“All business, no play makes for a boring life, Seven.” His smug grin annoys me, but I will never let him know.
I throw him my megawatt smile and fire back. “Oh, Daniel. My life has a lot of play in it. I just keep it out of the office.” Slam dunk. Well, it would be a slam dunk if it were actually true.
His feet drop to the floor, and he leans forward in the seat. “Not what I heard.”
I let out a laugh. A deep, booming, belly laugh. I can’t stop. I am absolutely hysterical and he looks at me as if I have lost the last bit of my sanity. I probably have. “Oh, Daniel. What I do in my personal time is none of your business. I suggest you keep your assumptions to yourself, because you don’t have much of a leg to stand on.” I love speaking cryptically. Never giving him too much information as to what I know, and what he thinks I know. It is all a game, and little does this bitch know, I am Milton fucking Bradley.
“I have nothing to hide, Seven. Which is why I still have my job here.” He laughs at me. Wrong fucking move.
I snap.
“Daniel, everyone knows you can’t keep that useless fucking dick in your pants. I know you’re fucking my assistant. Everyone knows you cheat on your poor wife all the time. It’s not news. But what I don’t get is what these women see in you? Is it the money? Because you, my friend, are the worst fuck I have ever had. Every night when you would go back to your dorm room, I would finger myself, because you never once pleasured me the way a real man should.”
Hey, I can’t help that it’s the truth. His ego is hurt for sure, and it makes me want to jump up and down while laughing in his face. But I sit still, composed behind my desk with a smile on my face. “Let me make something very clear, Daniel. Your time at Alexander Mobile is almost up. When the truth starts to leak out, you will be history. I suggest you step down before you cause your dear old daddy any embarrassment. Because that is all you are, a fucking embarrassment.”
He is pissed. Like really fucking pissed off. If it were possible, steam would be spilling out of his ears. His face reddens, and his lips press together. He’s searching for something witty to say, but nothing comes to him. I want to laugh at him some more, but I do us both a favor. “Enjoy your short time back at Alexander Mobile. Soon you will be gone. Now you can get out of my fucking office.” I shoo him away with my hand.
“If you think it is going to be that easy to get rid of me, you are wrong, Seven.” He stands in my doorway, trying to get the last word.
I shake my head and laugh at him. “Daniel, I don’t think. I know.”
CHAPTER 11
I walk into my penthouse to a familiar scene - Levi cooking up a storm in my kitchen. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed by his cooking skills. Fuck, I’d be impressed with a bag of Ramen noodles and a bottle of beer, so when he pampers me with fancy dishes I could never hope to pronounce the name of, I don’t complain at all.
“How did your meeting go?” I ask as I toss my laptop bag onto the kitchen counter, and slip out of my heels. I’ve been on the edge of my seat all day long waiting to hear how the alimony cookie would crumble. Levi and his lawyer sat down with his ex-gold digger, presenting her with all the information my wonderful PI had dug up on her affair with Daniel. She wouldn’t get one more red cent from Levi.
“Very well. She was shocked, but I guess she knew it would be coming one day. My lawyer advised me that I could sue her for the spousal support I’ve been paying. I think I just want to be done with it all, though.” He pulls two plates out of the cabinet above the sink and sets them down on the breakfast bar.
“Whatever you wanna do, Levi.” I shrug as he fills our plates with some fancy pasta concoction that smells delicious. My mouth is watering, considering I haven’t eaten a damn thing all day. My stomach lets out a deep growl, and we both laugh. The mood between us is always so light; we just mesh well in every sense.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.” When those words leave his mouth, my body tenses. Those words are typically never good. Ever. Internally, I start to freak out. I should have known there would be trouble in paradise eventually.
The chip I had on my shoulder when I was trying to sidestep him all that time appears back in place. With an attitude I have no business throwing around, I jump down his throat. “What?”
“Relax, babe.” He places the plate in front of me with a smile sprawling across his face. He really is gorgeous; everything from his stubble to the way his hair falls to the side does it for me, and I can’t help but not be mad, or even irritated. “I put my penthouse on the market today.” The words don’t bother me.
“Whatever,” I reply, completely oblivious to where the conversation is going.
“Seven, I put the penthouse on the market.” His tone is more serious, and it draws my attention from the plate of pasta I am inhaling.
“Okay?” What does he want me to say? Move in with me? Move into my home, which has doubled as a fuck pad for the duration of my residence?
“How would you feel about buying a penthouse together?”
I drop my fork against the glass plate. It bounces off the dish and flies right onto the floor, pasta still attached and making a giant creamy mess. “What?” I ask him, my mouth gaping in his direction.
“Too much?” he asks. I don’t even know how to answer that question, but my only internal reaction is to fucking run as far as I can. It was a big deal for me to agree to give him a chance. To give this whole thing a chance. We went from nothing to everything almost overnight. He’s becoming my everything, and when he walks away, I’ll be broken. I know this.
“Way too much, Levi.” I let out a deep breath, and push the plate away from me. My appetite is gone now. “I can’t do this. I need a break.” I stand from my chair and start to back away from him. I need to put as much room between us as I can. If he touches me, I’ll change my mind. “This is all too much, too fast. I need a break. Please, Levi. I hate to ask this of you, but can you go?” I can feel the panic attack brewing and I don’t want him to witness the nastiness that is my manic behavior.
“Seven, can we please talk about this?” His tone is pleading, and I can’t reply. I stand still, arms wrapped around my body, praying he’ll walk out of my life as fast as he possibly can.
“Please. Go.” My breathing becomes faster, and my hands shake as they harshly grip my own arms.
He turns without a word and makes his way to the elevator. Only a minute more and I can crack. Shatter. Retreat back into my fucked up head. Back to my fucked up life where I am worthless and where no one wants me. There, I am safe. The only person I am safe with is myself. It will always be like this.
I hear the slam of the elevator door and my entire body slips down the wall, sagging onto the kitchen floor as the hysterics pour out of me. First, it starts ever so slowly with tears. Followed by a meek cry. My breathing becomes more rapid with each memory that flashes through my overactive brain.
“You are destined to be alone, forever, Seven. You are just too fucked up.” Blue’s words echo through my ears.
“You’ll never get your shit together long enough to love anyone but yourself,” my father adds. Way to add insult to injury.
Without missing a beat, Daniel’s voice slams through my ears.