone before tucking it into my pocket and taking a few deep breaths of the sweet night air. We had gotten off lucky earlier in the week. She hadn’t broken anything. Her luck had to run out sometime.
Unless I went to sleep out here on the balcony, I couldn’t avoid Lucian forever. Funny how the idea actually appealed to me for a second or two as I squared my shoulders and stiffened my spine.
Time for the next round in this endless battle.