12. Sully
Sully
“ B aby daddy!”
My instinct is to growl at Julius, but his pleasant tone stops me. It’s as if, rather than wishing I didn’t exist, he’s happy to see me.
“Pretty boy.” I dip my chin.
His eyes light up in response to my greeting, instantly making me wish I could take it back.
He rests an elbow on the desk and leans in closer. “Baby daddy thinks I’m pretty.”
“No, I think my wife is pretty,” I correct. “ You are a pain in my ass.”
He chuckles. “Good. Someone should be a pain in your ass.” His focus drifts over my shoulder and his smile falls, his eyes hardening slightly.
Frowning, I spin.
“Sully.” Will greets me with his signature my shite doesn’t stink smile.
Despite his air of self-importance, the man’s nothing special. He’s just under six foot, with an I don’t work out but I was blessed with good genes build. He’s not the kind of good-looking that makes women flock to him, but he’s not unfortunate-looking either.
If I look close enough, it’s clear the way he styles his hair that it’s thinning at his crown. With any luck, he’ll be sporting a smooth, shiny head in a few years.
“Will.” I attempt not to scowl. It’s a challenge, but it’s warranted, since, for once, he’s not touching my wife. “What brings you here?”
“I work here.” He blinks at me.
Right, I’m the one out of place. In my own wife’s office. It’s wrong, but it’s my reality. For now.
I’m saved from having to respond when the man who’s usually giving me shite throws in a snarky comment.
“Considering how much time you spend trying to get past me, one would think you worked in this office specifically.” Julius thumbs over his shoulder, giving Will a fake smile.
Hmm, the assistant doesn’t like Will. Maybe the enemy of my enemy really could be my friend.
Julius stands and smooths out his suit jacket. “What do you need this time?”
“Just dropping off the official invite for the Christmas party.” He passes the younger man a large tube.
Julius immediately goes for the cap on one end, but Will holds out a hand, stopping him.
“It’s for Sloane.”
“Right.” Pretty boy scowls.
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Will turns back to me. “Too bad you won’t be coming this year.”
The fuck? I’ve gone to the Higgins, Smith, and Dodge party every December for the last fifteen years.
“New York attorneys only,” the wanker reminds me with a smirk.
“Julius.” Sloane pops her head out of her office, her expression morphing into a confused frown as she takes in Will and me. “Will?”
My confidence swells when she doesn’t question my presence along with his.
“I brought that for you.” Will’s eyes brighten, making him look like a puppy begging for attention. If he weren’t focusing that energy on my wife, I might find it funny. “Open it.”
Sloane takes the tube from Julius and slides out a rolled-up piece of literal parchment. “Hear ye, hear ye.” Her lips flatten. “Is the theme A Christmas Carol ?”
I bite back a laugh. These fuckers throw an over-the-top Christmas party every year, and every year, they waste entirely too much of their firm’s money to create a magical adventure —their words, not mine.
“Yes, and we’ve booked the best place in the city.”
Sloane tips her head to the side.
“It’s going to be the event of the holiday season.” He eyes me, reminding me that it’s for New York attorneys only.
Over his shite, I pull myself up to my full height and smooth my tie.
“It’s a good thing my wife works for a New York firm and is allowed a plus-one, then.
” The words rumble out of me like a growl.
I might as well have pissed a circle around her, claiming her.
And it feels fucking good to remind him of exactly who she is to me.
Until the uncertainty in her expression registers and my stomach drops.
Bloody hell. What if she already has a date, and it’s not me?