Chapter 239

I walk into the office where Alexi has been holed up for hours and rap on the door as I enter to get his attention. Dressed in another tight jersey dress today, this one is long sleeved and stretchy, black to match my mood and broken up with a gold belt that matches my killer heel shoes. I’m in sleek chic and not been in a very merry frame of mind all day. I feel like I have been tugging along a looming black cloud everywhere I go since last night, and I am just simmering with hostile energy.

‘What is it?’ He doesn’t rip his eyes away from his laptop as he types, just keeps on with whatever he is doing, and I linger by the door. Mildly annoyed that he doesn’t even give me a look to acknowledge me properly, seeing as this is the first I have seen him today. He has been holed up out of my way and sending moody vibes through the whole building from afar. It feels like everyone has been tiptoeing around, and I am pretty sure he is the cause. A look or a ‘hey’ would have been bloody polite, to say the least!

He’s in a white shirt opened at the neck, no tie, and from here I can’t tell what trousers he has on but I assume they are grey, like the jacket he has hanging over the back of his chair with a tie peeking out the breast pocket. His sleeves are rolled up exposing all that delicious black ink that I tear my eyes away from and just stare at the top of his head. He is radiating stressed and harassed today and it’s almost deafening in the surrounding atmosphere; Perfect timing to aggravate him a lot then.

‘I thought I better let you know that I am taking tomorrow off—All day—I won’t be down for the evening, but I have briefed my pale comparison on her duties, and trust Jones to be my eyes for the night.’ I answer blandly, sighing at my own heavy mood, weighed down today by some weird sullen emotions that have had me on the verge of tears multiple times over the stupidest crap today already; May as well share the joy with a deserving tosser.

My statement certainly catches his attention and he lifts those stormy eyes, hinting at a more than a headache of a day with a strained expression on his face, to stare at me coldly.

‘Why aren’t you working it? We only opened last night!’ There is definite annoyance in his tone but I just shrug nonchalantly, giving not a care. Not in the mood for his shit after leaving me cold last night. He was a complete blank arsehole after the Tyler incident and avoided me for the duration, before slinking off to bed before the doors closed. He was up before me this morning too, so we missed each other completely. If I didn’t know better I would think he was avoiding me.

‘I’m just not. I need a day to myself and you’re not staying upstairs either. I want to be left in peace.’ I point out and raise a brow as if to dare him to challenge me on this. It is one day a year I don’t like people near me.

‘Why? What’s so special about it?’ Alexi the bloodhound, sniffing on a tiny bit of Intel, and being typically nosy and controlling. I should have known this would turn into the Spanish Inquisition. My irritation rises up inside hotly and I push down the urge to just turn and walk off.

‘It’s a need to know, and you don’t. I’m off for an hour to get my nails touched up. I broke one last night opening an overly secure Whisky bottle.’ I automatically glance at my broken tip and turn to go, dismissing him airily with a quick empty smile. Not about to defend my decision.

‘You can’t have the day off if you don’t tell me what it’s for,’ he snaps, halting me in my tracks, and my skin bristles all over as that annoyance turns to simmering bad mood.

Fuck’s sake.

‘Maybe I have a date.’ I throw him a poisonous smirk, and he just immediately tenses all over. His large shoulders the most noticeable visually and that deep sense of smug cools my jets a little.

Poke, poke, poke, little bear.

‘Then no … You’re working.’ Closed off, cold tone and eyes back on his screen like he’s dismissing me with no further conversation. I know it’s because he thinks it’s about seeing another man—he’s so transparent and it’s almost bloody laughable.

‘Partner … Not boss. I don’t even need to tell you, but I was being polite. It was not a request but merely an announcement.’ I answer him calmly, equally cool toned with hints of stubborn interlaced. Digging my heels in, frowning at him, and not about to take any of his nonsense. He can’t tell me what to do anymore and he needs reminding constantly of that.

Alexi taps his thumb on the table beside his keyboard, his little tell when he’s simmering or trying to think up a way to handle the current situation. It’s satisfying to watch him squirm anyway, and I rest back against the door frame casually to see how much more I can prod and push him before I go. It’s the only fun I may get today.

‘You think ditching work to go fuck about is professional? Men over money? Maybe I hired the wrong girl and had a higher opinion of you than I should have!’ It’s an insult and a way to get me to bite, and despite knowing this, it really gets under my skin more than I should let it. I know he pulls this stuff out for a reaction and his words are his biggest weapon. I know he only uses what he knows will wound to truly piss you off to the maximum, but still. I bloody snap. No one cares more about this club than me.

How fucking dare he!

‘It’s my birthday!!!! … I like to spend it locked away from the world and curse out the bitch who blessed me with life. OKAY? Not a fucking date.’ I retort angrily, nerve endings tingling with my fiery anger, falling for his BS and giving him the info he was angling for, but I am not working on the one day a year I allow myself to sit in a dark depression and hate myself for ever being born.

Alexi just looks at me silently for a long, infuriatingly unreadable moment, completely devoid of human emotion.

‘Fine … Get Joanne to cover you. ’ He dismisses everything in his previous tone, with disinterest now that he has the answer, and it makes me want to choke him all the more; Manipulating shit head.

‘That was the plan before you decided to be an arse about it,’ I snap childishly, and he just sighs at me. All his bad mood taking a turn and he puts on a reasonable face.

‘I understand the birthday thing … it’s just another day. Wish Gino would catch on to that and give it a rest.’ He seems pensive for a moment, and even though I am getting vibes of serious and could probably dig for info on why he feels that way about his, smart mouth wins over. He has me riled in an already crappy mood and I am juvenile for shits and giggles.

‘Is it because you have to share and it’s not all about Alexi?’ I droll sarcastically, eyes all intent on looking smart arse and I raise a haughty brow.

Alexi’s natural growly face falls immediately, followed by a fed-up sigh that instantly makes me feel a tiny bit remorseful. I don’t get why he always makes me feel this combative, he just does. He shakes his head and goes back to his screen with that tell-tale sulky boy attitude and wounded expression that gets me right in the chest. Something in his demeanour that gnaws at me, tugs right at my heart strings for a moment and I hate that he makes me feel this way.