CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Another red carpet. Another party. But this time Nate was acting completely different.
It had been tense around the house the last few days. He’d been trying to convince Paige to have her agent call the movie executives back and she’d kept repeating her first answer.
No.
It wasn’t going to change. The longer she thought about it, the surer she was that she’d done the right thing. Her sixth sense had been on high alert during that meeting and her little voice had been telling her to turn around and run. She’d done the right thing calling that deal off. She’d tried explaining that to Nate but he’d been stubborn and pig-headed the last three days. He just stomped around the house and growled. For the most part she’d ignored him but he had her full attention tonight.
Every time she’d seen him at this party, he’d had another young beauty on his arm gazing up at him adoringly. At first she’d rolled her eyes at his blatant attempt to rile her up but now it was becoming downright hurtful. He’d ignored her all night and surely people were noticing his behavior. He was being an ass and she didn’t have the patience for it. Time to grow up and act like an adult instead of a spoiled and pampered movie star who had his every whim catered to. Except by her.
Frankly, she’d had enough of this shitshow. He might be acting like a jerk but she didn’t need to stand here and be a witness to his foolishness. The longer she stood here, the less respect she had for herself. Just what kind of woman did he think she was? Some passive little ingénue that hung on his every word? Fuck no.
Determined to put an end to this awful night, she tucked her purse under her arm and strode over to where he was holding court, a bevy of females surrounding him.
Prince fucking Charming, he was not.
Nate had his back to Paige so she had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. He whirled around, his cheeks pink from the alcohol he’d consumed and his balance slightly off.
Great, he’s drunk.
Tensing, Paige steeled herself, determined not to show any weakness. She’d never seen Nate inebriated but she’d seen other men in that condition and they hadn’t impressed her with their common sense and decorum. She wasn’t going to argue with a drunk. There was no point to it and if what she thought was true, Nate had orchestrated all of this tonight because he was pissed and acting out.
“Darling, are you having a good time?”
He had a drink he didn’t need in one hand, the other arm around the smirking skank who was currently looking Paige up and down, probably wondering what Nate saw in her. If the woman had the poor taste to ask, Paige wasn’t above telling her that Nate loved how she gave head.
“Actually I think I’ve had enough fun for one night. I’m going back to the house.”
Paige didn’t imagine the woman’s hand clinging to Nate a little tighter, pulling him closer and smiling more invitingly. He scowled and seemed to have to think about what she said as if she’d spoken a foreign language. One of the six he didn’t already speak.
“Home? But it’s early.” He suddenly seemed to notice the appendage he’d grown since they’d last seen one another. “Darling, have you met Bethany Sinclair? Bethany, this is Paige Mitchell. Paige, this is Bethany.”
Bethany nodded coolly and Paige almost burst out laughing. Did this woman actually think she’d stolen something from Paige tonight? Like the man standing between them was a designer purse or a great pair of shoes? People weren’t objects and they came and went as they pleased. That’s why she’d chosen to go.
Paige ignored Bethany. This wasn’t about her anyway, not really. This was about Nate being a jackass.
“I’ll just take a taxi. You can take the limo whenever you’re ready to leave. Good night.”
Turning on her expensive high heel, she marched to the front entrance and out onto the sidewalk feeling rather proud of herself. She hadn’t lost her temper or made a scene. So far, so good.
She was about to head for one of the taxis lined up when a large and masculine hand landed on her arm.
Well, shit. She’d thought she was home free.
“What is your problem?”
Slowly, she turned to look at him, his question shaking her resolve to stay calm. She only had one problem right now and that was him. He’d been testing her patience all week and she didn’t have much left.
With the light of the streetlamp she could really see his face, unlike inside the club. His color was high and his eyes were red-rimmed. Drinking really didn’t look good on him. He looked old and worn, not nearly the cinema heartthrob he was supposed to be.
“I’m sick to my stomach if you must know. Now let go of my arm.”
If anything his fingers tightened and he leaned down, his usually soft blue eyes a sharp shade of gray. His breath stunk of whiskey and cigarettes. When had he snuck a smoke? He knew that she hated it. “Don’t be difficult. We came together, we leave together. Do you want the press to start talking?”
Paige almost fell off her Jimmy Choos. He had the nerve to talk about the press? Was he drunk and stupid?
Her gaze darted around the sidewalk where a few people milled, having a smoke or climbing into a cab. “This isn’t the best place to do this. Let’s go home.”
Nate was looking down his patrician nose at her. Honest to God. She’d read about it in books but had never actually seen anyone do it, but here he was with an arrogant haughty expression that defied logic. Did he think he had the moral high ground here?
