Fuck life.
Fuck, especially…Court.
Gritting his teeth at the thought, he stalked down the hall and crooked his finger at them to follow him, not wanting Sydney to emerge from her shower and find his entire harem in the room.
He had no plans to irritate his beauty at the moment. Not this moment or any other, for that matter.
From his home office, he pulled out the middle drawer of his desk and took out his checkbook. “I’m going to need you ladies to look for another arrangement,” he said. “I’m adding a bonus you are divide equally between you while you search for another sponsor or…whatever it is you like to call me.”
“What do you mean? Me, too?” Trisha asked.
“And me?” another asked.
He swept the pen across the room, eyes narrowed. “All of you.”
They looked heartbroken until he gave them the check. They squealed and group hugged him, kissing all his face. “You’re going to miss us, Damien! You’ll want a bye bye.”
“That won’t be necessary, I’m actually occupied so if you don’t mind, I’ll lead you out.”
They made a racket as they crossed the living room to leave, and of course, Damien just wasn’t that lucky that they would be quiet. No. His life was a string of bad luck, one after the other, and just a second before they opened the door to leave, he heard the door of the bedroom click open.
“Who is that?” one asked. “Are you with someone?” Trisha asked, obviously curious.
“Can we meet her?”
“Shit,” he murmured, hearing footsteps down the hall, dreading what Sydney would think when she saw six ladies, six very tall, sexy ladies, in heels and trench coats and red lips, in his apartment.
Hell, Damien could almost feel the icky glob of their lipstick on his jaw and neck.
He rubbed his jaw and tried to get that shit off him, but it was no use. Sydney was in the living room, her eyes sliding across every single lady and widening in horror.
Her eyes widened with jealousy, then narrowed on him.
“Sydney,” he said in his most no-nonsense tone possible, “These are…” He told her the names, and added, “They were just leaving.”
They did. They squealed and hugged her, then Trisha whispered some sage advice into her ear, and Damien gritted his teeth and slammed the door behind them as soon as they left. He turned to Sydney, but she was already reaching for the door, “I have to go.”
“Hey.” He caught her wrist to stop her. “Aren’t you going to ask me about them?”
“I know who they are.”
She wouldn’t look at him.
“That’s it? You don’t want to know why they’re here. If they’re coming back?”
She wiggled free. “I need to go.”
His voice hardened. “Tell me if you at least care to know whether or not I’ve fucked them since I saw you? Do you care?”
Her eyes flashed. “Of course you have! You're like a male whore....”
“Isn’t that’s why you came here, last night. You wanted someone unscrupulous and dirty who’d take you to bed instead of that coward you think you love.”
“How dare you!”
“Oh, I dare all right. I fucking dare.” He caught her, pulled her closer, needing her to be his, just his, torn between anger and frustration. He wasn’t going to be her second best. Anyone’s second best. “It’s over with them,” he said in a hard, angry voice. “It’s done. They’re part of my past. Just like your precious Court.”
“How dare you!”