Austin
I’m crazy about her. She’s all I want. The only thing I think about anymore. I’m walking into the co-op and bypass Mike to go straight to Millie’s office. When I see she’s not there, I turn to Mike. “Hey, you seen Millie?”
“Yeah, she had to go out back for a minute. She said she’ll be right back.”
I nod, debating whether to go find her or wait. I hate spending any time with Mike, so I’m about to start walking when he stops me.
“You and Millie dating?”
Automatically, my hands fist at my sides. I hate to even hear her name on his lips. “Yeah, we’re dating.”
The smirk on the other man’s face pisses me off. And as soon as he starts to talk, I want to punch him in the face. “She doesn’t put out. I mean, not that I mind or anything, I still got the job, but –”
He doesn’t get another word out. He’s struggling for breath because I have him pushed up against the counter with my hand around his neck. He’s pulling at my arm, but I’m not letting go. “I don’t want you talking to her, about her—hell, I don’t want you looking at her. You got that, you son of a bitch?”
“That’s hard to do since I have to see her fat ass all day.”
I lift my knee and hit him in the nuts. When he doubles over, I punch him in the face, and he falls backwards, holding his dick in one hand and his nose in the other. “Enough. You want me to kill you or fire you? I’ll let you pick.”
“You can’t fire me,” he says as he spits blood out on the floor.
I barely restrain from kicking him in the face with my boot as I walk by him. “Watch me, motherfucker.”
I’m panting when I get to Rusty’s door, and there’s fire raging through my veins. I still may have to fight the guy even after he’s fired.
“Hey Austin. How’s it going?” Rusty says as I stand in the doorway.
“Austin. What’s wrong?” Millie comes up behind me, and her touch on my back instantly soothes me, reassuring me that I’ve done the right thing. She’s so sweet, so beautiful, I’m not going to let anyone talk about her the way Mike did. Ever.
“Tell your dad about Mike, Millie. You tell him, I tell him, or I go out there and kick the shit out of him some more. It’s your choice.”
“It’s not your place...” she starts.
I’m surprised by how gentle I am when I wrap my hand around the base of her neck. “It’s my place. I’m making it my place. I’m not going to stand by and let him or anyone else talk about you like he was. It ends now, Millie.”
She obviously can see how upset I am. She wants to do what she thinks is right for her dad, but it’s not going to happen like this. She turns to him, and it’s my turn to comfort her. I thread our fingers together. “Dad, uh, Mike only dated me because he wanted the manager job. He was cheating on me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rusty asks, stunned.
“Because you deserve time off. You’ve been planning to retire for so long, and it was finally going to happen, and I didn’t want to mess that up for you.”
Rusty comes around his desk and stops in front of his daughter. “Millie, you’re the only thing that matters to me. Not this store, not the ranch we live on, nothing.” He shakes his head, no doubt disgusted with himself that he hired a man that disrespected his daughter. “I’ll take care of it.”
“But Dad...” Millie starts, with guilt in her voice.
I cut in, because I’m not going to stand by and let her talk him out of it. “Rusty, I have a hand that is way overqualified for his position. He’s trustworthy, a hard worker, and has a family. Can I send him in”—I hold my hands up in front of me—“on a trial basis. If he doesn’t work out, you fire him, and I’ll take him back out to the ranch. I just want to help.”
Rusty rubs his beard. “What do you think, Millie?”
She leans back into my warmth. “Dad, if Austin says he’s good, then I believe him.”
Rusty agrees with her. “All right, have him come in tomorrow.”
“Sir, we’re going to dinner, but I can stick around and help out with Mike if you want before I go,” I offer. A part of me is hoping he wants my help because I’d like to get in another lick or two. Another part of me is ready to get Millie out of here and away from the asshole.
I’m not surprised when Rusty turns down my offer. “Thanks, but I can handle Mike.”
Millie hugs her dad bye, and I walk with her hand in hand to the front to grab her purse out of her office. As we’re walking out, she has a tight grip on my hand. We pass Mike, and she holds me even tighter. I give her a quick smile before turning to Mike. “Rusty needs to see you.”