Chapter 53

Michael

After Rainey had left, I didn’t stay at the club much longer. I had received the envelope that Frederick had requested and I was thoroughly confused about what happened between Rainey and me, so I didn’t see a reason to stick around. I didn’t take much care in cleaning up after our little sexcapade. I doubted Frederick would blink an eye about the mess since his office was normally a mess anyway.

I went home and had two drinks before heading to bed. And even though I couldn’t stop thinking about Rainey, there was no further explanation for what she’d done to me. Why the hell did she leave after fucking me? She obviously had a good time. Was she that stubborn about not taking the job back? She claimed I couldn’t protect her which was entirely false. I would protect her if given a chance. Demetri met Rainey. He now knew how much she meant to me and vice versa. Why couldn’t she see that?

Instead of calling her that night to demand an explanation, I laid in bed and thought about what I would say the next time I saw her. This time I wasn’t going to be so passive about what I wanted.

Saturday, I sent the letter to Frederick at Natalia’s address. I didn't even break the seal to see what was inside. That would make me an accessory to their plans. Even though I usually found myself in that position, I wanted to stay out of their plans as much as I could until absolutely necessary.

I caught myself several times on Saturday with my finger hovered over Rainey’s cell phone number. I never went through with it though. What could I say to her? She made it clear what she wanted, or at least what she thought she wanted. I had to prove to her that nothing would change if she came back to work, but I felt I only had one more shot after all we’d been through.

I should have thought about that before kissing her on Friday night, but I read the situation correctly since she practically threw herself at me right after. I had to play this right. And that involved me not crawling back to her. She was going to come back to me. She had to make her own decision.

I spent the entire day on Sunday working, attempting to distract myself from the Rainey situation. I needed to clear my head before I went through with any plan. And she needed a little time to cool off. By not contacting her, I gave her the chance to stew in the memory of our intimate night together. And if I knew anything about Rainey, she was passionate. The emotions I stirred within her that night weren’t fake. She wasn’t the type of woman who enjoyed one night stands. She might have thought she’d made a mistake, but I knew what was in her heart. And when she figured it out, I’d be there.

I managed to keep her out of my head for a few hours, but when I closed out and filed all of the paperwork for the Christmas charity, thoughts of Rainey returned with a vengeance. I hated that she wasn’t available to do it herself. She’d done an excellent job with the event. It had been the best so far. Even the organizers were adamant about that. But this was the main reason I hired her. This was her job, and it annoyed me to no end that I had to do it myself.

When Monday morning rolled around, my mood hadn’t improved. In fact, Sandra ended up on the other side of it more than once. For some reason, the women in my life were insistent on making my life harder at the moment.

First Sandra screwed up my breakfast order, insisting that I asked for bacon instead of sausage in my sandwich. Neither of those meats sounded the same, and she frowned when I gave her a particularly nasty look after seeing the strips of bacon poking out between the roll.

And then later, when I couldn’t find my particular pens in the supply closet, Sandra caught me. She looked as if I were standing there in my underwear. Rainey had always helped me with the little things and Sandra before her.

“Do you want me to post the assistant job?” Sandra asked for the second time that morning.

I was the owner of the company for Christ’s sake. I should be able to find a pen on my own. “No.”

“I have the resumes from the last batch,” she said. “I could have them come interview by the end of the week. And the posting is ready for your approval—”

“I said no,” I snapped.

Her mouth clamped shut, and immediately I regretted my attitude. It wasn’t her fault that I wanted Rainey back. I wasn’t ready to post her job because then that would mean it was over between us. Rainey opened a new door into our relationship the other night, and I was determined to stick my foot out to keep it open as long as possible, giving her a chance to come back to the job I knew she loved and wanted.

It was the right thing to do for her son. She was an absolute fool to continue to spurn me. It seemed personal now instead of professional. She was so hell-bent on being professional all the time, but then screwed me on my brother’s desk. I was confused as hell.

Sandra left, going back to her desk. I took a few breaths before heading out myself. I had a meeting off-site, and I planned on taking the remainder of the afternoon to work from home. Being in the office reminded me too much of Rainey, and I wanted to clear my head. Besides that, I didn’t want Sandra to quit because I was a beast to her. It was best that we both had quiet and productive afternoons.

