Addicted (A Bad Boy Stepbrother Romance)(44)

Jeff snorted. "Listen to yourself, Tyler! Get a grip and come back to planet Earth. It’s time to stop disrespecting your father and this company!"

Anger surged through me. "Who the fuck are you to judge me, huh?" I snarled, immediately regretting it as a sharp pain sliced through my skull. Seriously, it felt like someone took an axe and brought it down on the top of my head with all the force they could muster. "You have no fucking idea what I'm going through."

Jeff let out a peal of derisive laughter. "Oh, poor little baby and his first world problems. Did the latest slut decline letting you bang her brains out and your little ego is bruised?"

Seriously, the only thing keeping Jeff from being thrown through my window and falling sixty stories was the lancing pain in my skull.

"Get over it," Jeff continued, unaware how lucky he was to be alive. He stood, straightening his tie at his neck. "You're a disgrace."

He turned and walked out of my office, slamming the door behind him. The sound of it made my head hurt even worse.

Asshole.

Despite my anger at Jeff, deep down I knew he was speaking the truth. I had to get my shit together.

Fast.





Chapter 22





Tyler





"Victoria is busy," April said to me. She gave me that ha-ha asshole, you'll never talk to her again smirk. "But I can give her a message if you'd like?"

After a couple of days of torment, I'd stopped the drinking, cleaned myself up, and decided on a new course of action.

I'd driven myself—something I almost never do—over to Victoria's workplace. When I asked the receptionist on the first floor to ring me in to Victoria's work phone, April had appeared instead to take a message.

I swear the girl had become Victoria's bodyguard, appearing out of the woodwork whenever I showed up, intent on making sure that I didn't get anywhere near her.

I eyed her with a cool grin on my face, not letting her think she was getting to me. Not even that long ago, I'd have been eager to wipe that smirk off of the little tart’s face . . . and I’m not talking about with my hand or with violence.

“She needs to hear something directly from me, not from a message. If she doesn’t want to speak to me again after that, I’ll never bother her again.”

April stared at me suspiciously and I adopted my most serious expression. “Really. She’s going to want to hear this, trust me.”

April stood there for the longest time, looking like a battle was going on inside of her head. Finally, she let out a huge sigh. "I'll go find her and see what she says.” She turned away, but stopped to add, "On one condition."

"Anything."

"You never come here again."

If I get to talk to her, I won’t need to come here again, I thought.

"Scout's honor," I assured, putting up the little hand signal.

April scowled at me, looking as if she was going to change her mind. I kept my expression straight and serious.

"Okay," she finally said. "Don't make me regret this or you'll be sorry."

"I won't," I promised.

She still looked skeptical. "Wait here and I'll be right back."

I spent the better of twenty minutes standing around at the receptionist’s desk, looking like a dumbass waiting for April to come back. The receptionist, Kathy, a middle-aged woman with graying hair, kept me entertained, telling me all about her daughter and her recent engagement. She seemed to be that type of person who’d talk to just about anyone and tell them her life story.

"She’s so happy," Kathy was saying to me after just showing me her daughter, a little blonde with a humble next-door type appearance. "She got herself a good fella—handsome too, just like yourself.” She beamed at me.

“Oh you're so kind," I said, trying to sound at least a little interested in the conversation. “Truth be told, there's nothing special about my looks."

“Handsome and modest, a good combination,” Kathy said, placing the back of her hand to the side of her mouth and lowering her voice to a conspirator whisper, “You’d be quite the catch.”

“Modest, huh?” I chuckled. “Now that’s something I haven’t heard before.”

At that moment, April reappeared, walking up the hallway toward me. The look on her face told me everything.

"Sorry, I have to go," I said, not sparing Kathy another glance. "It was nice meeting you, Kathy." I walked off briskly before the she could reply, making it to April in several quick strides.

"Well?" I demanded, trying to keep myself calm and collected.

April stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, purposefully drawing the moment out.