Bossy(66)

I notice he doesn’t specify how many hours.

On my way back from the bathroom, I notice movement right on the edge of my peripheral vision. There are staff and guests crawling all over the place, but something sets my nerves on edge. A familiar figure ducks into the tent behind the reception. The one holding all the electronic stuff.

It might not be him. It shouldn’t be unless he has a death wish, but my gut says it is.

I don’t know what he’s up to, but it’s not going to be good. This time I just might kill the fucker.





Declan


He’s already inside, and when I get to the flap in the tent, I know I was right. I’d recognize Michael’s whine anywhere.

“No no, you didn’t do anything wrong. We’ve made some last minute changes. Here, I’ll handle it. Just go tell the minstrels or whatever to play a little while I get it set up.”

“Of course, Sir. No problem.”

I wait around the corner until the worker leaves. The less witnesses the better. Out in the main tent, the music picks up just as I slip in behind Michael. He’s hunched over a laptop with his back to me, fiddling with it.

“Mikey, Mikey, Mikey. Won’t you ever learn?”

At the sound of my voice, he spins in surprise. I bare my teeth at him, nearly snarling. I’m not letting that little fucker get near Claire again. For a moment, he blanches. Good. He should be fucking scared. Terrified even. I’m going to tear him apart. But then he grins, his eyes turning a little wild.

“Doesn’t matter what you do now. It’s done.” Then he fucking laughs. Laughs, for fucks sake.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He jumps to the side when I lunge for him, putting a table between us “What? Don’t like the idea of being humiliated in front of everyone you know? Poor little bully,” he teases. “I was just going to give them my regards, and then slip my little gift onto the table with the rest of the shit, but this is so much better, don’t you think?”

A girl dressed up like a serving wench ducks her head in to see what the commotion is about, but yelps and runs away when she gets a look at the two of us. Michael twists out of my way, and smacks a button on the laptop.

For a second I hesitate. That second is just long enough for a video to start playing, but it’s not whatever sappy crap was supposed to run. Cheap-looking text pops up, and I see a flash of skin. Shit. There isn’t time to fuck around with the computer, so I do the next best thing and grab all the cords coming out of the back of the laptop and yank them, hoping one of them will stop whatever he just started.

Michael’s face twists into a nasty snarl. “Stop fucking everything up!”

“Me? You’re the fuck-up here!”

He grins at me and says just the one word, “Listen.”

The music has stopped in the main tent, and there’s a lot of confused murmuring. Then I hear it. The laptop is still playing the video. A man’s voice, distorted so the identity isn’t obvious, speaks. “Yeah, baby. Suck it. Fuck, I love that thing you do with your tongue.” He pauses, and for a moment the only sound is wet and familiar. Like someone sucking a cock. “You gonna take my cum like a good little slut?”

I glance at the screen and regret it instantly. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“You keep saying that, and yet I’m still here,” he gloats, edging towards the exit.

Over on the laptop, I hear Claire moan. I have two choices: go after Michael, or stop the video. My fists itch to feel his face cave under my knuckles, but for once I make the mature choice, which of course leaves me standing in front of the screen, alone in the tent when I hear a horrified gasp behind me. I hit stop, and turn around slowly, afraid to look.

Claire is standing there, staring at me with huge, terrified eyes. “How could you?” The devastation in her voice tears a hole through my heart.

“Wait, no, I didn’t—”

She doesn’t give me time to explain. “Is this your idea of a prank?” She sobs, then reins herself in, her eyes narrowing. “You knew this was the one thing I was afraid of more than anything else. You promised!” Her voice breaks.

“You can’t possibly think this was me.”

“No? Why not? It makes sense. First you embarrass me in the office, then you humiliate me in front of the entire company. What’s left?” She wipes her eyes and glares at me, daring me to deny it. “My family. Couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. I’m such an idiot.”

This is when I should take her in my arms and hold her until I can explain everything. Except I’m an asshole, and all I can think is that the girl I’m falling in love with thinks so little of me that she’d believe I was capable of this level of shit.