“Cut the shit,” I reply coldly. “What do you want?”
“I want to apologize,” he says with sad brown eyes. I’d believe him, if he wasn’t such a lying piece of shit. “You know that I would never intentionally hurt you.”
“Your fist cocked back to deck me said otherwise,” I reply and cross my arms over my chest, and I hear Kat gasp behind me.
Damn it, I never told them that part.
“I wouldn’t have hit you,” he says and shakes his head. “Never. I love you.”
I bust out laughing. “Right.”
“I want you back, Addie. I miss you so much.”
Kat’s watching with interest from behind the bar as Jeremy steps toward me and I take a step back, out of his reach.
I don’t want his hands on me.
“Have you been thrown out of wherever you’ve been staying?”
His eyes lower, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. “I could use a place to crash, yeah.”
Unbelievable. “Do I have doormat tattooed on my forehead?” I ask incredulously.
“That’s not it at all,” he says, again stepping toward me.
“Touch me and I’ll have you arrested for assault.”
His eyes narrow. “I’m trying apologize here, Addie. I truly am sorry.”
“Okay. You’ve apologized. Goodbye, Jeremy.”
“I just need—”
“Whatever it is you need, you’re not getting it from me,” I interrupt him, my voice sharp.
“Addie.” Jeremy’s shoulders sag.
“You heard her.” Jake’s voice comes from behind me, surprising me, and washing emotion over me all at once. Fear, betrayal, and anger, but I don’t show any reaction in front of Jeremy, who finally marches out, passing by me without another word.
“Are you okay?” Jake asks and I whirl around, glaring at him.
“I’d like to see you in my office, please.” I’m proud of how even I’m able to keep my voice when I want to rage. My hands are shaking, my heart pounding.
“What did I do?” he asks, hands out at his sides, but I ignore him and stomp to the office. Thankfully, Riley isn’t in here, and I shut the door behind us, then whirl on him again.
“I didn’t need your help back there, Jake. I had it handled just fine.”
“Look, he hurt you before, Addie. Do you think that if I see a man threatening my girl I’m not going to make it known that I’ll do whatever it is I need to to defend her?”
“Why do men have to have pissing contests over every damn thing?” I ask the room at large and pace back and forth. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Jake. I did just fine before you, and I’ll do fine after you.”
“After me?” he asks with a raised brow.
“After you,” I repeat, glaring at him. My heart is pounding and my hands are shaking and I want to smack him and kiss him all at the same time. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“Addie,” Riley says, coming into the office without knocking. “Daisy is here and says she’s clean and wants to talk to you about putting her back on the schedule.”
“Clean?” Jake asks.
“Daisy’s the one that Addie found snorting coke in the bathroom,” Riley says, making me cringe. Jake pins me in a glare.
“Tell Daisy I’ll call her later,” I say to Riley, who simply nods and backs out of the office.
“You have drug addicts working for you?”
“You don’t know anything about it,” I reply.
“You’re right. Because you didn’t tell me.”
“This is my job, Jake. My business. I don’t have to tell you every little thing that happens here. Just like, apparently, you don’t have to tell me about the women you hook up with when you’re working.”
His eyes narrow and nostrils flare as he clenches his jaw.
“I’m going to start with the first comment, and then we’ll deal with the other. Finding someone snorting coke in your bathroom isn’t a little thing.”
“Are you going to try to protect me from that too?” I ask with exasperation.
“I’d really like to know why you’re putting her back on the schedule,” he says, hands on his hips. “This place is too classy to employ junkies.”
That does it. “Why are you here, Jake?”
“I thought I’d surprise you and take you out for lunch or something.”
“Well, I don’t have time,” I reply, wanting this whole episode over. “I have an appointment this afternoon, and I have to work tonight.” I grab my handbag and turn back to him, but my bag snags on the corner of the desk, spilling its contents on the ground.
Before I can reach for anything, Jake bends over and picks up Daisy’s vial of coke.
“Tell me this isn’t yours.”
“What if it is?”
“What the fuck, Addison?” Now his eyes just look hurt, and he doesn’t have any right to be hurt with me.
Not one.
“It was Daisy’s, Jake. I took it away from her when I caught her with it in the bathroom and forgot to flush it. I told you before, I don’t do that shit. I don’t lie. Unlike you.”
“Okay, point number two. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You, hooking up with Karina at the awards show last night.”