I turn on my heel and scan the room. If this woman is here, is Pepper kissing someone else? The last communication we heard was that she was heading to the bathroom.
“Underwood? That you?” Chad asks in surprise.
“Where’s Pepper?” I demand.
“Pepper?”
This fucker doesn’t even remember her name.
“The woman you brought to dinner.”
“Oh, his business partner,” the redhead pipes up. “She’s in the bathroom.”
A smug smile flits across Chad’s face. “So that’s why you bought my building. Pepper is a pretty thing, but eight million dollars can get you pussy far better than what was sitting here.” He nods his head toward the chair the redhead is sitting in. “I’m about to have her for the price of a steak.”
I pick up Pepper’s unused steak knife and slam it a centimeter away from Chad’s pinky. The redhead screams.
“What the fuck?” Chad cries, snatching his hand away and hiding it under the table.
“When you speak of Pepper Paddison, you do so with respect or you don’t speak at all. Say anything like that again, and this knife will be sticking out of your throat.”
“Did you just threaten to kill me?” Chad squawks. He turns in his chair, his arms open wide. “You all heard that, right? This lunatic threatened to kill me!”
I dip my head to the redhead. “Chad’s wallet is never going to be fat enough to make up for his tiny dick.”
She claps a hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh while Chad spouts off insults about my dick, my parents, my business acumen, and fuck knows what else. I’m not paying him attention anymore. My focus is on Pepper, who just appeared at the end of a hallway. Her eyes widen when she spots me.
I stride over and grab her elbow. “Time to go.”
She glances back at Chad. “What’s going on with Chad, and why is he yelling that his dick is huge?”
“Is that what he’s saying? I’m not listening.” I gently nudge her toward the door.
“He said his wallet’s big and his dick—“
I cover her mouth with my broad hand. “No, sorry. You can’t talk about another guy’s dick. That’s against the rules.”
“What rules?” she says, her voice muffled by my palm.
I drop my hand away and slide it down to catch her wrist. “The Abel Rules. Rule number one is that no man exists outside of me. Rule number two is to never forget rule number one.”
“Why should I abide by these rules? You ignore me all the time.”
I stop. “I what?”
“Nothing.” She pushes her purse strap higher on her shoulder. “Just take me to the hotel.”
I’m fine with that. Once we’re at the house, I can show her in graphic detail how I’m not ignoring her. “Is that what we’re calling my house these days?”
“No. I mean I want to go to the same place where everyone else from my building is put up. I want my own place, with my own set of keys, and I don’t want to see you. Men,” she mutters. She jerks open the truck door and slams it shut in my face before I can reply.
My pocket vibrates. I yank the phone out and look at the screen. It’s Beck. I’m about to send the call to voicemail when a text comes through.
Beck: Don’t fucking put me into vmx answer the damn phone
Angrily, I shove the phone to my ear and bark out, “What?”
“Get your ass over to Marist’s house and explain to her that you hired this woman because you want to bone her,” he shouts.
“I do not want to bone her,” I snap. “That’s my future wife you’re talking about.”
“Fine. Wife. Mistress. I don’t fucking care. Marist quit on me! She said we must not need her anymore because you hired another decorator so get your fucking ass in gear and fix this!” He hangs up.
I shove a hand through my hair. This is all Chad’s fault. He should’ve taken better care of the building. If he had, then Pepper and I would be at home, having dinner in front of the fire, petting Bear, and taking each other’s clothes off.
I pocket the phone and climb into the truck. “We’re going to have to make a small detour before I take you home and by home, I mean our home and not the long-term stay facility.”
“Let me out then. I’ll get a taxi.” She puts her hand on the door and my control snaps.
I put the truck in park and reach over the console to drag her into my lap. “Ignore you? Are you kidding me? I can’t keep my eyes, hands, or thoughts off you.” I slam my mouth against hers. She squeaks in surprise but doesn’t pull away. Her lips part and I take that opportunity to dive inside, marauding her mouth like her tongue is an enemy combatant than needs to be conquered. I kiss her until she’s breathless and gasping, and I keep on until her hands leave my chest to clutch my shoulders and her hips begin to undulate against my hard cock. I kiss her until all the thoughts of Chad and Beck and Marist and deals empty out of our brains and all that is left is her and me and tongue and lips and lust.