I open the door and march straight in. He's at his desk and for a moment, I feel my heart clench. He looks miserable. He looks downtrodden and dispirited in a way I have never seen him before. I almost reconsider myself. I almost stop myself long enough to ask if he is okay.
Then he is on his feet and the look has disappeared completely. Instead, he's glaring at me angrily, "My office is not welcoming visitors."
The way he says it, so professional and removed, stirs something within me, "Yeah? Well neither was Ellen's apartment."
I cross the space between us, nothing but the strip of desk wood keeping us apart.
"You need to get out, Cade." He says, his voice shaking with barely contained rage.
"Yeah? Well that's not going to happen." I feel the tension race through me, making me feel almost sick. I relish it, slamming my hands onto his desk, "What proof were you talking about?" I grind the words out.
He smirks and it looks ugly and unfeeling, "Proof is proof."
"What proof is it!?" I barely register the way I am raising my voice, the way my hands are absolutely itching to grab him by his tie and make him stop being so composed, so settled even as he tears my world apart.
I narrow my eyes, but he doesn't so much as flinch, "That is between me and my client."
"The trust fund that hired you to dig up dirt, right?" I tighten my jaw.
"I'm not at liberty to say." He shrugs with indifference.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I stare at him. "Why do you enjoy tearing people down, huh? What did we do to you?"
"You're a liar, Cade." He says the words as he looks straight at me, "You deceive your family, you lie about your life. It's not my fault your lie is crumbling around you."
"A liar?" Something ugly rises inside of me, "I'm pretty sure you just saw damn good proof that me and Ellen are together." I ask, "Are you just a sore loser?"
That strikes a chord with him. "Regardless of anything I did or didn't see, you've been lying about this from the beginning. That's all I need."
We stare each other down for a long moment, "I don't believe you." I murmur.
"No?" Anger ignites in his eyes and he grips his desk tightly. "Then I suppose you also don't believe that I was sent emails of the whole thing?"
I go pale. There is no way that he could have gotten his hands on those.
"Ellen sent them to me." He stares at me darkly, "Probably a mistake, but who cares? I got my hands on it and I've already sent it all off."
I hear a gasp behind me and realize that I've forgotten all about Ellen following me in. From the way Adam looks up, it's clear he didn't notice her either. There's a moment when his eyes widen and I see Ellen's hands fly to her mouth.
Her eyes fill with tears and she looks horrified.
"Ellen-" Adam calls out, but she's already turned and ran down the hall, away from the room, away from the both of us.
I hear the elevator rush down and I know that I will never catch her. Anger spikes through me and I lean over the desk. The next thing I know, I have Adam's shirt in my hands.
I push myself over the desk and we slam into his neat little filing cabinet. There's a crash as everything tumbles down around us and I hear Adam gasp. It's a satisfying sound and I tighten my hands on his shirt.
"How dare you?!" My voice is low, "What the hell has Ellen ever done to you, huh?" I can't think straight.
For a moment, Adam just stares at me with wide eyes. He's so close that I can see the pulse fluttering in his neck. Then his hands find my arms and rip me away from him. I refuse to let go and we're thrown onto the floor.
I grapple hard with him as he lands on top of me with a force that leaves me winded. He's a solid guy beneath those suits. I grab his tie and relish at the way it makes him react, his hands leaving mine and grabbing the fabric around his neck instead.
Still, I don't let go. I didn't happen to put my tie back on at Ellen's. Lucky me. I pull harder and his body tenses against mine, "Listen here." His eyes flicker to mine.
"Ellen hasn't done anything but work hard every day of her life." I tighten my grip, "Understand?! She's done nothing to deserve this, even if I have. You didn't need to do it like that."
My grip slackens for a second, and that's all that Adam needs. His knee finds my stomach and I try not to throw up, feeling winded. He pushes his knee firmly into my chest now, and I'm left gasping.
"Well, if you hadn't enlisted her help, she wouldn't be caught up in your lie!" His words are harsh and I can see the flush rising to his skin.
"She needed the money and who else was I supposed to ask?!" I want my words to be harsh, but instead they sound pathetic and I glare at him, daring him to challenge me.
