His back teeth slammed together loud enough for her to hear the smack. His skin pulled tight over his cheekbones and his jaw clenched. She’d never seen him like this. So visibly angry that the fury radiated off of him and spread through the room. His rage threatened to suffocate her.
When he spoke again, his voice vibrated. “I’m giving you one chance to tell me the truth.”
She looked around. There was a thick file on his desk. One she hadn’t seen before or put there. Since he wasn’t exactly the type to go rummaging through the filing cabinets on his own, she wondered where it had come from.
Between that and the stillness of his body, she guessed this went beyond sex. He was laying some other sin on her doorstep. Maybe he assumed she’d babbled about their bedroom activities? That never happened and he should know she wouldn’t.
But if he wanted to accuse her, he needed to spell it out. Say the words and then deal with the consequences. It had been a long time since she’d lost her temper and unleashed her wrath, but it might feel good. And it was looking like he was edging toward the point where he asked for it.
“What exactly is my crime here, Linc?”
“I’m not playing games with you.”
Her fury rose to match his. All the happiness flaring inside her a few minutes ago sputtered out. “Are you sure, because I am totally lost.”
“If it was about needing money, just tell me. It will piss me off, but I’d be willing to hear your explanation before I make my decision.”
Decision? The word thumped in her head. He couldn’t possibly be saying… “You think I slept with you for money?”
He snorted. “This isn’t about us.”
It would have hurt less if he just leaned across the desk and slapped her. The verbal punch landed harder and would last longer. Her insides already felt as if they’d been scraped raw. She tried to steady her shoulders and prepare for another blow. “Okay.”
“I’m waiting.”
Pushing the words past her dry throat proved harder than expected. “Since I have no clue what’s happening, I don’t know what you expect me to say.”
An intense silence thumped between them.
After a few empty seconds, he waved her off. “You can leave.”
“But I…” She reached out for the desk to keep from falling over. “Linc, what are you—”
“Mr. Campbell is fine.”
Like that, the light blipped off inside her. She’d spent the night all over him and the morning spinning fantasies about what they could do together tonight. And he’d been planning this emotional shot to get her to back off.
A real man didn’t do this. A real man would tell her they went too far, maybe leave her ego bruised and her insides hurting, but not aim for complete devastation.
Her anger sparked until it exploded and crashed through her in waves. “Is this what you do?”
He didn’t bother to look up from his precious file. “Meaning?”
She slapped her hand against it and forced him to face her again. “You sleep with the staff then throw a fit when you want to end it after a night of hot sex.”
His jaw tightened even more. “Go back to your desk.”
A half hour later, Linc stood by the window and straightened his tie. The thing was fine but he needed to keep his hands busy. He wanted to throw shit around his office, empty those bookcases and crash lamps against the floor.
But Nick stood there, right between Linc and the door to the outer offices. As soon as Thea stepped out earlier, Nick had slipped in and he hadn’t left. Probably worried Linc would duck out of his responsibilities.
No fucking way.
Linc had to hand it to Thea. Up to the end she played the role. First, she pretended not to understand. Then she let her emotions fly all over the place. She didn’t burst into tears, but the wetness hovered there in the corners of her eyes. Or it did until she started yelling.
It was a wonder the staff didn’t break down the door to make sure she was okay. They were all loyal to her. That would be a problem over the next few days, but once he explained what she did and how they should aim their devotion elsewhere, things would go back to normal.
For them. It would take longer for him to find his equilibrium again.
Her schemes had him questioning his judgment, and he resented that the most. Despite knowing what she’d done and how she’d used him, he still wanted her. Could still see her sprawled across his bed, with her hair fanned out on his pillow. Could still smell her skin and taste her on his lips.
He closed his eyes. “Damn her.”
Linc headed for the door but Nick stepped into his path. “You don’t have to be here for this.”
“I do. I’m the one who hired her, brought her in.” The one who’d lost his mind and kissed her. She’d stumbled into him last night and he touched her like he’d been dying to do for months. Hell that was probably part of her practiced con as well. “This one’s on me. I screwed up.”
Nick blew out a long breath. “You are human, you know.”
His father would say he was a loser, or his favorite phrase, a dipshit. The old man ran a lumberyard and believed real men worked with their hands. Not that he ever considered Linc much of a man. Linc had heard the story a thousand times. His father named him after his dream car and Linc hadn’t lived up.
She’d done this. Thea had him spinning and doubting. He’d trusted her, and she cut him to pieces and had him reopening old and long-forgotten wounds.
Damn her.
Linc pivoted around Nick. “When does security get here?”
“Any second.”
“Let’s get this over with.” Linc opened the door. They stepped out and stopped right next to Thea’s desk.
Her hands froze over the keyboard. It looked as if she was trying to sign in. Good luck with that since he had HR pull her password and lock her out of the system ten minutes ago.
He refused to look away when she stared up at him. “Ms. Marshall, please stand up.”
The color drained from her cheeks. The paleness combined with the strain around her eyes and mouth gave her a lifeless look. “What’s going on?”
He thought about touching her, lifting her up by the elbow, but decided he couldn’t handle contact. His anger fed him now but not enough to wipe out the memories of the night before. “Hands off the computer.”
“I don’t…” She turned as the security guard walked toward her. With his stomach folding over his belt and his belt falling toward the floor, he stopped on the other side of her desk area. “Stan?”
“Ms. Marshall, I need to escort you out of the building.”
“Why?” Her question came out as a squeak.
The entire work floor had gone deadly quiet. Phones rang and as far as Linc could tell, no one answered them. No one even pretended to work. Some stood by their cubicles, and Becky rushed up, her eyes wild as she looked around the men standing in a semicircle over Thea.
This had to end. Now.
Linc was about to do just that, order her out of the building and slam around his office when Nick stepped in. “You’re being terminated for cause, Thea.”
If possible, she paled even more. Her skin morphed to a chalky white as she ignored Nick. “Linc, what’s happening?”
The minutes ticked by and each one got harder. It took all of his resolve to keep from grabbing Thea and locking her in his office until she finally spilled the truth.
“Firing her? That doesn’t make sense,” Becky said.
This was an order Linc had no trouble issuing. “Stay out of this.”
“I run this office.” Becky started around Thea’s desk.
Funny, that’s not what the lease agreement on the place said. “No, I do.”
“Linc, maybe we should take this private,” Nick said.
“Too late.” Linc put up a hand to stop Becky when she pushed in closer to Thea. The last thing he needed was a wall of female support knocking into him. Forcing his expression to remain bland, he looked back at Thea. “You may take your purse, after security checks it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No computer files or paperwork.”
She rubbed a hand over her face. “Wait a second.”
But he couldn’t. He had to get it all out. Get her out. Seeing her this way, shoulders slumped and pain pulling at her mouth, threatened to break him. He could not fall for her act a second time. “The rest of your personal items will be boxed up and delivered to your house.”
“Why are you doing this?” She stood up with her body close enough for their shoes to almost touch.
He would not back down. “You did this.”
Something sparked to life in her deep brown eyes. “All of this is because we had sex?”
Nick moved then. He leaned in. “What did you just say?”
No way was Linc letting her deliver some dramatic reading to the audience that was already waiting for every new word. “This is not personal.”
“It sure as hell feels personal.”
How dare she? “I thought the same thing when I found out you stole from me.” He nodded to Stan to close in.
“When did this supposedly happen?” She shook off Stan’s hand against her arm. “Don’t touch me.”
They needed reinforcements. Linc needed a drink and sex with some woman he didn’t know who couldn’t fuck him over professionally. Anyone who would remove Thea’s face from his mind.