Page 18 of When the Last One Falls
Wrenching her arm from my grasp, she seethed, “You know, I’m not a fucking idiot. I knew that this marriage was going to be a joke when I agreed to it. I knew that we were going to be civil roommates at best. I knew that love was never going to be in the equation. However, I had expected some level of respect.” Her eyes were shooting fire at me, and I’d never seen a more beautiful woman. “I had expected the same level of respect that you offered all your business associates.” Her body was practically shaking with rage. “I amnotyour fucking whore, Brantley. I might be bought and paid for, but I am not some piece of ass that you can pass around to your little buddies.”
I was going to kill Rochelle.
“If you want to pass your girlfriend around to your friends, then that’s your business,” she continued to hiss. “But you willnotoffer me up to them like some contract bonus. I might have been sold to you like some cheap piece of furniture, but you got your fucking island, so it’s not like you didn’t get your money’s worth.”
“Keris-”
“Go to hell, Brantley,” she snarled. “Better yet, just stay the hell away from me. Keep your money, your island, your girlfriend or girlfriends, but just stay the fuck away from me.”
“You’re my wife-”
“I’m not your wife!” she yelled, and I knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before this shitstorm was recorded and shared on social media. “I’m a signature. I’m the receipt for the island. I amnotyour wife. If I were, then Ares Cormac wouldn’t have first dibs in between my legs.”
My entire body turned ice-cold.
“What?”
“What kind of man gives other men the green light to fuck his wife without even asking her permission?” she kept raging, and there was no doubt that I was going to kill Ares Cormac. I’d been under the impression that the conversation that she’d overheard between me and Rochelle had been the cause of all this, but I was wrong. “That’s called trafficking, Brantley-”
I snatched her up by her arm again. “I did not offer you up to anyone,” I growled. “And if I ever were to lose my fucking mind and do such a thing, it sure as fuck wouldn’t be to Ares Cormac.”
Keris’ green eyes slid past my shoulders, and when she pursed her lips, the first tear of anger and humiliation fell down her face, and I could feel myself falling under whatever fucked-up spell that her pride and anger were weaving around me.
I’d never wanted to kiss a woman so damn badly in all my life.
Her tone sounding cold and final, she said, “The least you could do is take off that ridiculous ring.” She yanked herself out of my hold again. “That woman deserves better.”
When I turned to see what she was looking at, I saw Rochelle standing at the top of the steps into the hall, a concerned look on her face. I also noticed other people staring at us, though no one had their phones out to preserve this fucked-up moment. Magnus was also coming down the steps of the building.
Looking back down at Keris, I said, “I’m not fucking her-”
“Don’t lie,” she snapped. “There’s no reason to lie. This isn’t a real marriage.”
“The signed certificate in my safe states otherwise,” I shot back.
“Leave me alone, Brantley,” she ordered. “You were right about everything. We only need to be married on paper, and we did that. Now leave me the fuck alone.”
“Hey…uh…hate to interrupt, but it’s starting to get crowded out here.” We both turned towards Magnus’ voice, and he gave me a knowing look. “You might want to finish this at home.”
Before I could agree or disagree, Keris had taken advantage of the distraction, and she was inside one of the service cars before I could stop her. I slammed my fist on the hood of the car, but Magnus quickly pulled me back, doing his best to keep me from making a spectacle of myself.
However, it was too late.
“Brant-”
“Cormac told her that I gave him permission to use her,” I told him, my voice barely containing the rage that I felt.
“Fuck,” he sighed, shaking his head.
I turned, and ignoring all the prying eyes, even Rochelle’s, I stormed back into the hall, looking for that sonofabitch. I didn’t give one fuck that I was about to get arrested, either.
As if he’d been waiting for me, I found him still at the bar, that motherfucking smirk still on his face. I had no idea what his game was or how he knew about Rochelle’s sexual proclivities, but it hardly mattered right now. Plus, since Rochelle and I hadn’t been exclusive, it stood to reason that she’d been the entertainment at more than just my business meetings. The woman liked dick, and the more, the merrier as far as she was concerned. That’s what made her such a good fuck; nothing was off-limits with her, and before tonight, she had come with no drama.
Ares straightened, bracing himself for my wrath, when he saw me barreling his way. As soon as I was close enough, I grabbed his suit with one hand, the other hand cracking a fist against his face.
Gasps and shocked outrage erupted all over the room, but that didn’t stop me. It also didn’t stop Ares from fighting back, and we both knew that this fight had been a long time coming. Evenly matched, we went hit for hit, and while we might not ever be invited to another charity event ever again, neither of us were going to jail, and we both knew it while fist continued to fly.
When security finally arrived and pulled us apart, it felt like the entire building was crowded around us, dying to be a part of the action and the gossip.