I can smell his scent. It invades my senses and overwhelms them. It's a good scent, I can't deny it, unlike the softly feminine ones that I am used to. I can feel his heart beating, see the beads of sweat on his brow.
The pressure on my chest lessens and I take in a deep breath, but I don't move. Neither does Adam. For the longest time, the world seems to stop, to slow down. Nothing else exists but the rumpled front of his shirt and the scent of his sweat and cologne.
Then he pushes himself off me and slumps back against the wall. He sighs and rubs his face, and I move to sit beside him. Everything aches and I'm sure he feels the same way. We sit in silence for a moment, before he speaks.
"I've been an idiot." He doesn't look at me.
"Yes." I sigh and glance at the door, "But you're not the only one acting stupid. I started this mess."
Adam shakes his head slowly, "Your relationship seems pretty real to me." He looks regretful.
I nod slowly, smiling a little, "Maybe … but I've seen the way she looks at you. I think she fell for you before she did for me." I give him a knowing look.
"I need to talk to her. Apologize." He glances at me and seems to debate his next words heavily.
"I'll recall it."
"What?" I'm confused, my heart thudding in my chest.
"The information. The proof. I'll recall it." He doesn't look at me but I can't take his eyes off me.
"Why?" Is all I can think to say.
He shrugs, "Because there's nothing to gain by sending it." He smiles at me.
I sigh in relief and shut my eyes for a long moment. It's odd. I hate this man, I have since I first met him, and yet …
"If I don't get the money, I lose my father's company." My voice is soft and low.
Adam looks at me in surprise and I sigh. "I need it to close a few deals, a few deals that will really bring the company up again." I smile at the thought, "My uncles ran it into the ground after my father passed, but I've been working to bring it back up since I inherited it at twenty one."
I sigh and rub the back of my neck. "But I haven't been perfect either."
"That must be tough." He looks at me with what seems like genuine concern.
"It is. So … thanks." I murmur.
He glances at me with a nod, before he moves straightening his shirt and loosening his tie. He smiles at me and I can see stress behind his eyes, "I better go and see Ellen." He sighs and squeezes his eyes shut, "If she'll see me, that is."
"Good luck." I murmur, and I mean it. I want things to work out, not only for me, but for Ellen, for Adam. I smile, "I'll let myself out, shall I?"
"You do that." He makes his way to the door, "Thanks, Cade."
"Don't mention it." I say.
Then he's gone and I am left sitting against the wall in the wreck of a lawyer's office. I sigh as I look around. I guess I had better get some cleaning up done. I think I might just owe this guy a favor. After all, he's helping me out a heck of a lot more than I'm helping him.
Maybe he isn't quite as bad as I first though he was.
Maybe.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ADAM JONES
By the time I reach Ellen's apartment, I feel a mess. I feel giddy with the revelation I've just had and sick with the decisions I made. The feeling of Cade beneath me sends confused bursts of color into my world, and I'm not sure why it's affecting me so badly. My world is spinning, turned completely upside down.
But I've done the same to Ellen, and in all the wrong ways. I feel a pang in my chest. No wonder she is with Cade. I've done nothing to earn her love or respect. I should be held in her contempt, as I am sure I am. I take a deep breath as I stare at the door.
When I finally knock, it seems frustratingly hesitant. I can feel the redness on my throat where Cade grabbed my tie, and I adjust it, hoping that Ellen doesn't notice. After a few moments she opens the door.
Her face is a little red, like she's been crying. I feel my heart ache at the thought of causing her pain and distress. I never, ever wanted that. When she sees me, her features harden and she makes to close the door.
"Wait." I catch the door in my hands, "Ellen, I'm sorry."
Her expression is guarded, but she stops trying to close the door on my hand. Suspicion is written on her face and I can't say that I can blame her.
"Why are you here?" Her voice is cagey.
I take a deep breath and look at her with sincerity, "Because I'm sorry." I murmur, "What I did was wrong – all of it."
She looks at me for a long moment before she turns and walks into her apartment. She leaves the door open, and glances at me when I don't immediately follow. I step into her apartment and close the door behind me. She's sitting on her couch and I join her, hesitantly.