Page 11 of How to Play the Player
Jonathan cuts him off. “Consider it a collaboration. And before you continue to argue, it’s nonnegotiable.”
What the client says goes. Nathan may be able to argue this decision, but I can’t afford to.
I set my feelings of shock and panic to the side, replacing them with a strained professional smile. “Not a problem, Mr.Knight.” As much as I don’t want to do this, I need the money and professional recognition more.
“Great!” Jonathan interjects. “I’ll let you two work out the finer details. Oh, and for compensation, charge us your usual rates plus an inconvenience fee for any…challenges this arrangement might present to you.”
“Are you insane?” Nathan yells abruptly at his older brother, glaring at him as though he’s just suggested we jump off a cliff together.
“No, but I am starving,” Jonathan replies with a hint of smugness. “Who’s hungry? I could use some pizza and a good beer right about now.” Without waiting for an answer, he walks into the kitchen, leaving stunned silence in his wake.
Jake looks utterly confused. “Hey, J, wait a minute.” He follows Jonathan out.
Kami stands, smoothly gathering Kiera and Mia. “Kiera, remember that new snack you wanted to try out?”
“Snack? What are you—” Kiera begins, then catches Mia’s pointed look. “Oh! Yeah, that snack.”
Lyla hesitates, clearly torn between supporting me and giving us space. Before she can decide, Kami deftly hooks an arm through hers, pulling her into the kitchen. “Lyla, you have to try it with us.”
Once my bestie has left the room, loud silence falls between Nathan and me. The realization we are alone becomes all too real, the tension thick enough to cut with even the dullest knife.
How did I end up here? One minute I’m building my business from scratch, the next I’m trapped in a room with the man who broke my heart, accused me of betraying him, and ruined my reputation. Jonathan has a sick sense of humor if he thinks having us work together is a good idea.
I push back from the table, gathering the courage to quickly retreat. But before I can stand, Nathan is there, moving withthat athlete’s grace I’d once found so captivating. He blocks my path, his broad shoulders and imposing height turning him into a human wall between me and escape. His quick actions should scare me, but being this close to him again has my heart fluttering.
“Not so fast. We need to talk.” His cold fury mixed with our proximity sends shivers down my spine. At the same time, I find the contrast between what we once were and what we are now to be jarring—this angry stranger versus the man who once looked at me like I was his world.
“Okay. Then talk.” I do my best to make myself look undeterred despite the mixed emotions building inside.
His left temple pulses visibly; he clenches his jaw. “If you were smart, you’d leave and never come back.”
Who the hell does he think he is? He has no proof I betrayed him, yet he still has the audacity to threaten me. After he ghosted me without an explanation, much less hearing my side of the story. After seeing those photos of him with other women for the world to see. And now he’s trying to intimidate me out of a job I earned on my own merit?
Hell no!
Despite my anger, I force my expression into professional neutrality, refusing to let him drag me down to his level. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
“I’m simply advising you.” His tone says what his words don’t:my way or the highway.
“And why should I take it?” I keep my voice level, meeting his glare. “Last time I checked, you’re not the one I’m working for. You don’t get to dictate my decisions.”
He steps closer, and it takes everything in me to stand my ground under his heated gaze. “You can mess with me, but I won’t let you hurt my family again.”
“Why would I?” The accusation stings.
He makes a sound of frustration, somewhere between a scoff and a growl. “Keep lying to me all you want, but you don’t fool me. I won’t let you ruin my brother’s wedding day for a paycheck.”
“Nathan, you know me. You know I’d never do that. I never did to begin with. Why can’t you see that?”
“I can’t ignore the facts.” He dodges my questions.
“Yet you’ll ignore my side of the story? Was this always your opinion of me, even when we were dating?”
His expression falters for just a moment, uncertainty crossing his features before the hardness returns. “I don’t regret choosing my family over you.”
Ignoring the sting of his admission, I straighten in my chair. “Look, it’s obvious we’re stuck with each other for a while. So if we’re going to work together, we'll need to establish clear boundaries and workflows. I can’t have decisions second-guessed at every turn.”
“Don’t think this is about control for me,” Nathan said, his voice dropping lower. “It’s about making sure nothing goes wrong.”
