“Hey, why did I cross paths with the evil boss?” Marissa walks in holding two coffees, and she hands me one. Sitting down, she kicks her feet up on the seat opposite me and sips from her coffee.
“Accounts,” I say with an eye roll.
“Of course. It’s the only time she comes in when it involves money.” It is, and they all know it. “At least she didn’t ask you to fire any other staff members.” She shivers. “That was awful.”
“Yep,” I say, agreeing. But I don’t think that’s the last of it. I have this feeling she will be asking me to fire someone else, or maybe even a pile of someones.
“Hey, my brother was asking about you.” She smirks, putting the coffee back to her lips. “I know you’re seeing someone, but when that ends…” She winks.
“What do you mean, when it ends?”
She looks around the room. “No man can keep up with being this amazing,” she says, looking at the flowers. “He’s bound to come up short somewhere.”
“Oh, he comes up short, do not worry about that.” I smile at her.
Just as she leaves, my cell rings. When I see no caller ID, I think it’s Lucy, so I answer.
“Mandy has been handled,” is all Atlas says.
I don’t like it that I know that voice now without even seeing his name. At first, I think he’s hung up on me, but when I pull the phone away, I see he’s still there on the line.
“She may have family. What did you do?”
“Do you think so fucking low of me,” he asks in a voice I’m familiar with. It’s his angry tone. “Answer me, Theadora?”
“Why do you care what I think?”
“You’re right, I don’t. I’ll see you next week.” Then the line goes dead.
Two days later, another expensive dress shows up for my work event the following week.
I send it back, and don’t hear from him again that week.
Peace.
Chapter Sixteen
Theadora
The police ring me the following week and ask me to go to Lucy’s apartment. When I arrive, they tell me that Mandy overdosed, and they ask about my sister. Mandy reported her missing last week, and they want to know if I’ve heard from her. Just as I am about to speak, the door opens and in strides Atlas himself. He walks straight over to me, grips my waist, and kisses my cheek, pulling me to him. The police officer watches us with narrowed eyes. Just as I am about to pull away, Atlas grips me harder so I’m unable to.
“You two together?” the officer asks, writing something on his notepad.
“Yes,” Atlas answers for me.
“I assumed you didn’t date, Mr. Hyde.” The officer looks up from his pad and eyes Atlas.
“You know what they say about people who assume,” he replies.
My cheeks are on fire from where his lips touched me. I lift my hand to see if I can wipe away his touch, but he seems to know what I’m planning and pulls me to him even harder, so our bodies are touching everywhere.
“So, Miss Fitzgerald, your sister?”
“Lucy. We just saw her.” Atlas talks for me again, for which the officer eyes him, and then turns back to me.
“Is this true?”
Atlas grips me to him.
“Yes. Yes, it’s true.”
“Okay, well, either you have to take her stuff or the landlord will get rid of everything.”
“Thank you, I will deal with it.” I nod, and the officer leaves, leaving me standing in my sister’s apartment with Atlas. The last time I was here, I found Mandy dead. And now I am glued to a man who’s pretending to be my boyfriend, and who will not let go of my waist, even after the officers have left.
“You can let go now,” I say, trying to pull away.
“Did you want to tell him?” he asks, keeping me tight to him.
I’m afraid to look up at him. My hands stay planted on his chest, making sure he can’t move me any closer than what I already am. But also, ready to push him away the minute I can.
“I wouldn’t have.”
“What did she say to you?” he asks.
“Who?”
Atlas squeezes me and lifts my face, so it is now resting on his chest. I can see the flower on his collarbone. He won’t let me go, and now my hands are on his pecs.
“You like to play dumb when I know for a fact you are anything but,” he states, shaking his head. “Is this a game you’re playing with me? Some sort of payback?”
I push off of his chest, but don’t get far. He holds me securely against him, and I look up into his eyes.
“If you want to ask me what Lucy said, then ask.”
“What did Lucy say?”
“I never said I would tell you.” I tilt my head and smile a fake smile.
He bites his bottom lip in frustration and pulls me impossibly close to him. “Are you trying to make me want to dispose of you like I should have?”