I gathered my things and just before closing the door, my office phone rang. Only a few people had the direct line. Since Sandra would have told me if someone was calling, it had to be Frederick or Demetri.

I sighed. I didn’t have time for them, but I also couldn’t refuse the phone call. Either of them would find a way to contact me if my office line wasn’t picked up. Since the issue with Sal, I rarely took those phone calls in the car anymore. Constantine never spoke a word to anyone about what he heard or saw while driving, but I couldn’t be too careful. Roping him in wouldn’t help either of us.

I dropped my briefcase on one of the chairs and placed my winter coat on top of it.

I lifted the receiver and spoke into the phone, “Hello?”

“Michael,” Rainey’s voice sang in my ear.

“Rainey?” I asked. I hadn’t bothered to think of her calling me. Did she want the job back? But she didn’t sound happy about anything at that moment. In fact, she seemed pissed.

“I found the extra money, Michael,” she said, attitude dripping from each word.

“That was a severance bonus,” I said. Why was she so upset about more money? Most would be thankful. Another reason why Rainey’s actions eluded me at times.

“I want you to take it back,” she said.

“That’s not possible,” I said.

“Why not? I don’t want it,” she snapped.

“It wouldn’t be right,” I said. “It will help you along until you find another job.”

“I’m sending you a check in the mail,” she said.

“Rainey,” I said. “Just accept it. You were a great help for the charity this year. It’s the least I owe you.”

“I will not let you pay me off like some whore!”

“Wait, what?” I’ve heard Rainey curse before, but for some reason, the derogatory word sounded horrible coming from her mouth. How could she possibly think that way?

“You heard me. I won’t be paid off.”

“I’m not paying you off at all. You said you needed money for you and your son. I’m trying to do the right thing here. You were the one that said things were tight. Please, just take it for me.”

Her voice softened a little, but only a little. “That’s sweet of you to think of us, Michael. But I don’t need my sorry ex, and I don’t need you either. So take it back.”

“That’s not possible,” I repeated. It was entirely possible, but I wasn’t going to let her talk to me like that without putting up a fight of my own. If this was going to be my last shot with her, I had to put everything on the table.

“It has to be! I don’t accept this. You did this behind my back. It’s too much. I know you’re paying me to keep my mouth shut about everything. Well, you don’t have to. I’m never telling anyone anything about you and me.”

I sighed, then the solution popped into my head. “Then accept my job offer.”

“What? No.”

“Yes,” I said. “Take your job back. I haven’t replaced you yet, and I have no intention of doing so.”

“I can’t work for you anymore. Not with the way things are,” she said.

How were things between us? Hot and cold? Altogether confusing? That hadn’t changed from the start. At least if she was my employee, we could go back to being professionals together and get some work done as a team. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for us. The rest had been perks. And I knew she wanted the job. She was too proud to take it. I suppose I had to force her hand for her to see what she needed.

“Just stop it, Rainey,” I said. “You're ridiculous. Stop being so selfish and do this for your son.”

“Excuse me? I’m not the selfish one—”

“You are absolutely selfish,” I said. “I’m offering you the opportunity to make money doing something you want to do, no strings attached. You claim to need a job and money. Well, here I am, handing both to you on a silver platter. You need to support your son. I get that. So take the damn job and stop being so fucking stubborn.”

“Stubborn? Me? That’s hilarious, coming from you. Why can’t you let this go? I—”

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Rainey,” I said, cutting her off. “Be here bright and early tomorrow morning. This is a business transaction, and I’m not willing to negotiate any further.”

I hung up the phone, and my heart raced as copious amounts of adrenaline coursed through my body. The other times I’d asked Rainey to come back, I wasn’t sure at all if she would say yes. I wanted her too, more than I cared to admit. But this time I knew I had her.

She’d come into the office tomorrow to tell me off or sit her ass in the ergonomic chair I bought for her and suck it up. She wanted the job. I gave it to her. It was as simple as that.

I never gave into people before, but Rainey was different. Even though she lied to me about her son, I found that a reason to keep her instead of punishing her. She was a hard worker and an asset to the team. Sure, we had some personal issues to work out, but with her here every day I could check off a few items on the list between us. Including, how to get her back to that woman she was on Saturday.

She might think she was earning her extra bonus, but I was the one with the plan. Eventually, she’d get on board with it too.