It’s ten in the morning and Aaron still isn’t up.
That alone tells me how much yesterday tired him. He’s incapable of sleeping past six. Crazy man.
I rock my head from side to side. If I had any idea exactly what he was doing last night, I’d go into his office and finish it. As it is, I have no idea, so all I can is sit here like a freaking orange waiting to be juiced.
I can’t read because my concentration won’t last beyond a page. I’ve done my Candy Crush and Coin Dozer thing, and if I see one more whining status post on Facebook, I’ll do one of my own.
The sound of a phone ringing in his office cuts through the silence, and I pause. Oh hell.
I jump down and run into the room, barely blinking at the name on screen before answering. “Hello?”
“Hello? Dayton? Is that you?” Dottie’s voice is a welcome sound down the receiver.
“Yep, it’s me.”
“Great. Is Aaron available to talk?”
“Sorry, Dottie. He’s not. Is there anything I can help with?”
“Actually, I just have some good news. Miguel managed to get Naomi’s website down before too many people caught wind of the post, and the ones who did get the details have all been caught up with. Between you and me, he called in his intern, who has a knack for hacking.”
I blow out a long, relieved breath and drop into Aaron’s chair. “That’s amazing, Dottie. Did you have to send any more lawsuits?”
“None. They were threatened with it last night if they ran with the information, by Aaron, and I woke to an email instructing me to call every one and explain that the story was a lie fabricated by his ex-wife. The lawsuits were apparently for defamation of character.”
“So when this gets around, the real story will be how Naomi was so jealous of Aaron finding love with me again that she tried to sabotage our relationship?”
I can’t help it. I smile. Of course she wouldn’t get away with it that easily.
“The idea is that the story doesn’t get around at all, but hey, if it does…”
I can picture it clearly, the twinkle in her eye. The amused one that says she’s as happy about this as I am. Well, that’s impossible, but I know she’ll be grinning.
“If it does, it does. After all, you can’t tell the media what to post, can you?”
Dottie laughs. “Absolutely not. I’m going to get back to work. Can you pass a message on to the boss for me?”
“Of course.”
“Tell him I’ve rescheduled his appointments for this afternoon and cleared next week, as he requested in his email. And that everything else he asked for will be delivered by courier at noon.”
Everything else?
“Uh, sure thing. And, Dottie? Thanks. I mean it.”
“Just doing my job, Dayton, but it certainly helps when the person you’re helping isn’t a bitch.” She laughs again. “I’ll speak to you soon. Bye.”
“Bye,” I echo, setting the phone back in the holder.
Done.
It’s done.
I’m safe. Aaron’s safe. The business is safe.
And I didn’t do a thing to protect any of us. And boy, is that a hard pill to swallow. Handing all that control over to someone else is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I press the heels of my hands into my eyes and make my way back to the kitchen.
“Fucking hell, you scared the life out of me!”
Aaron turns slowly, a grin across his face, and holds out a mug. “Coffee?”
I shoot him my best not-impressed look and take it from him. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was. Then I did this thing people call waking up.” He raises his eyebrows, sipping from a second mug, then screws his face up. “This is yours. Not that one.”
A giggle escapes me as he swaps our mugs. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No, Bambi, you didn’t wake me. Although…were you just on the phone in my office?”
I nod, smiling sheepishly. “It rang, so I thought I’d answer it. It was Dottie.”
“Anything good?”
I relay to him the conversation we just had. The tension visibly leaves him as I speak, each point relaxing him a little more. The frown lines in his forehead smooth out and the purse in his lips becomes a gentle smile. The frustration in his eyes becomes an easy happiness that glimmers brightly.
“Yes, it would be a shame if Naomi was branded as a liar, wouldn’t it?”
“How do you expect to get around that, Aaron?”
“It’s that or she’s labeled as a blackmailer. And if that were to be public, the police would eventually pick up on it and she’d have much bigger problems than her reputation.”
I scratch my cheek, watching him talk so casually. Like he really doesn’t care.
And it’s plain to see in his eyes. He really doesn’t. As long as I’m okay and he’s okay and we’re okay together, he couldn’t give a flying monkey about her.
“But you already have the lawsuit ready.”
His eyes twinkle. “From me. You’re not mentioned anywhere. If the situation arose, you would naturally work with the police and aid them in their case.”
I look at him for a long moment before sitting back. “You really have thought of everything, haven’t you, Mr. Stone?”
“I warned you, Miss Black. I’m a ruthless man to deal with, especially when people f**k with me. More so when they f**k with you. Naomi did both, and now if she has any sense, she’ll leave us alone for good.”
“You’re a wonder. Also, remind me never to f**k with you. Not that it matters because I’m not allowed to pay for anything, so your lawsuit would be a waste of time. You’d be paying for it yourself.”
He smirks, leaning forward infinitesimally. “Don’t f**k with me, Dayton. Just f**k me normally and I promise not to get my lawyer involved.”
“Oh, so generous of you.”
“Isn’t it?” He stands and glances at my mug. “Have you finished with your coffee?”
“No. I still have half left.”
“That’s a shame. I hate to waste it.” He pulls it away from me and empties it down the sink. “Oh well.”
“What the hell was that for? I was drinking that!”
“Correct. You were.” He rounds the bar and tugs me from the stool, his eyes darkening. “Now we’re going to make good on that f**king part I just mentioned.”