"Taking an extra day to fuck around your apartment wouldn't have killed you." Nolan stands and buttons his suit jacket. "We don't need your ass in here every single day."
They do. He chooses to believe otherwise.
"Look, I'm only asking this because I'm worried about you. Did Damaris say anything about the …"
I stop him before the word leaves his lips. That word. My personal hell is bundled up in one word that forever changed my life. Damaris was there for me on the worst day of my life. Every day after that, she chose to remind me of the pain I was in. It was her weapon to make me weak.
"She didn’t," I cut him off. "She kept her mouth shut."
"Maybe she does have a heart after all." He looks over my shoulder at the open door of my office. He knows my assistant is on her break or this conversation wouldn't be happening.
She doesn't. Damaris has a big bank account, thanks to my generosity when we split. She wanted the wedding of her dreams. I wanted my freedom. We both got exactly what we needed.
***
I slow as I near her. She's outside her apartment, white pants and a navy blouse covering her body. She's wearing nude heels and a pair of sunglasses.
"Adley," I call out to her as she raises her hand to flag down a taxi. "Wait up."
She slides the sunglasses onto her head, as her eyes skim me from head-to-toe. "You're wearing a suit. Did you go to the office today?"
Work is my drug of choice. When I'm sitting in my office at the top of the Matiz tower, I feel centered. I needed that today after seeing Damaris in the Hamptons.
"I had some work to catch up on." It's not a complete lie. There is always something to do in my world, whether it's managing the concerns of a Matiz employee or signing off on a shipment of vodka at the club.
"I'm going to see a friend."
I follow her gaze when it drops to her phone and a text message appears. She covers it with her other hand before I can read anything beyond " Hi Adley ."
"What friend?" I ask because she's always been an open book. She's never gotten on me for invading her space even though she's never invaded mine.
"You don't know them."
Them. Not her, not him, but them. It's a man.
"What's his name?" I don't even try and mask the heaviness of my tone.
Her eyes dart over my face. "Don't act like a caveman, Crew. I have other friends."
I know she does. Most of them are women.
"Is it someone I know?" I press for more like a sixteen-year-old kid who is worried his steady is going to kiss the star quarterback behind the bleachers.
"No."
I stare at her because that's not a satisfactory answer. "Who is it, Ad?"
"His name is John." She takes a step around me toward the curb. "Are you happy now?"
Fuck no, I'm not. She's never mentioned a man named John to me so this is coming straight out of left field.
"Where did you meet?" I keep my tone calm as I watch her wave her arm in the air as an already occupied taxi approaches.
She stomps her foot when it flies by.
"That one wasn't available." I look down at my phone and thumb out a message.
"I knew that. What are you doing here anyway?"