She grabs the lapels of my jacket. “No, Maxime. Please!”
Taking her wrists, I move her hands away. “This has gone on for too long. I let it go too far. As I said, it’s my mistake. I’ll carry the blame.”
“I have bills to pay!”
“I’ll pay you six months’ salary. That should tie you over until you find another job.”
“Six months?” she cries out. “That’s what I’m worth to you?”
“You’re an employee. Nothing more. I’m treating you more than fairly.”
Wiping her nose with her hand, she says, “Okay, look, I understand.”
“That’s a mature approach.”
“Just let me finish this month. Give me time to get my ducks in a row. You know how it will look if you make me walk before the month is over.”
It will spell out in capital letters that she’s been fired. “At the end of this month, you’re out.”
Pulling her shoulders square, she says, “Your loss.”
“You should go now.”
She stares up at me. At one time, I thought she was attractive. The only pretty I see now is Zoe. My wife. The irony is too funny not to laugh. The sound is hollow. I married the woman who doesn’t want me and am throwing out the one who does.
She pinches her lips together. “You’re an asshole.”
“I know. If it makes you feel any better, I’m not laughing at you. The joke is on me.”
Her green eyes soften. “You really feel for her, don’t you?”
“More than I’ve ever felt. So much, it’s fucking frightening.” Which is why I’m here. To get my shit together. To find my control. Maybe to punish Zoe a little in a disgustingly immature way.
She sniffs. “It’s cold. May I please borrow your jacket? I’ll drop it off when I come in to work tomorrow.”
Shrugging out of the pinstripe, I hand it to her. “Want me to call you a taxi?”
She slips on the jacket without bothering to zip up the dress. “I’m good.” Pulling the sides of the jacket around her, she walks from the room.
I’m left alone once more with these feelings, and fuck me if I can make any sense of anything better than before.
Chapter 13
Zoe
“What do you want, Alexis?” I ask, backing into the kitchen. The phone Maxime gave me is still in my hand. I clutch it tightly.
Alexis looks around the space. “Nice place.”
I stop close to the knife block. “Why are you here?”
“I just thought I’d swing by to congratulate you and Max.” He cranes his neck to look over my shoulder toward the bedroom. “Pity I’ve missed my brother.”
I think quickly. “He’s having a shower. I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
Alexis smiles. “Liar. Sylvie told me your wedding didn’t go down as planned. Francine said Max is spending the night at a hotel.” He drags his gaze over me. “I have to say, you look a lovely mess.”
“How nice of them to run to you with their gossip.”
“Oh,” he tilts his head, “it was nothing like that. I called Max. Since he didn’t answer, I called Sylvie. After she’d filled me in, I tried Fran. Fran and Max have always been close. She was my best bet of finding him. From what Sylvie told me, I was worried about my brother.”
Right. If Alexis is trying to hurt me with the Fran and Max being close part, it’s working. Maxime shouldn’t have forced me into marriage like this. I’m still freaking out about it. That doesn’t mean I want him to run into Francine’s arms. What Alexis is fabulously successful at is scaring me. I slip the phone onto the counter and close my hand around the shaft of the carving knife. “If you came here just to gloat, you can leave. I want you to go—now.”
“Tsk, tsk.” He advances. “What are you going to do? Stab me?”
I point the knife at him. “If I must.”
“Why would I want to hurt you?” He smiles. “After all, I’m in your debt. If not for you, I wouldn’t be the boss.”
“What?” My grip falters on the knife. It slips in my sweaty palm. I catch it just before it drops to the floor. “What do you mean you’re the boss?”
“Didn’t my brother tell you?” He stops by the counter in front of me and leans his arms on the top. “In order to marry you, he had to step down.”
Step down? “I don’t understand.”
“You deserve a golden star for your timing.”
“My timing?”
“We were about to sit down for breakfast with Izabella Zanetti’s family when Max’s guard called to say you’d run. Of course my brother immediately wanted to go after you.” He waves a hand in the air and rolls his eyes. “Family dramas. You know how those go. Naturally, Izabella’s father was very upset. What a slap in his daughter’s face. What a scandal for a man to abandon his engagement party to chase after his mistress. Izabella’s father threatened to annul the contract. My father threatened to disown Max if he dishonored the deal by leaving. What did Max do? He threw them both the finger and ran after you.”
“Your father disowned him?”
He pouts. “It broke my mother’s heart. She’ll never forgive you, by the way. You see, Max has always been her favorite. In any event, as the next in line, I took Max’s place in the business and family. We made a new deal. I got to marry Izabella and secure the contract with the Italians. The house was a nice bonus. I know Max is going to miss it.”
“He gave up his house?” I ask with a growing feeling of sickness.
“The house comes with the business. Max did put a lot of time and heart into the place. Splendid job he did with the renovations.” He looks around. “This isn’t bad, either.”
“Is this why you came here?” The knife suddenly feels too heavy. I drop my arm at my side. “To tell me about Maxime’s misfortune?”
“I came here to warn you.” All
