Page 92 of Brooke's Bliss
“No thanks to those overly muscled meatheads.Also, thedoctor here is terrible.He wouldn’t even prescribe me some valium to getthrough the day.I’m going to go back to the lodge and hopefully they havesomeone better,” Mark complained.
Nope.They had Ty Davis, who handled small emergencies as anEMT, and if they needed more they called in Doc Burke.“I wanted to talk to youabout what happened in the café.”
“What happened in that café was I got brutalized.”
“Mark, you were sexually harassing me,” Brooke said in nouncertain terms.She’d thought about it on her way over and decided this washow she would handle it.No matter what he’d done, she couldn’t leave Bay toface Mark’s wrath.She knew her ex-boss, knew how he loved to sue.Anyone.Foranything.It was like a game to him, which was one of the reasons she knew hewould absolutely use her brothers’ family against her.She was bluffing, butshe had to do something.
“I was being affectionate,” he countered.“I’m anaffectionate guy.Hey, I don’t think I need… What the fuck, man.I didn’t getbitten.Brooke, that asshole doctor shoved a needle in my arm without evenasking.”
“It’s an antibiotic.”She could hear Caleb in the distance.“I would let my nurse give it to you but she’s currently taking care of abillionaire dumbass who got in a car accident and stole my best employee.”
“Naomi is his only employee,” Brooke corrected.“Well, atleast she was.I’ve seen the billionaire in question, and he’s hot.He’s afriend’s brother.Really, it’s better when Naomi is around.”
“Which friend?”She could hear him moving.“Are you talkingabout Georgia Stark?”
It wasn’t surprising he knew who she was.Georgia was aforce of nature.She wasn’t the shy, retiring type, though she absolutely waskind and empathetic to everyone she met.But Georgia was unapologeticallyGeorgia, and that included being upfront and brazen about her nontraditionalmarriage.“Georgia Stark-Warner.Yes, she’s a friend of mine.”
“No one gives a fuck about the other guy,” Mark dismissed.“Stark is one of the biggest tech giants in the world.Georgia is rapidlybecoming an icon.”He paused, and she could hear him thinking.Manipulating.Coming up with the best way to get what he wanted.“I heard you’re working on aproject for her.”
Well, that had gotten out fast.And now she knew why he’dhad a change of heart.He’d seen the pictures in the society pages.The onewhere she was getting on the plane with the Stark-Warner family.She would betGeorgia had been talking to friends about their new project.The news would beall over town now.“This was never about how good I am at my job.”
“Of course it is.If you’re designing the Met Gala gown forone of New York’s most interesting residents, you’re good.”He sighed.“But youlack experience.You wouldn’t want to send your friend out in a dress that’sguaranteed to be mocked by the press, would you?”
Fucker.“Let me guess.All I have to do to get my job backis let you take credit for designing the gown.”
“It’s about more than credit.I would need to take a guidinghand, and I’ll definitely want to sit in on your next session with Georgia.I’mhere for however long it takes, and when we’re done, we can head back to NewYork together, but first we’ll stop in Milan.”
“Hey, Brooke.This guy is trying to manipulate you.”Calebmust have been practically shouting because she could hear him loud and clear.
“You will hear from my attorney, sir,” Mark announced, andshe heard the jingle of the bell that announced someone was coming into theclinic.“Now I need my Uber.Shouldn’t they be here already?”
“I think yourFuberdriver isprobably finishing up math tutoring,” Brooke admitted.“He’ll get there.Eventually.So all I have to do is give you access to my wealthy friends.”
A low chuckle came over the line.“Well, not the doctor,though I’ll be happy to sue him.”
“I’m sure his brother will be thrilled.”Georgia couldhandle him.She handled assholes all the time.It was a wave through her head,the idea that if she couldn’t trust Bay and Shane to behave like normal humans,that she should go back to New York.After the Met, she could likely findanother job and tell them all to fuck off.
Georgia had to deal with so many people wanting everythingfrom her.She couldn’t be another person who used Georgia’s sweet nature forher own betterment.
“Here’s how it’s going to go, Mark.I’m not coming back.I’mgoing to be making Georgia’s gown, and it will be my name on it.I’ll rise orfall being Brooke Harper, but the honest truth is I don’t want to do fashion.It bores me.I stayed because my family spent so much money on it and I hatedthe idea that I could fail.”The truth of the matter was the worst hadhappened.Rye was absolutely ashamed of her.Max would never say it, but thenhis standards weren’t as high as Rye’s.For all his obnoxiousness, Max hadalways been the softer touch of her brothers.Rye was the one who had to dealwith the day-to-day stuff.
A bit like Shane.
She was sure he would show up and try to cover for hisbrother.He would accuse her of overreacting.
Had she?Again, what the hell would she have done if she’dwalked in and found some woman all over Bay?Or Shane?Would she have stoodthere and watched, or would she have gotten down and dirty and saved her man?
“Listen to me, you little bitch, I have a plan and I’m notgoing to let you fuck it up,” Mark snarled over the line.
Oh, she was not done.“And if you do decide to press chargesagainst my boyfriend, I’ll press charges against you for assault.I said no.Isaid it loud enough for people to hear it.”
“No, you didn’t.You didn’t say a damn thing,” Mark replied.“It’s going to be he said/she said, and we all know how that goes.Now that Ithink about it, you might have tricked me.I think you set it up so yourboyfriend would hurt me.Now why would you do that, Brooke?”
She sighed.“I’m certain this would work in New York, butbuddy, we’re in my hometown, and I assure you Dr.Burke heard me say no.So didStella.Hell, I’m pretty sure Stef Talbot happened to be walking by, and heheard me, too.Also, I’ll talk to our local judge.He’s like ninety, and he andhis wife used to babysit me.That’s what happens when you’re one of four kidsin the whole town.They become a village.You’re not going to get my village toturn against me.”
“You small-town folks sure don’t mind using corruption whenit serves you,” Mark said bitterly.
“Not at all.I’ve learned that there’s no fighting fair witha person like you.You put me in a corner.You should expect me to fight my wayout and not to give you a whole bunch of consideration about how I do it.Callthe Sheriff’s Department.Tell him you made a mistake or this is going to gopoorly for you.I can probably get Georgia to talk about how the House ofBianchi seems to be in a downward spiral.”
