Page 93 of Flare

I followed his gaze and sighed. “If you hear sirens, come running.”

His brows dipped. “You need me to stay?” He glanced at Beck and chuckled. “No, of course you don’t. But we do need to talk sometime. Our mutual landlord is making noise about raising our lease.”

“Just what I need.” I grimaced as Leon headed off.

“One thing at a time.” Beck opened the door for me and my stupid heart fluttered as always. A quick scan of the store came up empty as I made my way to Kip at the service counter.

“She’s over there.” Kip tipped his head in the direction of the change rooms where Gloria sat rigid and practically steaming on one of the couches, her severe brunette bob straightened to within an inch of its life, sharp angular features fierce and intimidating, and steely blue eyes fixed on me. At five foot ten and dressed in a stunning cream pinstriped three-piece Ralph Lauren suit, she had an inch on me and a load more bullshit and caustic candour. She could work a room and leave me looking like an amateur. Working for her, I’d enjoyed the blunt side of her personality—you always knew where you stood—but her tendency to manipulate was less endearing. But in her day, her designs had been captivating.

Before she could get to her feet, I held up a finger. “Give me a minute, please.”

More steam accompanied by a look that could strip paint.

I slowly and deliberately turned away.Let her fucking wait.

Kip rolled his eyes. “I was tempted to get the incense burning and don my garlic necklace.”

I snorted. “Did you offer her a coffee?”

“She refused. But I wasn’t gonna have her anywhere near your office, so I sat her there. She wasn’t happy.”

“Good call.”

I glanced across to find Gloria still glaring and I tried to remember those first years I’d worked for her—thrilled to get the chance to learn in her design stable. I’d admired her then. Now? Fuck her.

“I’ll wait with Kip.” Beck pressed a kiss to my cheek.

“You don’t have t—”

“I’ll wait. I have forty minutes until I need to head back.”

Kip smirked in approval.

“Shut up,” I told him. Then to Beck, “Thanks.”

“You’ve got this.” Beck held my chin and pressed a firm kiss to my lips with the tiniest slip of tongue along the crease to make my knees wobble.

Kip fanned himself dramatically and I drilled him with a glare. “Not. A. Word.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

I took a deep breath and turned to Gloria whose colour was only just shy of a matador’s cape, and that wasn’t the end of the similarities, but mostly on the bull’s side. A pair of horns and even the swinging dick wouldn’t go astray.

I quashed the butterflies in my stomach who hated confrontation as much as I did and made my way over.

Gloria was on her feet in a second, her bob bouncing in irritation. “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, Rhys, but you better call your bitches off my label before I sue you for slander.”

“I haven’t said a word about you, your label,oryour store, Gloria. Get your facts straight.”

“You know damn well what I mean,” she seethed, spittle forming at the corners of a mouth painted vintage red. “Those stupid photos are all over Instagram. I didnotsteal your ideas. If anything, it was the other way around.”

Oh, hell no. And any second thoughts about what we’d done went right out the fucking window. “I’m not sure how you can draw that conclusion,Gloria, since some of those pieces were inmypublic catalogue and also in store weeks before they appeared onyourracks. And I repeat, I haven’t said anything public about you. Neither has Kip, nor this store, much though I’d love to. But while we’re on the subject, tell me about those designs, Gloria. I’d be really, really interested to hear who drew them up for you.”

She paled. “I did, of course.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh and her scowl deepened.Gloria hadn’t done more than a dozen of her own designs in years. I raised a disbelieving brow and said nothing.

Her gaze narrowed and her hands fisted around her Balenciaga handbag worth at least two grand. I hoped to fuck she creased the leather.

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