Page 30 of Dirty Little Secrets
“Who else knows?” Emery grunts.
“Only Javier,” I say. “No one else, I promise.”
She glares at me. “Your promise means very little to me right now.”
Javier clears his throat. “It is the truth, Miss Jones. No one else is aware of your,” he blinks, “extracurriculars.”
“Mhmm,” she hums, sucking on her teeth. “Sure.”
“Why don’t we sit down and review your contract?” I suggest, flashing Javier an unimpressed side-eye. He mouthssorryas we spill into the dining room. Emery marches to the table and aggressively pulls her chair out before sitting down. I inwardly curse Javier for opening his big fucking mouth. Javier gingerly hands Emery the folder, and she snatches it out of his hand,grumbling to herself as she flips it open. “Initial thoughts?”
“It looks…” She blinks. She must have gotten to the compensation. She shouldn’t be so shocked. It’s exactly what someone with her breadth of knowledge and education deserves. She releases a small cough, clearing her throat. “A pen?” Javier fumbles inside his jacket pocket. “Thank you.” Emery tucks her hair behind her ear as she bends over and carefully signs on each dotted line. She looks up, dropping the pen on the table. “Anything else?”
“Car keys.” Javier sets a fob down in front of Emery. “Stall forty-four.”
“Anything else?” Emery asks, picking up the Mercedes fob and twisting it in her hand.
“That’s all for now. HR will onboard you Monday,” Javier says, collecting her contract so that it can be processed immediately. “Welcome to Cavanaugh Industries, Miss Jones.” Javier stands up. “A word, Damon?”
“Quickly,” I say, stepping off to the side with Javier as Emery sulks in the dining room. “What is it?”
“Business and pleasure do not mix, Damon,” Javier whispers. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He looks over my shoulder. “A whore has no place in a boardroom.”
Javier chokes as I wrap my hand around the base of his throat. “Call her that again,” I grunt, watching Javier's face turn a blotchy shade of red, “and Iwillfucking kill you.” Javier gasps for air, holding his chestas I drop my vibrating hand. “You will treat her with the same respect you treat me. Is that understood?” Javier nods, unable to speak. “Good. Now go file that contract.” Javier disappears through the front door.
“You shouldn't abuse the elderly.” I turn around to find Emery leaning against the wall.
“You saw that?”
She pushes herself off the wall, strutting toward me. “Do you have difficulty controlling your impulses, Mr. Cavanaugh?”
“You tell me, Miss Jones,” I say. “Did that look impulsive to you?”
“If he calls me a whore again, will you actually kill him?” she asks, stopping in front of me. She places her hand on my chest, her fingers gliding up and down my black tie. “Will you take his life for the sake of my honor?” I clench my teeth. “Because I don’t think you would, Mr. Cavanaugh.” She licks her lips, tilting her head as she searches my eyes. “I think you’re all bark and very little bite.”
I suck in a leveling breath, forcing myself to remain calm despite the thunderous urge to bend her over and show her just how strong my bite can be. “Do not tempt me, Miss Jones. You can only push a man so far before he cracks.”
“I guess we’ll see who cracks first then,” she smirks, ducking around me to the front door. She twirls her new car key on her finger. “But remember what you said. I’m a diamond.” She opens the door. “We don’t crack easily.”
“Where are you going?” I grunt.
“To pack,” she says lightly. “I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Cavanaugh.” She bites her lip. “Unless you plan to watch me dance tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’ll be there, Miss Jones.”
The only one there.
THE ANTI-HERO
EMERY
“125/75. A little elevated.”Dr. Yang removes the blood pressure cuff from my arm. I wince, rolling down my sleeve. “Have you been having any difficulty breathing or chest pain recently?”
“No,” I say, counting down the seconds until I can leave this fucking office. “I feel great. Can we hurry this along, Dr. Yang? I need to drive to Manhattan soon.”
Dr. Yang tilts her head. “This is important, Miss Jones. I’m sure whatever is waiting for you in Manhattan can wait.” She clears her throat, opening my file. “Your red and white blood cell counts came back normal. Cholesterol looks good. The angiogram came back clean. Everything looks normal.” She glances up at me. “For now.”
“That’s good, right?”
