Page 77 of Manny's Surprise Baby
I hung up and slipped back into the suite using my key card. There were two girls who’d been at the convention still in the room. They both were giggling and seemed pretty drunk, and one of them was even sitting on Brodie’s knee. Brodie’s tie was undone, and he looked like he had lipstick smeared on his cheek and bottom lip.
Lola was still knitting in the corner, although her cheeks were bright red. I was pissed for her about her husband’s crass behavior. Who the hell hit on girls right in front of their wife? It was shitty enough to do it period, but with his wife right there, it was twice as low class. The problem was it wasn’t really my place to get Brodie in line. Lola needed to do that, but she obviously wasn’t up to the task. I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but like an idiot I didn’t.
I cleared my throat. “You girls about ready to clear out?” The look Brodie gave me wasn’t a pleasant one, but I pretended like I didn’t notice.
“Butt out,” he growled. “You’re here to protect me, not babysit me.”
“It’s pretty late,” I said patiently. I hoped maybe Lola would join in, but she just kept knitting like a machine.
Brodie curled his lip. “What are you a choirboy? I’m not ready to go to bed yet.”
“Yeah, we’re having fun,” the girl on his lap said in a gratingly high-pitched voice. “We don’t want to go just yet.”
“Nope.” The other girl snorted, holding up her champagne glass. “The party is just getting started.”
Lola shook her head and muttered something under her breath, as her knitting needles clicked even faster.
Well. I tried. It’s up to you now, Lola.
I shrugged and moved into the little kitchen area just so I didn’t have to watch the show too closely. If he was staying up, I had to stay up too, so I grabbed a Red Bull from the fridge and cracked it open, watching Lola as I sipped the beverage. She looked furious, and it kind of made me uneasy. How long would a person put up with being disrespected like that until they snapped?
Another hour passed with the girls slurring and giggling along with Brodie. I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. I was surprised Lola was still up; maybe she was afraid of how far her husband would go with these girls if she wasn’t around to control him. Not that his pathetic, lecherous behavior was exactly controlled. His hands were all over the girls, and he had a pretty obvious boner.
Desperate for sleep, I gave one last try to get the girls to leave. “Mr. Chase, don’t you have to give a presentation tomorrow at eight in the morning?” I held his surly gaze until he looked away first.
“Yes,” he grumbled.
“Maybe you can all meet up again tomorrow. After your conference.”
You know. When I’m long gone.
He exhaled as if he was being horribly put-upon. “Fine. I guess we should call it a night.”
Lola snorted in the corner, rolling her eyes.
“Aww,” one of the girls pouted.
“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, girls.” Brodie gave a surreptitious glance toward his wife.
“All right,” the other girl giggled. “You’d better.”
The girls wobbled to the door and kissed Brodie goodbye. Once they were gone, Brodie stumbled to the bedroom, drunk off his ass. I moved into the area where Lola sat. She was staring into space, a frown on her wan face.
“You ready for bed?” I asked politely, since she didn’t seem in any hurry to join her husband in the bedroom.
She sighed and met my gaze with a faraway look. “He wasn’t always like this.”
I shifted. “No?”
She shook her head. “No. He was really sweet and kind of shy when I met him.” Her expression hardened. “But the money changed him.”
“It can do that to some people.” I didn’t know what else to say. Her husband was a first-class prick. Maybe he’d been a nice person once, but he sure as hell wasn’t very nice anymore.
She pinned her angry stare on me. “Did you know I was the one who designed that damn self-fastening washer?”
I frowned. “Really?” Brodie had been so puffed up with pride, I’d assumed he’d designed it.
“Yes. I have a degree in engineering.” She snorted. “Brodie never even graduated college.”
