The Collection (Contemporary Reverse Harem 5)

Chapter 19

KEALY

Itook a deep breath and stretched up to my full height.

“I know what you did,” I said.

Muse looked at me like I’d just said the sky was falling in. “Excuse me?” He looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening.

I got it. He knew he had it coming and didn’t want to be taken down in front of coworkers.

But humiliating him at work wasn’t my style. I had a much better plan for getting even. All it entailed was a bit of patience, although that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to let him know I was on to him.

“You know what I’m talking about. And you won’t get away with it.”

He moved closer to me and gave me a look that made my skin crawl. Had I really been best friends with this guy for two years?

How many signs had I stupidly missed?

“You know, Kealy—” he moved so close, I could smell the latte on his breath. “I always thought you were kind of, I don’t know, naïve or something. Nothing personal, but if you want to make it in this business, you need to be a lot smarter about who you trust, and how you do your work.”

“You are such a fucking asshole, Muse,” I hissed.

But he just shrugged. “Maybe I am. But hey, who’s Foster’s pet right now, and who got the press coverage?”

I wasn’t going to let that fucker taunt me. “You know what, Muse? You might have gotten those things but at what price? You’re a thief and a liar? Are you proud of that? And don’t think it won’t catch up with you.”

He rolled his eyes.

Could I be fired for smacking a co-worker? I decided I’d better not risk it.

“You see, you might think I’m naïve, but I’ve actually seen a lot. I know what happens to people like you. Scumbags like you. They get what they have coming to them. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be next week. But it will happen Muse, and when it does, I’ll feel sorry for you. I’ll just feel sorry for you.”

For a moment, my words wiped the smug off his face, but it quickly returned. I wasn’t surprised. He’d always been on the defensive side, able to justify what he wanted.

Obviously, a warning sign I’d missed.

“Until then, Muse, I’ll bide my time as your meteoric fall approaches. Because it will be here eventually. You can count on it.”

I sauntered back to my desk, pleased at how I’d dressed him down without losing my shit.

It hadn’t been easy.

* * *

Rand had invited me over to dinner that night, and I had to admit, I was more than excited to get to know the one guy in the group who I probably had the most in common with. I mean, we both came from difficult though not identical circumstances, and we’d each created a life for ourselves out of limited privilege. I gravitated toward people like that—there was a scrappiness to them I related to.

He buzzed me into his Upper West Side building just a few blocks off Central Park, and I wandered through a long hallway that smelled of his neighbors’ dinners.

“Well, someone’s come a long way from the Bronx,” I said with a smile as he opened his door.

“Damn right. Now, get in here.”

Taking my hand, he pulled me inside. The minute his door slammed, his arms were around my lower back and his mouth was on mine hard. Surprise gave way to an aching tingle between my legs that, if he didn’t stop soon, would be desperate for relief. As if he could read my thoughts, he pulled back, his big earrings shaking, and ran his hands through my hair.

Shit.

“What can I get you to drink, beautiful?” he asked, leading me to the kitchen, where whatever he was cooking knocked me out with its delicious scent.

“This is gorgeous,” I said, turning to take in the marble countertops, six-burner stove, and glass-fronted refrigerator. And because I could see right into the fridge, I spied some pink bubbles that I suspected he’d bought just for me.

“That looks good,” I said, pointing.

“I thought you might like that,” he said. “Myself, I’m enjoying a nice scotch. “ He held up a rocks glass and shook it, rattling the ice cubes.

I settled onto one of the stools at the counter and watched him top off my champagne flute.

“So, how was the exam?” I asked.

He nodded thoughtfully and took a swig of his drink. “I think it went well. I’m loving the class. Western Civ,” he said.

“Why don’t you study history rather than business?”

He shook his head vehemently. “History will be a passion my whole life, no doubt. But growing up, I watched my dad struggle with his repair business. I want to know how to do things the right way.”

I knew enough not to ask whether he and his dad would be going into business once Rand graduated. It was a pity his father couldn’t be happy his son had taken a different path.

But kudos to Rand for bucking expectations. Letting other people hold you back was the death knell to a good life.

“I admire how you’ve found your path and stuck to it,” I said.

He walked around the counter to where I sat on a stool and positioned himself between my legs. “The same might be said of you, pretty girl.”

A heat washed over my face. I’d always been prone to blushing, and the affliction got me at the worst times. Just when I was trying to be a cool girl…my face would knock me back down to size.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Hey, I’ve seen what happens when you don’t make a plan. All I have to do is look at my brothers.”

“What happened to them?” I asked.