Offensive Behavior

Holy fuck, what was this? “Dev, I didn’t—”

“Shut up, Reid. You broke something in me. I’m done with you. And I’m ashamed to call you my friend.”

“Dev, I’m.” He wasn’t sorry for what he’d done but he didn’t know Dev would be affected that way. Thought he’d understand, be the first one to backslap him. “I’m. I didn’t . . .” But Dev was gone, making his way to the elevators, almost at a run. Reid started after him but was waylaid by a white-faced and furious Kuch on his way to the stage. Kuch headed straight toward him, then cut him at the last moment in an obvious show of disrespect, but all Reid cared about was getting to Dev before he left the hotel.

Sarina got there first. She took Dev’s arm. She was crying, black smudges from her makeup giving her Panda eyes.

“Leave it alone, Reid. You’ve done enough damage,” she said.

“Dev, please, let me explain.”

Dev turned, his hand on elevator call button. “I don’t want your explanation. I’m sure it makes perfect sense to you. I’m sure you’re convinced it was the right thing to do, but it was still an asshole act so I don’t even want to hear your voice. Tell Zarley it was nice to meet her.” The elevator pinged and the door opened. Dev stepped in and Sarina followed. “Have a great life,” Dev said as the door closed, and they were gone.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Reid pumped the call button and eyed the stairs. Should he try to catch them, make them listen, but he’d left Zarley again. They’d come back, they wouldn’t leave the function. Dev had never spoken to him like that and Reid had never, not once, made Sarina cry.

He knew they’d hate this, but didn’t think it would affect him. He felt this in his body like it was poison slowly leaking into his vital organs.

He went back to the table. He avoided eye contact with anyone. His brain was spinning and he couldn’t get it to settle. Kuch was leading a round of toasts. He arrived in time for everyone to stand, for a glass of champagne to be shoved in his hand. He had to drink a toast to himself when he’d rather take a knife to his throat.

Zarley leaned in to his shoulder and whispered, “Something went wrong.”

He put his empty glass down and snatched her hand. “Let me show you the sculptures.”

He pulled her through the room, walking too fast, weaving in out of the tables, and groups of people retaking their seats, keeping his eyes on the staircase to the gallery where the exhibition was. He didn’t look left or right and no one dared stop him. He took the stairs at a gallop, dragging on Zarley’s hand. She called his name, tried to slow him up, but he needed to get out of the room, away from all the eyes on him.

They arrived on the gallery floor, surprising a couple necking, who laughingly parted and moved downstairs. There was another group here, two women and a man. Reid didn’t know them, didn’t care. He sent them a stare that made one of the women put a hand to her throat.

Zarley held onto his arm. “What happened?” She was still holding the skirt of her dress in her other hand.

He’d learned the true meaning of asshole. He’d learned it at the expense of the best friends he’d ever had, the only true friends. He’d screwed his life up and theirs. He’d never been so right and so wrong at the same time. Even if he got Plus back into his control, he’d lost the best thing about it.

He dragged Zarley across the other side of the gallery away from the sightseers. He pulled her into his arms and spoke into her ear. “I fucked my life, my friends, everything, I fucked everything up.”

She put her hands to his chest. “You spoke well, it seemed fine to me. I don’t understand.”

He stepped away, shot a glance over his shoulder. The others had moved toward the staircase. “You can’t understand, you can’t.” He was too loud. “I told that whole room I had no faith in Owen or Kuch, in any of them.” He stopped and tried to rein his temper in, to find a way to explain it to her. “I stood in front of my whole company and told them they were C-grade without me. That’s what I did. Just like I did to you. I proved how entitled and arrogant, how much of an unchecked asshole I am.” He was shouting. He took another step away from Zarley and noticed the other group had gone.

“Getting canned taught me nothing. It’s my fucking ego. Because I don’t like to lose, because I’m always right, and I couldn’t see it as a setback.” His head was going to explode. “Fuck.”

She stared at him with big wide eyes. She was so beautiful, so miraculously in his life when he’d needed someone beside him, and he’d fucked it up with her too.

“You should leave. You’re fucking wasting your time with me. I’ll call the car for you.”

She put her hands up and walked to him. “Reid, take a breath.”

“It was great, our thing. I had no idea it could be like that. Best thing that ever happened to me was you.”

He took her hands and yanked her into his body. He kissed her, hard. He expected her to push him away. He’d have welcomed a slap. She held onto his shoulders and kissed him back.

All the rage he felt, all the savage hatred of the small man he’d revealed himself to be, bubbled up and poured out of him, turned his arms to a steel cage around her, his lips into weapons assaulting her skin. “Go, Flygirl. Run before I hurt you worse.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“I’m not in control. I want to fuck you right here. Let them see me fuck you, like I fucked with them.”

She would scre

am rape, she’d blacken his eye before it happened. She’d fly away and he’d be alone again.