One Man (Naked Trilogy 1)

The elevator door opens and Chance is standing there waiting on me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Emma…

I step out of the elevator to join Chance in the hallway. “You’re starting to seem like my stalker brother, which would be a great title for a Lifetime movie.”

“Marion’s already here,” he says. “She’s waiting in the conference room.”

“Why is she here at all?”

He actually looks irritated by the question. “She’s our largest corporate customer. Why else?”

“The morning after York breaks into my apartment?” I challenge.

“York is not a part of Marion’s business. He runs his own company. And you’re letting Jax North get into your head and that’s dangerous. He clearly thinks we fucked over his brother. He’s trying to fuck you to fuck us.”

I suck in a breath, stunned. “You think he’s fucking me for revenge? Because he can’t possibly want me for anything but that or money?” Anger unfurls in me and I try to turn away, wanting out of this hallway.

Chance catches my arm. I face off with him. “I need to put up my stuff before the meeting and we have security cameras. Do you really want us fighting to be on that footage?”

He grimaces and lets me go. I charge into my office, flip on the light, and walk to my desk. I used to love this office, with the cute gray couches with red accents pillows, big windows overlooking the ocean. Now it feels like a prison.

“Come on, Bird Dog,” Chance says, joining me and shutting the door. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

I shove my purse in my drawer. “Why were you even in his face down there, Chance?” I drop my briefcase on the desk.

He crosses to stand in front of my desk and me. “Because my gut told me he was trouble.” He leans on the desk. “This is about him, Emma. There is more going on here than you know.”

“You mean it’s about his brother who killed himself after dad went at him? Yes. I know. Jax told me all about it and obviously, you know, and yet you told me to ask him about the castle.”

“No one, dad included, made Hunter kill himself. That’s nonsense. I had no clue Jax thought such nonsense or I wouldn’t have told you to feel him out on the sale of the castle.”

“Why couldn’t you just show up for coffee, Chance? Why didn’t you talk to him then? I gave you your meeting. You could have talked to him about anything over coffee. He expected it.”

“Because I thought he’d walk away, but clearly that’s not what he’s doing.”

“You thought he’d fuck me, have that in his pocket, and move on? And you were okay with that? But now it’s gone too far. I’ve fucked him too many times?” I don’t give him time to reply. If he says the wrong thing, I might say more than I want to say right now. “What did dad want with the castle?”

“I told you and Jax that I don’t know,” he says. “But now that Jax is all up in your ass, I’m going to find out.”

I point at him. “Do not talk like that. Not to me.”

He inhales and breathes out. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like the fact that he has an agenda.”

“That he told me about right away. That matters, Chance.”

He pushes off the desk. “Let’s just go meet with Marion. Contrary to other thoughts, she’s our client. A big client that brings a shit-ton of business to our hotels.”

“Why am I involved?”

“She asked for you, and why wouldn’t you be involved? New property development is your arena and when she’s doing any type of expansion, you’re always involved.”

“Except with the purchase of the castle.”

“Which was dad’s decision, not mine,” he says. “I’m looking into the details.”

There’s a lot I want to ask, a lot I want to say but I decide I want to know more about Marion being here right now. “Let’s just get this meeting behind us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me York scared you?”

“Because it didn’t matter. He was gone, but he walked right into my apartment. He walked in and he wouldn’t have left.”

“Meaning what?”

I hug myself, chills running down my spine. “Meaning he scares me.”

He studies me for several long beats. “You don’t need Jax to handle him. That’s trouble you don’t want. I’ll handle him. I’m make sure that Marion handles him if that’s what it comes to.”

This offer is a small semblance of relief. If Marion was controlling him, or if York was controlling him over the affair, I doubt he’d make that promise. And honestly, my brother isn’t a man that anyone controls.

I nod and walk toward the door before he asks more questions about York before this conversation gets into territory I don’t intend to travel with anyone. Ever. I exit the office and Chance steps beside me. “I love you, Bird Dog. Don’t forget that.”