Mira: You’re talking about Ireland specifically Dublin you dumbass
I laugh aloud.
"Something funny?" JJ’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
"What? No, it’s nothing." I pocket my phone, then glance out the window. I was only messaging my family. That’s allowed, right? So what if I’m technically still at work and with my boss?
"Was that Isaac?"
I blink, then blow out a breath. "No, not Isaac."
He pauses as if considering my reply, then, "Are you seeing someone else? Is that what this is about? Because if you are being unfaithful to my son, I promise you, that’s not a good idea you—"
"How dare you accuse me of cheating? Also, it’s no business of yours. It’s between me and your son."
"And I am invested in my son, so it’s my business. Is that what this is about?" He leans in closer. His dark eyes are stormy, like the darkness at the bottom of a well when you peek over the side. Something ugly stirs in them, like the eels which dart through the surface of still water. "You taking advantage of my son? Moving in with him, getting him to give you a roof over your head, then going off and being with someone else? You fucking someone else, Lena? Is that what you’re doing?"
"And if I were?" Anger crowds my chest. My throat is choked up with a strange feeling I can’t define. Heat flushes my skin and I feel the rage vibrating off of me. "What’s it to you? You may have given me a place to stay and a job, but you don’t own me. My personal life is my own."
"No, it’s not. Not as long as you’re my son’s girlfriend."
"What the—" I gape. Did he really just say that? He couldn’t have said that.
Something ugly twists in my stomach. I lean in close enough so my face is only a few inches from his. "I’ll fuck anyone I want," I say through gritted teeth.
His features harden. "What did you say?"
He lowers his gaze to my mouth, and liquid heat squeezes my belly.What? No.You can’t have that reaction to this… this… douchebag. Asshole thinks he owns me? Well, I’m going to set him straight.
"I said, I’ll. Fuck. Anyone. I. Wa—"
He clamps his fingers around my neck, and yanks me to him.
11
JJ
Don’t do it, don’t do it.She’s Isaac's girlfriend. Your son’s girlfriend, you sick fuck. I squeeze my fingers around the nape of her neck and hold her so close that our eyelashes brush against each other’s. Her breathing grows ragged, and her golden-brown eyes lighten until they are amber. The pulse at the hollow of her neck beats like a trapped bird.
"Do it, and you’ll not only lose your position in my company, but I’ll also make sure Isaac doesn’t get a chance to have his paintings displayed in my offices."
Splotches of color smear her cheeks. "You wouldn’t," she chokes.
"Try me," I say through gritted teeth.
She sets her jaw, then juts out her chin. "You’re a heartless bastard."
"You have no idea how true that is." I release her, and the car draws to a stop in front of my home. I shove the door open, walk around the car, and without waiting for her, walk up the steps. When I reach the top, I turn to find she’s pushed the car door open and is standing at the foot of the staircase.
"I’ll see you and Isaac in the conservatory in an hour."
"Fuck you," she throws back at me.
I laugh. "I could have you fired for swearing at me, but I guess I’ll keep you around for amusement."
The door opens and Craig steps back. I brush past him and stalk over to the stairs, taking them two at a time until I reach my suite. I walk in and head straight for my bathroom, stripping off my clothes as I go along. How dare she say that she can fuck anyone else? She belongs to my son; she can’t go around doing something that would break his heart. I won’t let her hurt him. That’s all this is. I was protecting Isaac from any more heartache. God knows, I’ve given him enough to last a lifetime. I’m not going to let her compound it by sleeping around.
That’s the only reason I’m angry. It has nothing do with the red-hot rage that filled me at the thought of her sleeping with someone else. I’m angry on his behalf. That’s why my guts are churning, and that’s the only reason my chest feels heavy like I had swallowed a stone. Yep. And I did the right thing by warning her off. I was making sure to safeguard my son’s future, is all.