Page 11 of Fighting for the Forbidden
Ripping my eyes from hers, I look around the office. I’ve got so many happy memories of Dad in this place. I can’t imagine moving the business somewhere else, but I know Mum’s right. Now’s not the time to be sentimental.
“I’ll start looking for options.”
“I’ve got faith in you, baby.”
I nod, not wanting to get into that kind of conversation right now. My head is still pounding from last night’s whiskey, and now it’s spinning with everything I need to do here. Add the fact that I’ve just agreed to visit our biggest site right now to see how it’s going, into the mix, and I’m ready to call it a day. It’s not that I don’t want to go to the site—I’m actually quite excited to see it as the project sounds incredible—but the problem is who’s running it.
Pulling up to the old factory on the outskirts of Kensington, I sit back and appreciate the Victorian architecture hiding behind the cage of scaffolding. This building is going to be stunning once its restoration is complete. The luxury apartments inside are going to be worth a pretty penny. This is our most lucrative project currently running, so it’s vital that we pull as much out of it as possible. That means I need to be on top of everything, as well as working closely with the site manager…Joe.
Reaching behind me, I grab my high-visibility jacket and hardhat from the van I borrowed, as my car’s still parked somewhere by the strip club. Telling myself that I need to be civil and polite, I head off to find the man in charge.
There are people everywhere, both inside and outside the building. I know from looking at the schedule back in the office that they’re on a tight timeline to get the works complete, but still, it seems a little crazy.
Hearing from a couple of our guys that Joe had gone up to the roof, I find a ladder and start climbing.
When I eventually get to the top of the scaffolding, I find him talking to a couple of others by a broken section of tiles.
I’ve only taken a couple of steps towards them when his head snaps up and his eyes find mine. His expression hardens and only gets angrier the closer I get. It takes a few seconds for the guys he’s with to notice, but when they do, they stop talking and turn my way.
“Ben, mate, it’s so good to see you. I heard you were back.”
“Will,” I say, nodding to a guy I used to consider my friend. “How’s it going?”
“Good, good. This one’s a bit of a hard taskmaster though,” he says, nodding to Joe.
“I’m glad he’s keeping you on your toes. Do you mind? Joe and I have some things to discuss.”
“Sure thing, boss man…you are the boss now, right?”
“I am, so I suggest you get to work.”
“He used to be fun, you know,” Will calls over his shoulder as he and the other guy I don’t recognise head towards the ladder.
Every muscle in my body is tense as we stand in silence, waiting to see who’s going to speak.
In the end, I break first. “I don’t know how much you know about the current situation with the company,” I say, assuming that Lauren will have filled him in, “but needless to say, this is our biggest job right now and it’s imperative that it’s as successful as possible. That means you and I will be working closely together in the coming weeks. So unless you intend on finding a new job, I suggest you get used to the fact that I’m going to be in your life whether you like it or not.”
“Until things get too hard and you run again,” he mutters.
“Excuse me?” I want to believe I misheard that, but I know I didn’t.
“You heard. You don’t belong here, and you know it. You made your bed six years ago, so I’d recommend you go back to wherever it is and lie in it.”
“I’m not here to discuss my life with you or to argue over what’s mine.”
“That’s good, because nothing here is yours,” he spits. Red-hot anger races through my veins and my teeth grind in an attempt not to put my hands on him.
Stepping up to me, his fists clench at his sides. A smug grin twitches at my lips. Good, I’m getting to him. “You and I both know that’s not true. There’s only ever been one man for Lauren, and that man’s me. Just give it time. You’ll see.” I know I shouldn’t be rising to this, but the look on his fucking face is too much to deny. He thinks he’s winning here, but he has no understanding of the thing between Lauren and I. Hell, most of the time I don’t understand it. But it’s there and it’s very real, even after all these years.
“Remind yourself of that when you’re lying in a cold and empty bed tonight and her hot little body is wrapped around mine.”
“Fuck you,” I spit, wrapping the fabric of his shirt in my hand and pushing him back against the scaffolding. My chest heaves as I stare deep into his eyes, trying to rid the image of the two of them together once again. “She doesn’t want you. Not really. You were just a filler.” His eyes narrow slightly at my blatant disregard for their relationship. It’s obvious he cares for her, loves her even, but it will never be a match for what the two of us have, and I’m pretty sure that, deep down, he must know that. He knows she’s been fucking sleeping with me for fuck’s sake—of course he knows.
“Like the strippers are to you?”
“What?” My stomach knots and my hand loosens in surprise. Stepping back, he manages to put some space between us.
“That’s right. She knows all about what you got up to last night, so don’t try the fucking innocent act with me. You were all over those women. How do you think that made her feel when you say you only want her?”
“Motherfucker.” I launch myself at him, but before we connect, there’s an almighty crash below us, and the world falls out from under me.
