The Contract; A Billionaire Romance (18+)

NINE

Odessa

I pace Aden's office furiously, my mind reeling with all the things I plan to say to him when he walks through the door.

How could he be so fucking heartless? It wasn't my fault Alex was pointing out the toupee that was separating from the old man's head to my right.

             I clench my fists in anger, my nails digging into my palm as I pivot and storm to the other side of the room. I spot his liquor cart and pause, eyeing it with consideration.

Fuck it.

I storm toward the cart, pop the cap from the bottle and take a swig straight from the neck. I take a couple more and begin pacing again, glaring daggers toward the door once it opens and Aden steps through. He freezes when he sees me, and his anger is as matched, if not more than mine.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asks before slamming the door behind him.

"Quality control, what does it look like?" I shoot him a glare and take another swig from the bottle. He reaches forward and snatches it from my hands.

"You are on thin ice, darling. Getting drunk at work won't do you any favors." He in return takes a swig from the bottle as well, hissing through his teeth as he goes back to the cart and caps it, and sets it beside the others. The bottles rattle from the impact of him slamming down the whiskey, and I'm surprised the glass didn't shatter.

"What is your deal with your brother?"

"That is none of your business. All you need to know is he is not someone you want to associate with."

"I never said I wanted to, Aden. I don't want to bang your brother if that's your concern."

"It's not my concern—"

I grab his shoulder and turn him toward me, jamming my finger into his chest. His nostrils flare as he glowers down at me, and for the first time, I see a totally different man. "You're a liar. You are mad because you can't have me, so no one else can," I hiss through my teeth.

"I can have you; I choose not to for the sake of both of our careers. He is only using you to get to me." He steps closer, his boots knocking against my heels. "Don't let him win, Odessa. He knows more than I care to admit, and he'll use it against me."

"Like what, your track record of 'young pretty girls'?" My hand drops from his chest and I fold my arms, cocking my head at him.

He rolls his eyes and laughs incredulously. "He was lying through his fucking teeth, Odessa. I have no track record. Fuck, I haven't dated in ten years, and she was older than me!" Aden's voice reaches an octave that I've never heard, and I shrink back, blinking at him. He sighs and runs his hands down his face before stripping off his jacket and tossing it on a nearby loveseat.

I feel anger heat in my chest. Who does he think he is? "Don't you dare yell at me, Aden." I snap, giving him a hard stare. "I don't care how much you hate your brother, or seem to think I want to jump his bones, you don't take it out on me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I am just...Alex is not a good man, and you have a track record of idiotically trusting bad men, so I didn't want you to end up falling for his trap," He says, and with each word he speaks, I feel a piece of my heart fracture—but he keeps going. "You don't seem to have common sense in that department, so can you blame me for trying to keep you away?"