Chapter 20
Devon
“This needs to be done and I want it done by the end of the day.”
“I don’t think - ” Walter started to protest, but I cut him off before he could finish his protest with a simple motion of my hand.
“I don’t care what you have to do to make it happen, just make it happen. Are we clear?” I glared at Amy. I was still pissed with her, with both of them. I image that was part of the reason I’d been running them ragged since the contract with Abigail was thrown in my face. We could all play games, but I was going to get my pound of flesh.
And what of Amy? Well, I just didn’t know what to do with her yet. She was a woman scorned in her eyes. I was still trying to wrap my mind around why she felt she had any claim on me. I hadn’t discussed the situation with her as of yet; everything had been kept strictly professional, and in the few instances where she’d run into Abigail and I together at various events, she’d acted cool and detached.
“It’s the weekend - ” Amy chimed in.
I hit her with a glare. “And I’m here. Working. We have two massive deals in the works. Both need to be ready to close for Monday. I want airtight contracts.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll have it done by the end of the day.” Walter said, standing. He wanted nothing to do with my impending head-to-head with his colleague. “Let’s get to work, Amy.”
She looked over her shoulder at him as he stood by the open doorway. “Go ahead, I’ll be right there, I just need to speak with Mr. Townstead a moment.”
He left without hesitation, no doubt not wanting to be in the middle of what was about to go down.
Once he was out of earshot, she spoke. “I’m getting sick of all the work you’re throwing onto us.”
Leaning back in my chair, I shrugged. “Not sure what you’re talking about, Amy. This is a business. There’s work to do.”
“I know what you’re doing.”
Cocking a brow at her, I hit her with a stare. “And what exactly am I doing, Amy?”
“You’re punishing us because we know about the contract.”
“Correction, you threatened me with the contract.” Leaning forward, I braced my elbows on the top of the desk. “We’re not together. I was very clear from the very beginning that what we had was a business relationship. I thought we were on the same page with that. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that I’ve never thought of us as anything more or less than that.”
“Not a surprise! Are you kidding me?”
As usual when it came to that woman, I was confused. “We’re going around in circles here, Amy. I’ve dated. You’ve been in relationships. I don’t understand what is going on here.”
“Because I always thought, eventually, we’d end up together.”
Jesus. Here we go again.
“I’ve seen you with her. You’re different.”
“Now you’re talking crazy.”
“You like her.”
“Of course, I like her. What does that have anything to do with anything? I like a lot of people.”
“Not like her though.”
Reaching into my desk drawer, I pulled out a bottle of aspirin. “What? I’m not following you.”
“You’ve been leaving work earlier than usual. Neglecting the business. You’ve barely given me the time of day.”
“You’re pissed because I’m no longer fucking you? Me not fucking you grossly predates my relationship with Abby.”
“Because you’re fucking her and even paying her! What is wrong with that picture? Why would you possibly want to be around someone you have to pay in order to have?”
Anger was boiling up within me. I was seriously over this conversation. “I am not neglecting the business. Work is getting done. Making this place run is what I pay you people for.” Shaking a few aspirin into my palm, I tossed them into my mouth and swallowed them.
“Us people?” she exclaimed, standing and planting her hands on her hips.
“Employees. That’s what I have: employees. You are my employee, and from now on that is it. If you can’t handle that, then I’ll expect a resignation letter on my desk Monday morning.” Amy was seething. I could see the fire in her eyes, but I didn’t care. I was done with this nonsense. She’d be doing us both a favor if she resigned.
“She’s a gold digger, Devon!”
Gold digger. The accusation about Abigail had me seeing red. I stood so quickly, my office chair was sent flying behind me. “Out of my office, Amy!” Lucky for me it was Saturday and the office was like a ghost town, otherwise everyone on the floor would have heard me. “I want either the paperwork or your resignation on my desk Monday. You choose.”
She seemed to deflate a little, and if I wasn’t mistaken I could have sworn I saw tears begin to well up in her eyes. Well, fuck that. She’d crossed a line and I was done.
~*~ TT ~*~
Home, sweet home.
After all the stupidity at the office, I was glad to be home and anxious to see Abigail. The look on her face when I’d shoved the pair of panties in her back pocket had been priceless. I’d had a breakthrough with her last night and I wanted to see where that would lead us tonight.
“Abby?” I called out. Not to sound like a chauvinist, but I couldn’t help wondering what she was cooking tonight. She wasn’t the greatest cook, but she seemed to be trying and improving. I had an expensive collection of cookbooks in the kitchen that I never used which I’d noticed out of order, so it would be a safe assumption that she was making good use of them. I’d give them to her if she wanted them when she left.
When she left…
Hmmm. A part of me didn’t care for the sound of that. I was getting a little to comfortable with our situation.
“Abby?” I called out again as I made my way towards the kitchen.
Entering the kitchen, I was a little surprised to see she wasn’t there. Perhaps she was in the bedroom, wearing something erotic? My cock jerked at the though of Abigail, reclining on the bed with a black leather bustier and panties. That would be sweet, indeed.
“Abigail.” I called out again, making my way up the stairs, shrugging out of my jacket as I climbed. It was a good thing that she hadn’t made dinner. I could take her and Isabella out to eat.
“Ab - ”
“Shhhh. You’re going to wake her up!” Abigail hissed, sticking her head out of Isabella’s room as I stepped onto the landing.
Looking down at my watch, I frowned. “It’s not even quite dinnertime yet. Why is she in bed?”
“She’s come down with the flu.”
“Oh, I see.” A family dinner just went down to a romantic night out. It had been almost a week since I’d taken Abby out. Despite making it home earlier than I normally would lately, business had been so busy I couldn’t even invest as much time as I’d wanted to make her fall in love with me. So much for wooing her. The bet didn’t even matter to me anymore. My priority was simply enjoying my time with her and Isabella.
“She’s been sick most of the day.”
Walking towards Isabella’s bedroom, I replied, “But she seemed fine this morning.”
“It came on all of a sudden.” She re-entered Isabella’s bedroom with me following behind her.
Entering the bedroom, my heart went out to the little girl who was in the process of a violent cough. “Hey sweetheart.” I walked past Abby to go to Isabella’s bedside. “I hear you’re not feeling very well.”
She shook her head. “Nope. My head and cough hurts.”
“Your cough hurts?” I cocked a brow at her.
Abigail laughed. “She means her throat.”
“My throat,” the little girl confirmed.
“Well, all right.” I directed my question at Isabella specifically. “Would you mind if I took your mother out for a little bit.” I leaned into her, my mouth an inch from her ear. “I’ll make sure we bring you home something cool.”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Is Nina coming over?”
“She sure is.” I grinned at her. Isabella had really taken to the nanny.
“Go. Bring me back something.”
“Isabella Grace Whitney, that’s very rude,” her mother scolded. “Besides, we’re not going anywhere so there’s no point in getting Nina to come over.”
“But Mommy! I want to see Nina!”
Straightening, I walked over to Abigail, lowering my voice so Isabella couldn’t hear, and said, “She’s fine with Nina. Besides, I’m hungry and you have a contractual obligation to attend any function or venue I choose.”
“Are you saying I have no say?”
“I’d never put it that way, but if it’s the only way to convince you to go out then, yes.”
“Do you even know if Nina is available.”
“She’ll make herself available. No worries on that.” Pulling my phone from my pants pocket, I made a call to Nina. She was busy, but she became available very quickly once she heard my offer.