Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
My stomach dropped, and my ears began to ring. Everything slowed down around me. Brantleigh didn’t—couldn’t—know anything, I reminded myself, unless my mother had broken her promise…
Or he’d overheard us talking in the garden.
Fuck.
Flynn’s face lost its smile, and his eyes lost their sparkle. “I declined their offer,” he said with a forced grin. “Your information is out of date.”
I opened my mouth to say something, to cut Brantleigh off before he could ruin everything, but he got there before I could.
“Hmm. That’s not what JT said. He specifically said he wasn’t gonna give up until he got you to sign, and Patricia agreed.” Brantleigh gave a fake little gasp and covered his mouth with his fingertips. “Oh, noes! Did you not realize? Was JT keeping a secret? Tsk tsk tsk. JT claimed he hated secrets.” He smirked. “Congrats on that promotion, by the way, JT. Patricia will be over the moon.”
“I don’t…” I looked from Flynn to Brantleigh to Reagan. “I haven’t been promoted,” I said hurriedly. I gave Brantleigh a look that should have singed the hair from his tiny Botoxed head. “What the fuck?”
Brantleigh shrugged. “Told you I don’t handle rejection well,” the asshole said with a wink.
I clenched my fingers into fists and glanced at Flynn in alarm. “Baby. It’s not how he’s making it sound. I can explain.”
Flynn’s eyes widened for one brief second before his expression turned to stone, telling me he hadn’t necessarily believed Brantleigh’s bullshit but that my own actions had given credence to them. Fuck.
“Flynn, let’s talk in your office,” I said. I could hear the thread of panic in my own voice.
Flynn’s lips tightened. “Is it true? Are you still trying to get me to sign a contract with Fortress?”
My heart thundered in my throat. This wasn’t what he thought. I was trying to help him. I was juggling a million balls in the air, trying to make this the deal of his dreams. But I needed a chance to explain that to him. “Can we—”
“Just answer the question, JT!” Flynn snapped, so loudly that all other conversations in the bar ceased. “You either are or are not still hoping I’ll sign with Fortress. Yes or no?”
He could see the truth in my face, so there was no point in lying. “Okay, yes, but—”
Flynn held up a hand to stop me. “So you lied.” The look of betrayal on his face was so horrible, I wanted to vomit.
“I didn’t lie!” I argued. “I just… you assumed, and I…” I was digging the hole deeper, I knew it. I raked my fingers through my hair. “I wanted to tell you later. When the time was right.”
He let out an ugly half laugh. “You mean after you made sure I lost Brew Fest?”
“What?” I demanded. “No! God. I would never. Flynn, come on! You know I… Flynn! Get back here and talk to me!”
But it was too late. Flynn had disappeared through the kitchen to his office. I raced after him.
“Let me explain,” I said a split second before he slammed the office door closed behind him.
And locked it.
“Don’t do this,” I insisted, pounding my palm on the door. “Flynn, I know what you’re doing right now. You’re afraid, and you’re hurt, and you don’t want to hear my explanation because it’s easier to be mad, but I—”
He flung the door open wide, sucking the air from the hallway behind me through the doorway and rustling some loose papers on his desk. “You think this is easier, Jonathan? Do you? And what’s the fucking proper way to react when you find out that the guy you…” He swallowed hard, and tears filled those gorgeous green eyes. “…the guy you’re fucking had an agenda he never shared with you and let you believe that business wasn’t on the table anymore, when he was secretly… what? Planning to manipulate me into a contract after all?”
“No. No. No manipulation. I wanted to give you choices. I wanted to respect your boundaries.” I winced as I heard the words come out of my mouth, and Flynn made a derisive noise. “I mean… your boundaries about the terms of the contract. See, I—”
Flynn held up a hand. “No. You know, Dan warned me you were just using me to get the business, and I told him he was wrong. That he didn’t know you. That you would never do that to me. But I guess I’m the wrong one. I’m the one who didn’t know you. I’m the sucker who thought…” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. I stepped forward and reached out to touch him, but he slapped my hand away. “Don’t fucking touch me. If you care about me at all, you will go away and leave me the fuck alone. The most important event of my career is a week from today, and the last thing I need right now is this… this… drama. Fuck off, JT. Go back to New York and find another sucker.”