“Not everything is so black and white,” she said angrily. “Let’s set your ignorance aside for a moment, shall we? Even if I was flirting, what would that have had to do with you? Nothing, that’s what. My personal life had nothing to do with that pitch that you just screwed up. You were there to impress the board and seal a deal I’ve been working at putting together for weeks.”
I snorted. “So I’m just the pretty face who has to go in and charm the investors? Stop thinking that you’re smarter than me. I looked over the numbers you supposedly put together, and my team was responsible for all the work. Not you. You simply signed off on it.”
“That’s…” She trailed off and rammed her hand through her hair before she shook her head. “You know what? I’m not a fucking accountant. Obviously, I used your actual team to help me do my job, but I still did my job. You, on the other hand, did not. I don’t need this, Parker. This isn’t the way I live my life and isn’t the way I conduct business.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen the way you conduct business. You preach one thing and practice another. That’s why we’re in this fucking mess instead of walking out with a signed offer in hand.”
Isabella froze, her reddish-gold hair shining in the sun and her gorgeous blue eyes wide as she gaped at me. My entire body itched to get close to hers, to kiss her as suddenly as she’d kissed me in the elevator. To kiss her until her brain stopped making her mouth spew all this bullshit, just like she’d done for me earlier.
Frankly, I needed something to do the same for my mouth. For some reason, things just kept getting more fucked up between us.
My replies to her came as easily as they always had, but they were more cutting nowadays. Matching the edge and sometimes venom in hers to a tee. I needed to find a way to stop this cycle before it blew up in both our faces. I just didn’t know how.
We had to somehow hit pause. Possibly see if we could rewind. But that wasn’t going to happen today.
I was too pissed. The words,we’re not interested in the acquisition at this time,played on repeat in my head and constantly reminded me of why I’d heard them. Isabella was still staring at me like she absolutely couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Her nostrils were flaring on each heavy breath she took. Then she let out a scoff of laughter that was entirely devoid of any humor. “Yeah. I really don’t need this right now.”
Spinning around, she stormed off and left me standing on the crowded New York City street, glaring after her and vaguely wondering if she remembered that she had to leave for Maui on Thursday.
Then again, she’d already let me down. I had to brace myself for the possibility that it would happen again and that she wouldn’t board the plane the day after I’d already have left. I also had to be ready to go to Marley’s wedding alone if she did end up letting me down again.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Everything sucked, and I didn’t even care if it was a childish thought that made her right on some level. Maybe I was being childish about it, but that jealousy was still tinging all my thoughts green and I couldn’t shake it.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of the sinking feeling that I’d lost her before I’d ever even really had her. Lost her and the deal in one fell swoop. And that?
It really did fucking suck.