“I’m not ready to leave,” he whined. “I want to stay and have fun. That’s your problem—you’re no fun.”
He hadn’t thought that when he was fucking her on every horizontal or vertical surface in his house the last few months but then she had to remind herself this was all part of his plan. He was pushing her into a confrontation so he could get his way.
“Depends on your definition of fun, Treetop. Now I’m going. Are you staying?”
His hand dropped from her arm and the fucker sneered. Sneered. Shit, he’d pulled out all the stops for this. “Go home then. It’s much more enjoyable without you.”
Maybe a saint or a smarter woman could have walked away but Paige was neither of those. She was human and when stabbed, she bled just like anyone else. She should have turned her back and walked away but her mouth was in charge.
“Bethany looks like she knows how to party. You better get back in there before she finds another guy who’s better-looking and has more money.”
That smug smile was back on his face and she wanted more than anything to smack it off.
“You’re jealous,” he said so condescendingly it made her want to hurl. What was it about the British accent that could make something sound so pompous? “Really, darling, you’re going to have to get used to women flirting with me. If you can’t take it, then perhaps this relationship isn’t going to work out.”
Pressing two fingertips to her temple, she would have sworn there and then she’d just had some sort of stroke. He couldn’t have said that. No way.
But as she played his words backwards and forwards she realized he had. He was going a hell of a lot further than she’d thought he would. This was the plan and he wanted them to have it out, right here and now.
Alrighty then.
“Nate, I have been dealing with women flirting and throwing themselves at you since the day I met you and I think I’ve been doing a damn good job with it. You see, that doesn’t really bother me all that much. What burns my ass is when my boyfriend, the man I’ve been sharing a bed and my life with, spends the last few hours flirting back. In front of me. In front of your friends. In front of the press. You said you’d never humiliate me but tonight you did. You deliberately hurt me tonight because you’re mad.”
If she thought Nate might back down and apologize, she was wrong. She should have remembered he’d told her he had a temper. He bent over so they were nose to nose.
“I can do anything I fucking want. I’m Nate Mason. You’re so uptight and anxious, such a control freak. Every fucking thing has to be your way. I just wanted to have some fun tonight but you couldn’t allow that, could you? You can’t stand for anyone to do something without your permission.”
Silently reminding herself that this was all to provoke her, she held onto her temper by a slim thread. This was not the time or the place for her to blow her stack. Her brain couldn’t stop her body from reacting, however, and a red tide of heat swept over her, making her legs jelly and her heart race. She was literally shaking with rage. It was only through years of keeping her cool that she was able to speak somewhat rationally.
“Only a child thinks they should be able to do anything they want, Nate. Real adults know that isn’t possible. As for having fun, no one is stopping you. Rock on or whatever. I’m done with this conversation. You want me to scream and make a scene so you can justify what you did here tonight. You’re frustrated and mad because you think you know me better than I do myself. News flash. I’m not as dumb as the women you’ve dated in the past. You’re about as transparent as your skank-friend’s dress.”
She turned and grabbed the door handle of a taxi but she wasn’t quite fast enough.
“Go. I’m going back to Bethany. At least she appreciates me. Go back to the suburbs and your boring pathetic existence.”
For fuck’s sake.
She whirled back around, her temper battering at the bars of its cage like a wild animal desperate to be let out. He’d taken one step too far. What had started out as Nate lashing out for imagined slights had turned into something far different. He was angry because she wouldn’t listen to him. Well, she was listening to him now and not liking what he was saying in the least.
“My poor baby, you don’t feel appreciated? I don’t adore and worship you enough, like one of your fangirls? Welcome to the human race, you asshole. Nobody is appreciated enough. You’re spoiled,” she hissed, no longer able to control all the emotions that were threatening to spill out and make a mess. Angry tears pricked the back of her eyes and her hands shook with the effort it took not to slap him into next week. “A spoiled little mama’s boy who needs everybody to love him and tell him how great he is. If all you want is a woman to tell you how handsome and sexy you are, how great of an actor you are, and never, ever call you on your bullshit, then you’re absolutely right. This relationship could never work out. Go back to what’s-her-name because I don’t have the time or energy to prop up your king-sized ego twenty-four seven.”
This time she did manage to wrench the taxi door open and stumbled into the back seat. Nate didn’t come after her, simply standing there on the sidewalk as the cab pulled away and into traffic. Tears she’d been holding in began to fall, her body shaking with sobs she couldn’t control. She turned to look out of the back window. To see him one more time.
He’d gone back inside.