Page 58 of Lovers' Dance

“Shut up. I’m not going to listen to one more word out of you. I can’t believe this. Sneaky, no-good, snobby—”

The loud knock on the office door broke off my tirade. All eyes swung towards the door as it opened slowly. Gloria’s red hair popped around it.

“Dante, Christine is here and she—hey, don’t barge past me, Christine.”

Christine. The ever lovely Christine walked into my office as if she owned the damned thing. Dante sighed and fixed a smile on his face as she observed us with a healthy measure of excited curiosity.

“Christine, what are you doing here, babe? I told you this is not a good time.”

She beamed at him and produced a bag from behind her back. “I brought you lunch. The press is out there.” She walked over to kiss Dante on the lips and rest the bag of whatever food she’d brought on my cluttered desk. She looked good, wearing a form-hugging knit dress that showed off her curves. Christine stuck her hand out at Matt. “Hi, I’m Christine.”

Matt, always polite, gently shook her hand. Christine eyes widened at the red palm print on his face.

“Matthew Bradley. It’s nice to meet you, Christine.”

“I can’t believe I shook hands with a billionaire,” she gushed, café-au-lait skin going nicely flushed. I rolled my eyes in disgust, and Matt looked uncomfortable at the mention of his financial worth.

“Now is not a good time, Christine,” I muttered, shooting daggers at Matt with my eyes.

Her mouth tightened in displeasure and she turned to me with a fake smile. “Oh, Madi, you’re such a dark horse. I knew you weren’t as innocent as Dante tried to convince me. Look at you, carrying on with an older man.”

“Dante.” He knew from the tone of my voice I was at my breaking point. And her little description: dark horse. I knew her ‘other’ meaning.

“Babe, why don’t you go wait out front for me?” He gestured to the door and Christine pouted, flicking her relaxed hair over one shoulder.

“Aww, but I came all this way to see you today,” she complained.

I glared at her. She lived twenty minutes away. What was she playing at?

“I know,” Dante said, “But we need privacy. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Christine, not liking her dismissal, folded her arms and shrugged. “It’s not like we don’t know Madi’s sleeping around with—”

“You better get your ass outta here,” I yelled. Matt’s face was a picture of shock at my behaviour. Well, fuck it. They were painting me as a ghetto hoe in the media. Fine. I’d play into the stereotype.

“Don’t talk to me like that. Dante, are you going to let her speak to me like that?”

Dante’s gaze jumped helplessly between us. “Babe, wait outside. Please.”

“But she’s rude—”

“Rude? Girl, I will—”

“Madison.” Matt grabbed my arm as I tried to go past him. I don’t know what I would’ve done. Probably gotten my ass whupped, seeing as I’d never been in a girl-on-girl fight before. But I was furious. With everything and everyone.

“What is wrong with you?” Matt’s chastisement was deserving of another slap, but I repressed the urge, barely.

“I don’t know, Matt,” I said sarcastically while exchanging mean looks with Christine as Dante led her out of my office. “I woke up this morning feeling on top of the world, only to realize that the world has decided to defecate right over me. This—this whole situation is—I can’t—”

Matt pulled me into his arms. I resisted, but he tightened his hold until I stopped trying to escape.

“Poppet, I’m so sorry this is happening. I’ll fix it.”

I raised my head from where it was pressed against his chest. “Promise?”

His mouth quirked up at the corners. “I promise.” He kissed my forehead, then leaned back, arms still encircling me to say, “Nothing’s changed.”

That confused me. Was he senile? At the reasonably young age of thirty-seven?

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