Chapter Twenty-Three #2
Zoe was quiet. Too quiet. Her cheeks were splotchy red. All those times I loved watching her flush were nothing like this moment. She was clearly distressed, and I wanted to make it go away. Now.
I stood and started to round the desk. She waved me away.
“No, no. Just… Let me think.” She put her face in her hands and took a shaky breath.
I couldn’t help myself and took a step toward her again. She dropped her hands and lasered me with a glare. “Stop it. This is how this all started. I told you I couldn’t do this and you kept coming at me.”
Her words hit me in the gut. They fucking hurt.
Oh, they were true all right, but the way she made it sound sullied it.
I stared back at her. I admit, I wasn’t in the calmest state of mind.
Hell, I was idling on the edge of the anger fucking Ted Duncan had set off, and it pissed me off to have her upset like this.
Intellectually, I knew she had a point. I’d pushed.
Because I wanted her that fucking bad. But it was more than that. I knew it, and I hoped she knew it too.
“Zoe, it wasn’t like that. You know…”
“Yes it was! I told you precisely why I shouldn’t let it happen. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself. I knew better, and I fell right into it anyway.”
She stood abruptly. “You have to go.”
“Why do I have to go?”
My head felt like it was going to explode. I couldn’t take the look on Zoe’s face. Her eyes were shuttered, and she looked angry and frightened at once. I tried to reach for her as she stepped past me.
“Zoe, luv. Let me help with this. You don’t have to…”
She spun back, her eyes snapping. “You can’t help.
You’ll be fine no matter what. I can’t have rumors circulating that I fuck my clients.
When it comes to stuff like that, it’s a one-way street.
What men can get away with ruins women’s careers.
I should’ve stopped this, hell I never should’ve let it start.
For now, I can’t see you. You have to go and let me figure this out on my own.
If I have any chance to shut this off, it won’t happen if I’m still seeing you. ”
It was like static in my brain. I couldn’t think over the buzzing.
Meanwhile, my heart was pounding so hard, it physically hurt.
She didn’t wait and spun around, walking briskly through her door.
I meant to follow her and tell her she couldn’t do this.
I didn’t care what Jana saw or heard. But when I got out to the waiting area, fucking Ted Duncan was standing there with a pasted on smarmy smile.
I didn’t even think and walked straight up to him and punched him.
I have no fucking idea when Tristan had showed up or how he even knew where I was, but he came walking in right after I clocked Ted in the face.
Zoe’s face was sheet white.
Tristan bodily shoved me out of the way. “Back the fuck off, mate. What are you thinking?”
Ted was swearing and muttering something about calling the police. Jana stood up and got in his face. “What the fuck do you think you’re pulling, Ted? You think you can blackmail Zoe and Ethan? Go right ahead and try.”
Zoe, Tristan, and I swung to stare at Jana. Jana didn’t break free from her stare down with Ted. Let me tell you, it was quite the sight to see her with her wild hair and her usually friendly demeanor pissed off.
Jana waited a few beats and then glanced from him to me.
“Let me guess, you’d like to make a little more trouble in case you can sleaze someone into paying you off to shut up?
You’re the last fucking attorney who should be spouting off about ethics.
You forget how much I know about you from where I used to work.
I might’ve left under less than ideal circumstances, but I know exactly who to call if I want to stir shit up.
Here’s the deal: you shut up and leave, or I’ll make a few calls. Right here. Right now.”
The quiet in the office was heavy. After a tense moment, Ted nodded. He didn’t say a word and turned and left.
Zoe looked at Jana. “What the hell was that about?”
“Before he went out on his own, Ted worked at the same firm I did. He left after he got caught screwing one of the interns. She was legal, but just barely. Might not seem like much to hold over him, but his ex got a shitty deal in their divorce because he managed to keep this and a bunch of other shit about his hidden accounts out of court. He won’t want any of that to become public. ”
Jana flounced back to her desk and sat down, her eyes flicking from me to Zoe before she looked to Tristan. “Hi Tristan, thanks for stopping by,” she said brightly.
“Why the hell are you here?” I asked him.
“Your sister showed up, and I told her I’d track you down,” he said with a shrug.
“What? Which one?”
“Belle,” he said simply.
I had no idea why Belle was here. She was my youngest sister and tended toward carefree and bubbly. It wasn’t a shock for her to show up unannounced, but it wasn’t common either.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Mind telling her I’ll be there shortly?”
I didn’t want to walk out of here without talking to Zoe. I glanced over to her, not even bothering to wait for Tristan’s reply.
She was already turning away. “I have to go,” she said, striding quickly back into her office.
I was hot on her heels. “Zoe, can we talk?”
I reached for her hand, and she shook me off. “Not now. I can’t talk now, Ethan. You just punched a colleague of mine. Maybe Jana’s right, and she can get him to keep his mouth shut, but it’s not just him I have to worry about. I can’t keep doing this.”
Her words tumbled out staccato and sharp. She didn’t even look at me as she grabbed her purse and jacket. I could barely think over the static in my brain and the pounding of my heart.
Before I had a chance to form a sentence, she was dashing out of the office. I started to race after her when Jana’s voice brought me up short.
“Let her go for now, Ethan.”
I spun back in the open doorway. “But I…”
She cut me off. “It’s obvious you want to talk to her.
Hell, it’s obvious you love her. Trust me on this.
Zoe’s stubborn. She doesn’t take well to being pressured.
Let her cool off first. I’ll talk to her.
Maybe you don’t see it, but she’s right about worrying about this thing with you two getting out the wrong way.
I’ll admit I told her to go for it, but then I’m the same woman who blew my career up over getting involved with the wrong guy.
I don’t think you’re the wrong guy, but I’m a romantic at heart.
Go see your sister, and try again tomorrow with Zoe. ”
I stared at Jana. I felt like my head was going to explode and my heart was going to pound its way out of my chest. Tristan’s voice punctured the turmoil in my mind.
“She’s right, mate. Let it rest. You can tell Belle all about it, and she’ll tell you what to do,” he said with a wry grin.
Because I didn’t know what else to do, I followed Tristan home, barely recalling I’d just punched a man over Zoe.
I didn’t even penetrate my brain that I was that lost and out of control.
Over a woman. Instead of worrying over that, all I could think about was the shuttered expression on Zoe’s face.