Chapter 20
Kennedy
“Aren’t you glad you came?” Kelsey slings an arm over my shoulder.
We’re at the bar close to the office, attending one of the happy hours that Kelsey routinely organizes.
It’s not too bad, but a piece of me can’t help but wonder what Dae is doing right now. Is he at the club? Has he called me? I’ve refused to look at my phone for the past few hours.
“Yes,” I answer Kelsey.
Her smile grows. Kelsey is the social butterfly type. The kind who’s never met a stranger. She thrives in this kind of environment.
“I knew you would. You’ve only come to a handful of happy hours since you started working at The Regal.”
“Four,” I reply. They were all within the first couple of months of beginning my position at the media outlet.
“It’s about time you came out with all of us.” Her eyes widen, and shine enters them as she looks over my shoulder.
I peer back and immediately understand the reason for her change of expression. Mick Rogers walks in our direction, his attention fixed on his wife.
“Hey, baby,” he croons, pulling Kelsey in for a hug and kiss once he reaches her. “Ken,” he greets me, smiling, his arm wrapped around Kelsey’s shoulder.
“Hey, Mick,” I respond, ignoring the envy tightening my chest. It must be indigestion.
“How’d your meeting go?” Kelsey asks her husband.
Mick tells us about a meeting with the agent of one of the city’s football players.
A few minutes later, a clanging sound draws our attention. It’s the head of the entire sports division. Immediately, everyone settles down.
“I’m glad to see everyone’s having a great time. Let’s give it up to Kelsey Rogers for her work in organizing these happy hours.” He holds his arm out in Kelsey’s direction.
Applause erupts around the bar accompanied by a few cheers. Kelsey, never one to be shy, takes a playful bow, making us laugh.
Her boss also thanks her for always being a team player. “I don’t want to take much of your time, but I wanted to be the first to publicly say to all of you that Kelsey here has been promoted to on-air correspondent.
“Starting next week, you’ll all see her lovely face twice a week on our premiere channel.”
More applause erupts, even more thunderous this time. I wrap my arms around Kels’ shoulders.
“Congratulations!” I say while laughing and hugging her. “You’re going to be a star.”
“That’s exactly what I keep telling her,” Mick adds, a proud smile on his handsome face.
“Thank you.” Kels wipes a tear away. Before she can say more, other colleagues of ours pull her away and want to congratulate her.
Moving away to give them space, I head to the bar to order a beer. I might as well have at least one drink while I’m here.
“She deserves that promotion,” a male voice that slightly grates on my nerves says from my side.
I glance over to see Ardie next to me. I do my best not to roll my eyes. We’re mostly able to keep things civil between us, but that’s only because we do our best to avoid one another in the office.
I assume the alcohol I smell on his breath is the reason he’s approaching me right now.
“Wonder how it feels knowing she earned her position fair and square,” he continues.
I grab the glass of beer placed in front of me and step around Ardie. But then he makes the mistake of blocking my path.
Fine.
If this is how he wants it to be, we can do it this way.
“You’re drunk and halfway out of the door of the company as it is,” I say to him. “Your articles are weak, lack thorough investigation and forethought, and you’re looking for someone to blame instead of looking in the mirror.”
My voice is calm, relaxed as I cite all of his failures.
“You want to harp on this imagined nepotism that I’ve received, have at it. If that’s what lets you to sleep at night. Meanwhile, stay the fuck out of my face and out of my way.”
I scowl as I step closer. “Because if you so much as look in my direction again, I’ll show you exactly what I learned from my family about not taking shit from anyone.”
As a bonus, I accidentally trip and splash the entire front of his shirt with the beer in my hand.
“Shit, looks like I’ll need another drink,” I say without a hint of remorse in my voice.
Instead of turning back for the bar, however, I go to move past him. Ardie is as dumb as he looks because he grabs my arm and spins me to him.
His grip is tight.
Work event or not, I’m about to make good on my word when, before I can blink, Ardie’s hold on me falls away entirely.
My eyes bulge when I realize Dae has Ardie with his arm twisted behind his back and his head pressed against the bar. Ardie’s mumbling something indiscernible. I imagine it’s something like “let me up.”
“She told you nicely the first time to fuck off, right?” Dae asks him. It’s not the position that he has Ardie in that takes me by surprise the most. It’s the fact that he appears to be totally relaxed.
He doesn’t raise his voice. There’s no tension in his face or body. Yet, his hold is tight, trapping Ardie in place.
He makes a move that jerks Ardie’s arm farther behind his back. He shrieks, and even I wince slightly. Another move like that would pull his shoulder socket out of place.
“I asked you a question,” Dae says.
“Yettthh,” Ardie responds, his ‘yes’ coming out muffled.
The bartender on the other side of the bar doesn’t notice the scene, but out of the corner of my eye, I can see people staring our way.
“You should’ve fucking listened.” Dae stares down at him as if contemplating where to hide his body.
“Dae,” I call calmly.
When he shifts his head to look at me, the deadly look in his eyes lets me know he’s on the edge. One wrong move, and he could tip over into the abyss of his own darkness.
“Let him up,” I tell Dae in a firm voice.
I think he’s going to ignore me, but then he asks, “Why should I?”
I swallow. “Because I’m asking nicely.”
His lips pinch.
“You’ve been ignoring me for days, and now you want to ask me a favor?” he says casually as if I’m asking him to borrow his pen, not stop him from ripping a man’s shoulder out of its socket.
I lay my hand on his arm, feeling the tension in his body. It decreases slightly when I touch him. I move closer and place my lips close to his ear.
“If you let him go, I’ll let you take me home.” I don’t know what compels me to make such a declaration.
A new kind of tension fills his eyes. I’m now the focus of that energy.
“Please,” I say.
Dae finally releases Ardie, who almost falls over. He takes my hand in his, his grip firm. My nipples tighten in a need I’ve never felt before.
Dae doesn’t give Ardie much breathing room, though.
“Apologize,” Dae demands, even as Ardie struggles between coughing for air and gripping his shoulder in obvious pain.
In Dae”s opinion, Ardie must take too long because he gets in his face. “I said fucking apologize, or you’ll have to be carried out of here,” he growls.
“I-I’m sorry,” Ardie chokes out.
I tug on Dae’s hand to regain his attention. As soon as he turns to face me, his eyes spark with a new emotion. Suddenly, I realize that Ardie is no longer the one in danger.
That thought crosses my mind at the same time Dae immediately starts striding toward the door, his hold on my hand tightening, leaving me no choice but to follow.