“What does it matter?”
“You slept with your director?” I asked incredulously. “Your fucking boss?”
Her flames started to match mine. “You sleep with prostitutes, but that crosses the line?”
“He’s way older than you.”
“Oh, and you aren’t?” she hissed.
I really wanted to rip that fucker’s head off right now. “Not by a decade. He completely took advantage of you—”
“Advantage?” Her voice started to rise, indifferent to the people who might be able to hear us. “I’m not a little girl. I’m a grown-ass woman who was attracted to an older man. I fucked him, and I liked it. Alright?”
My hands tightened into fists because I wanted to kill that motherfucker. I wanted to throw him out the large windows and watch his body drop to the concrete five floors below. “That was the reason you didn’t want me to come tonight.” I turned back to her and stared at her, finding the answer I’d been searching for.
She didn’t deny the claim.
“Because he still wants to fuck you, and you knew I would figure it out.”
“I certainly didn’t figure out you would behave like this. You say I’m jealous?” She pressed her hand into her chest. “When he came on to me, I told him I was in a serious relationship with you, which is more than you said to Dynasty or whatever the fuck her name is.”
My eyes shifted back and forth quickly, the pulse pounding in my neck and temples. “Not the same thing at all, and you know it. Maybe if you had some sense and didn’t fuck every guy you see, you would have known better than to screw your own boss.” The instant the words were out of my mouth, I knew I’d taken it too far. I knew I’d fucked up—bad. I didn’t mean a word of it, but I said it just to hurt her—which was worse than if I meant it.
Her expression didn’t change, her eyes open and glued to my face, but her breathing picked up, like she was so angry, she didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to respond to the insult I’d just shoved in her face. “Wow…didn’t know you were a misogynistic, toxic hypocrite.” She would probably slap me if the room weren’t full of people. She turned around to storm off, but she only made it a few steps before she turned around and came back to me. “No, I’m not going to leave. You’re going to leave.” She pressed her hand hard into my chest. “Get the fuck out of my sight. Pack up my shit and leave it in my apartment—and leave your key too.” She turned around and walked off, moving into the crowd and grabbing a glass of champagne on the way. Then she walked right up to Andre and engaged him in conversation.
Just to piss me off.
I leaned against the wall in the hallway, my hands in my pockets as I stared at the painting across from me, reflecting on that terrible conversation that got out of control so fucking fast.
It was a goddamn tornado. It started as a breeze, but within seconds, it destroyed everything in its path, turning into a whirlwind that destroyed entire towns, destroyed people’s lives.
I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes, hating myself for the way I’d handled it. She didn’t want to bring me because she feared I would behave exactly how she assumed I would behave.
And I proved her right.
I didn’t want to embarrass her even more by hunting her down and pulling her away from her conversation, so I waited in the hallway, hoping she would use the bathroom or leave at some point.
Then the sound of heels hit my ears.
She stepped out of the double doors and walked into the hallway, so oblivious to everything around her that she didn’t even notice me standing there. She headed for the bathroom, sniffling.
“Baby.” I moved behind her.
She halted, jumping at the sound of my voice. She clearly thought I’d already left, had no idea she would bump into me again. She took a few seconds to turn around, and when she did, her gaze was so hard, it seemed as if she hadn’t been on the verge of tears to begin with. “Get the fuck out of my face—”
“We fuck the way we fight—and we fight the way we fuck.” I came closer to her, pulling my hands out of my pockets.
“If you think we’re gonna—”
“I’m sorry.”
She shut up, breathing loudly.
“That was a really fucked-up thing to say. I didn’t mean it.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve made enough comments to indicate otherwise—”
“And I didn’t mean those either.”
“Then why would you say them?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
I was quiet for a while as I considered my answer. “You want to know the reason I let you go?”
Her hostility immediately dropped because she hadn’t expected me to say that. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
“Because I heard you pray. I heard everything you said. I heard you say you’ve slept with more guys than you should have…”
She was still, waiting for more.
“I know you’re insecure about it, so I used it against you…to hurt you. But that’s fucking worse than meaning it, and I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck, my other hand sliding into my pocket. “I don’t understand why I got so upset about Andre. I don’t understand why I hate the idea of you being in a bar alone. I don’t understand why every guy before me bothers me so much. I’ve been in denial, but it’s fucking obvious, staring me in the goddamn face.” I looked away for a few seconds before I met her gaze again. “I’m jealous…”
She took a deep breath.
“Out of my fucking mind, inexplicably, insanely jealous.” I dropped my hand and felt the humiliation wash over me.
She stared at me for a while, her eyes hiding her thoughts so clearly. “You told me to trust you, but it doesn’t seem
