Logan reached across the table and put his hand over mine. “Are you okay, SJ?”
“Yeah, I’m—”
“Sugar.” Dominic’s deep voice slid down my body like warm caramel. He knew it, too, because when I looked up at him he had that stupid smirk on his face. “I’m glad I ran into you. I’ll need you back in the office promptly at one. I have a meeting that you should attend.”
I knew my face was flushed, but there was nothing I could do about that. I was embarrassed and angry and a little turned on. “Okay.”
Logan smiled at Dominic. “Are you the new boss? I’m Logan.”
I watched as Dominic’s face hardened when he looked at Logan. The temperature around us dropped ten degrees as he narrowed his eyes. “I take the safety and happiness of my employees very seriously, Logan.”
I clenched my jaw. There was a tension in the air, caused by Dominic. I wanted to strangle him. He was going to cause a scene. He was going to start a fight and pummel Logan. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but his death stare was making me nervous.
“Especially the young, pretty ones, I’m sure.” Logan kept smiling like he was unaware of the tension. “I don’t blame you. SJispretty special.”
I stood up and forced a smile at Logan. “I should be getting back to work. I need to talk to my new boss about a few things. I’ll walk back with him. It was nice seeing you again, Logan.”
He stood up and pulled me into a hug. “It was great seeing you. I’ll give you a call.”
I didn’t bother answering. I just tossed my trash into a garbage can and marched back toward the office. I was seething. I didn’t know if I was more furious or embarrassed. Having the three older, accomplished, otherworldly men I’d slept with hear an ex apologize for treating me so poorly was mortifying. I felt dumb. They didn’t have to show up and watch me. They’d been there just to embarrass me.
I managed to get inside the building and into an elevator before any of them could catch up with me. When the doors opened and Cindy saw me, she shook her head and held out a king-size chocolate bar.
“I had a feeling. The way they followed you out of here, I just knew they were going to do something dumb. I can fix their lives, but I can’t fix them. Go on into the bathroom and eat that in private, sweetheart. Give yourself a moment to calm down.”
I took the candy and clasped her hand in mine. “Thank you.”
She waved me off. “Better hurry. They seem to be following you around like baby ducklings. I’m sure they’ll be walking off the elevator in two seconds.”
I did as she said and sat on a closed toilet in the bathroom, eating my candy bar and trying to think of a reasonable response to their unreasonable actions. I finished the candy and sat there for a few minutes more, still unsure and furious. Unable to rise above my anger, I stood up and all but exploded out of the bathroom.
I tried to twist my face into something neutral as I passed by others in the hallway, but judging by their expressions, I looked crazed. Maybe homicidal. I barged into my shared office space and found Dominic standing next to his desk, all by himself. That was fine by me.
I shut the door harder than necessary and glared at him with my hands on my hips. “That was the most mortifying thing that has ever happened to me! Why did you do that?”
He raised his eyebrows as he turned to face me completely. Instead of rushing into explaining himself, he leaned against the desk and crossed one ankle over the other, the picture of ease.
“You three followed me down there just to watch that shitshow! That was so embarrassing and you made it worse. Knowing you were all there, listening to how much of a loser I was in high school, was humiliating. Hearing you all giggling like little school girls made me want to strangle each of you! Why would you do that? Why would you embarrass me like that?”
Still, Dominic remained motionless as he watched me.
Seeing him so calm just made my reaction shoot up another notch in the crazy pole. “Stupid men and their stupid weird games. That was excruciating. It was like the date with Barry on steroids! Only this time, you’ve been inside me, and you get to watch the date up close and personal. In technicolor!”
“Hey, Jones? I’ll have to call you back.” Dominic reached up and pulled an earbud out of his ear. Casually tossing it onto the desk, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit a button before setting it down on the desk, too. Something about the slow and steady way he moved made my blood pump harder.
I crossed my arms under my chest and glared at him. “You could’ve told me you were on the phone. Did they hear everything I just said?”
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. “Do you remember what I said to you a few days ago, Sugar?”
I didn’t want to back down. Of course I remembered his panty-melting speech about not yelling at them. I’d been too angry and embarrassed to think things through, though. “You said a lot of things. All of you did.”
His voice dropped even lower as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and twisted his neck from side to side. His eyes said he wanted to eat me alive. The slight smirk on his lips said he’d enjoy doing it. “I told you that you weren’t going to come in screaming at me again. Yet, here you are. Screaming at me.”
I shook my head. “I was barely raising my voice.”
“Pick a safe word, Sugar.” He turned his back to me as he cleared off one side of his desk. “Something that will be easy for you to remember.”
I swallowed audibly and glanced back at the door. Did that thing even lock? More importantly, if Dominic wanted to screw me over his desk, was I going to let him? “Bernie’s.”