“I know what it’s like,” she replied. “Sometimes I go crazy cooped up in this house.”
“Are you sure this is okay?” I asked. “You don’t want to go for a walk or something?”
“No, I’m cooking.” She gestured toward the pots on the stove.
“What are you making?”
“Billy’s parents are coming for dinner, and I want to impress them,” she said.
So her husband’s name was Billy. That was a step in the right direction. Maybe I could find a piece of mail somewhere that would clue me in. I started hunting around the kitchen, trying not to be obvious. To my relief, I found a stack of letters on the table. The first one was addressed to Chloe and William Shannon. Her name was Chloe.
“You don’t have to stay,” Chloe said abruptly.
I blinked. Dropping off Seanan had been the last thing on my mind, though I knew exactly where I would go if I was free to choose. “Are you sure?”
“Of course,” she replied. “I’m stuck here, but you don’t have to. I’m sure that there’s something you need to pick up or you could even go out to lunch.”
“I bought these for you.” I remembered the package of pastries in my hand and set them down.
“That’s kind of you.”
“If you’re sure you’re okay, I do have one thing I’d like to do,” I said.
“Go for it.”
“I’ll be back in two hours?” I turned the final word up to leave the timeline open if she wanted to change it.
“Two hours is fine,” she said. “Take three if you need it.”
“You’re the best, Chloe,” I said, tipping forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.
She laughed. “It’s no problem. The girls will be upstairs the whole time. Thank you for bringing Seanan over. She’ll keep April busy until dinner if we let them.”
I stepped out of the home a free woman. I had two hours to find Seanan’s father and chew him out. I wanted to be back within the time frame I’d set for myself rather than relying on Chloe for additional childcare. Climbing back into the town car, I requested that the driver take me to Flynn’s office.
He didn’t raise an eyebrow, just doing what he was told. I gathered that was how servants were supposed to act, but it wasn’t what I was going to do. I was going to give Mr. High and Mighty a piece of my mind.
It took almost twenty minutes to arrive at the building, and I knew I would have to budget for that time on my way back. I climbed out, stomping into the lobby with fire in my heart. I marched up to the receptionist and demanded to see Flynn.
“Who may I say is calling?” she asked.
“Tell him it’s Bre,” I said.
She got on the phone and a moment later set it down with a smile. “He’s on the fifth floor.”
Taking the elevator up, I rehearsed what I was going to say. He didn’t own me. He had no right to go snooping around and confronting my friends. I was going to tell him that Connor didn’t even want a monogamous relationship, so Flynn had nothing to worry about. But he was in serious danger of turning me off. The last thing I needed was some entitled fool poking around where he wasn’t welcome.
I got off the elevator on the fifth floor and was faced with another reception desk. This one was ready for me, and the nice woman just pointed down the hallway. “Third door on the right.”
I burst into Flynn’s office, prepared to read him the riot act. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
He stood up, crossed around his desk, and invaded my space. When he was close enough to touch me, he yanked me to him. “I’m the one you want, aren’t I? Or do you need Connor and Declan too? Are you that needy, little girl? Need three older men to keep you satisfied?”
I wanted to hit him right in his smug nose, but he kissed me, and I lost myself to the pleasure of it. His presence was so strong, his body so powerful, I felt like I was drowning in lust. He was right: I did want him. I’d wanted him for a long time.
Connor’s words came back to me, that I should enjoy life because we only live once. He assured me that I wasn’t being a slut, even though Flynn’s questions hit a little too close to home. But all those considerations went out the window. It didn’t matter that I was unwilling to break things off with Connor. It didn’t matter that I had a lunch date coming up soon where I would meet another potential lover. What mattered was Flynn and his heady kisses.
I resurfaced, pulling away from him and slapping him across the cheek. He deserved it. I was angry with him. The accusations were one thing, but he had stalked Connor and confronted him. That went beyond what was reasonable and forgivable.