“My protection? God. What’s wrong with you? This isn’t the wild west, Vincent. Seriously, you almost killed a man today.”
His mouth was a thin line. “Maybe he deserved it.”
“Jesus, I feel like I don’t even know you. One minute you’re nice and charming, the next you’re a violent psychopath. You and your security team beat up a single man like some kind of goon squad. I was expecting the couple across the hall to maybe ask for a cup of sugar every now and then, not turn out to be fucking mercenaries.”
His features twisted in pain. “Please, Kristen. I’m sorry. I did lie to you but please understand I had to ensure your safety.”
“Keeping me safe is one thing. wailing on Marty like some kind of mobster is another. That crossed a ton of lines. Why didn’t you break his legs with a baseball bat while you were at it? Or better yet, cut off one of his fingers. How do I know that’s not what’s happening right now?”
“I know it seems extreme but believe me, it was necessary. I’ve seen guys like him before. I know they don’t give up easily. I wouldn’t have gone that far if I didn’t think it was necessary.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You’ve seen guys like him before? Where? Some TV show?”
Vincent sighed deeply. “My sister Giselle had an abusive boyfriend. That’s how I know.”
I grunted in frustration. He was dropping bomb after bomb on me, destroying pieces of reality I thought I had a hold on. “Okay. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. And I didn’t know if I could trust you before.”
“Trust me?” I threw my hands up. “I told you secrets about myself I hadn’t told anyone and you were holding back on me. What better time were you going to get to tell me than that night in your apartment when I spilled to you about Marty? But no, you didn’t trust me, even after I took such a risk by trusting you, Vincent. How is that supposed to make me feel?”
“I was focused on your problem, Kristen. I wanted to keep it about you.”
“Showing me you understood would have been about me, Vincent. Holding out on me while you made plans about my privacy is about you.”
“You’re right, Kristen. It was selfish. I’m sorry I didn’t see it that way before. I was trying to do what I thought was best. Hopefully you see that, even if you disagree with my actions.” He gently rested his hand on my shoulder.
Despite enjoying the sensation, I shrugged it off. “I don’t trust you now though. You lied to me. You fucked Ariel Diamond. You cheated on me. At least Marty never did that.” I tried shoving him away but he was like a wall. Instead it was me that fell backward. He grabbed me before I could fall on my ass.
“Hang on, Kristen. Listen to me,” he growled, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. “That is all a mistake. The text you saw from Ariel wasn’t what it looked like.”
“How gullible do you think I am? What else could it mean? It was pretty clear: she liked riding your cock,” I spat. The words tasted like battery acid coming off my tongue. I regained my footing and pushed out of his arms. He stepped forward and pulled my waist to him demonstrating his persistence. I knew I wouldn’t win a battle of wills with him so I let it pass.
“She meant my surfboard. The new product my company launched—which is why I went to Brazil. It’s called the Shuttlecock.” He articulated his words carefully but assertively.
What. The. Fuck.
The room spun. “You’re lying,” I said uncertainly.
“No.” His voice softened and his eyes carried the tenderness they had earlier. “I’m not lying. I’m sorry you saw that, but Ariel was just being flippant in that text like she usually is. It’s her personality. You saw how she was when you met her. I’m sure she had no idea you’d be seeing that message. Even she’s not that much of a trouble-maker.”
A wave of embarrassment washed over me. I’d run out of the restaurant upset over a misunderstanding. Realization that my actions must’ve seemed absolutely childish to him made me pissed off. At him.
“‘Shuttlecock?’ You have to be kidding me. That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard.”
He allowed himself a smile. “You thought ‘Pier Pleasure’ was pretty clever.”
“That at least makes sense. Shuttlecock makes no sense.”
He took a deep breath and sighed. “You’re right, it’s dumb. But it’s edgy and it’s selling well. As you can see, people love making cock jokes.”