“Ah. Had to calm him down a bit?” John asked.
“You have no idea,” Sam said with a giggle.
A giggle.
A fucking soft little giggle.
The ease of their interaction churned my gut. Who the hell was this guy, and why was she bringing him around? She obviously didn’t know who was still in charge, but she was going to know by the end of the night who she worked for.
I looked up as I made my way into the kitchen. The two of them were still standing by the door, shooting the shit. Sam was close to him, closer than she ever stood to me. With the way she looked at him, one could postulate that they were together in a relationship. Fucking one another.
Maybe that was why she was so resistant to the idea of being my girlfriend.
She already belonged to someone else.
But why the hell did I care? Why did that make me angry inside? Was I really that taken with a simple kiss? I’d been kissed multiple times, numerous times by plenty of women. It was just a kiss. Not even tongue.
Why was I dwelling on this so much?
I leaned against the kitchen table and watched the two of them talk. She was strong and alluring, with her arm muscles flexing against the black of her dress. John was smiling down at her, his hands tucked away in his pockets. His skin was tan, and his eyes were dark like hers but held a light hers didn’t.
At least, not until she looked up at him.
They looked good together, and that made me angrier. There was something alluring about her, and now I didn’t have the room to figure out what the fuck it was. I could feel the alcohol rushing through my system, clouding my judgment in the first place.
Maybe that was what all this was, all the whiskey and the champagne working its way through my body.
“Mr. Steele?”
“Yes?” I asked.
Sam was staring at me from the hallway, a confused look on her face.
“John will be staying with you tonight. I have to go back to my hotel room and pack. I need a list of all the employees who work at your company including the full name of Miss Emma.”
I grinned at the way she said her name. I knew that tone of voice. It was clear to me that Emma was jealous of Sam’s presence and of not knowing why Sam was suddenly here in the first place.
But the twinge of annoyance in Sam’s voice told me she was jealous too.
“I’ll compile that and get it to John tomorrow,” I said.
“No. You will get it to me,” Sam said.
“Figured it would be easier to give it to the behemoth standing here.”
“If you make any more quips, I’ll order him to hover over your bed all night.”
“Then I’ll give him a show to watch,” I said with a grin.
“You go, Sam. I’ve got this here. And I’ll make sure he gets that list straight to you first thing in the morning,” John said
I rolled my eyes at his soothing voice as Sam grinned up at him.
“Thanks. I’ll be back tomorrow with coffee,” Sam said.
“A double nonfat Americano with room for cream, please,” I said.
“Two black coffees will be fine,” John said.