Bound (Mastered #1)(94)

But it appeared the issue was about her-and they'd joined forces.

"What's going on? Did I miss a memo for an interoffice meeting?"

"Call it what you want, but we need to talk to you."

"Who's we?" Amery asked.

A blushing Molly put her hands up in defense. "I want no part of this."

"Why don't you take a thirty-minute break at Lisabet's Patisserie?"

"Sure. Would you like me to bring you anything?"

She shook her head. No one spoke until Molly had left and Amery had settled in with a cup of coffee. "So, besties, why does this feel like an intervention?"

Chaz lifted an eyebrow. "Is there something bad and wrong you've been doing that requires one?"

"Besides Ronin Black?" Emmylou added snarkily.

What the hell? "Whoa. This is about Ronin?"



       
         
       
        

"Of course it is, because you're all about him lately, aren't you?"

She bristled. "What about him?"

Emmylou and Chaz stared at her in silence.

"So you decided to jump me about the man I'm involved with but you aren't telling me why?"

"You know why."

Amery shoved down the worry that her supposed friends had figured out what she and Ronin had been up to behind closed doors. He was always so careful not to leave excessive marks when he bound her. The rarely seen devil on her shoulder reminded her that what she and Ronin did in the bedroom was no one's business. "No, I really don't."

"Don't you see that you've immersed yourself so much in this relationship with him that you're losing yourself? We rarely see you anymore after work hours because Ronin monopolizes all your time and you let him," Chaz said.

She blew across her coffee before taking a sip. "Monopolizes," she repeated. "Really? If I recall correctly I asked you to lunch last week, which you declined. I also asked if you wanted to have a drink with me, which you also declined. And the reason you declined is that hot little Latin piece of ass you're hiding from Andre, remember? The week before that you couldn't be bothered to answer a single text from me. That is somehow my fault? Bull. Shit."

"See? This is why we're worried about you. You snap at the drop of a hat and if anyone raises any questions about Ronin, you get defensive. And I'll be frank-I'm worried that the only reason he's teaching you how to fight is so you can be even more like him."

Her angry gaze zoomed to Emmylou. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Look at this from our point of view. Ronin's job is all about violence. Are you telling me that you don't see anything wrong with how he's isolated you from your friends?"

"You think he's isolated me? How the hell would you know that?" she demanded of Emmylou. "You were out of town all last week. The week before that the only time you approached me was the night of the self-defense class I've been taking for weeks, which, again, just indicates how little you care about the important things going on in my life."

"And you've deemed Ronin the most important thing in your life after only a few weeks? You don't see anything wrong with that?" Chaz asked. "Right after you started seeing him you refused to go to the bars you've always gone to with us. Is that something Black demanded from you? Telling you that you couldn't hang out with us anymore?" 

"I cannot fucking believe we are even having this conversation. And excuse me for being a total selfish bitch, but after years I'm done going to strictly gay hangouts. Why is that? Not because Ronin decreed it, but because I can't count the number of times you-both of you-have ditched me during happy hour and I ended up going home by myself anyway. So the way I see it? You're pissy that I'm not at your beck and call anymore to fill the void when you get bored and don't have anyone else to go out with. But guess what? I don't give a shit what you think about Ronin. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions about things, including who I choose to spend my free time with, so suck it up. Both of you."

Chaz and Emmylou stared at her in total shock.

"So, is there anything else? Or are you still going to try and convince me the time I spend with Ronin is the real issue here?"

Silence.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I do have actual work to finish." Amery spun on her heel and headed to her office.

She let out a little scream when she was abruptly jerked back. Then both Chaz and Emmylou were right in her face.

"Looks like North Dakota has grown some big, sharp teeth. Brava, darlin', but that's not what this is about."