Thirteen

by Scarlett Finn

  He hadn’t forgotten, and he would make her talk to him… somehow…

  Every time Oak went toward Evie’s office, she had someone in for an interview.

  As infuriating as it was, he had to take his hat off to how hard she was working. As the day progressed, he got annoyed with himself for his attitude that morning. He’d expected her to talk to him and hadn’t thought that she’d just glaze over what had happened.

  But it wasn’t her fault that he felt so frustrated and helpless. Oak had to know why she’d acted the way she had and to let her know that it was ok to be vulnerable. If something had happened to her, or if someone had hurt her, he wanted to be there for her, to help, to support her.

  Storming into the breakroom and demanding she reveal all probably wasn’t the best way to ease her in to sharing her secrets with him.

  Evie worked overtime, interviewing until late on the Tuesday and then she left the office when he was distracted. It probably wasn’t deliberate that she waited until he was busy to sneak out… probably.

  Oak resigned himself to talking to her on the Wednesday. A bit of time might relax them both, help to give them a bit of perspective and make her more receptive to talking.

  He had a whole strategy for approaching her. He was going to be gentle and let her play her games and put up her front as much as she wanted. But he would keep telling her that he wanted to support her. Remind her that she could be honest. That he wouldn’t judge her if she was soft and not as confident as she portrayed.

  Trouble was, she was in meetings all day Wednesday.

  Oak understood her need to do as many interviews as she could before they went away, but he really wanted to talk to her as soon as possible.

  An afternoon meeting took Oak out of the office. On his return, he got out of a cab in front of MatchMate and his phone rang. Instead of going inside and maybe losing the call in the elevator, he took it on the sidewalk.

  Oak didn’t notice them going into the building, but when he turned around he saw Evie inside.

  Through the glazed front of the bar, he had a diagonal view through the internal bar doors toward the front reception desk of the hotel. Evie was there with a guy; a tall guy, older than her, older than him, with salt and pepper hair and broad shoulders. They spoke to the receptionist for a second, the woman typed something, took a credit card from the guy and then handed over a key.

  Wait a goddamn minute, a key?

  Evie said thank you and then slid her hand down the guy’s arm to link her fingers between his. The couple moved away from the reception desk and headed for the stairs on the other side of the lobby. Those stairs only went one place, to the hotel rooms.

  The guy went first. Leading Evie up the first flight of stairs, he paused to say something to her and Evie threw back her head and laughed, stroking the guy’s arm in a gesture too familiar for Oak to be comfortable with.

  What the hell?

  For the longest time, Oak stood dumbstruck. Shouting from the other end of the phone line snapped him out of his daze, but he didn’t say anything. Hanging up the call, he put the phone in his pocket and strode up the sidewalk and into his hotel. His fucking hotel! His fucking business and his fucking woman…

  Oak didn’t even bother talking to the receptionist. Going to the stairs, he took them two at a time and got to the floor full of bedrooms in quick time. But what the hell was he going to do? He didn’t know what room they were in and even if he did, what was he going to do? Bust in there and say…

  He’d been played.

  The whole innocent, hurt kitten act was just that, an act. Why did he expect anything else? Evie played every guy she ever met and probably figured that with his need to be responsible he’d like a vulnerable woman crawling all over him. Or it was supposed to put him off. She’d pretended to be weak and inexperienced because she thought he wanted the aggressive sex siren and anything less would quash his interest.

  Damn it.

  Hell.

  Damn it.

  She was good.

  A feminine laugh drifted down the hallway; he fell back against the wall. Evie would just love it if he made an ass of himself by storming in to interrupt her afternoon delight. Yeah, she was on his time. He was paying for her to do this with the chump in bed with her. It was the middle of the goddamn afternoon! Who couldn’t contain themselves for the couple of hours it would take to get to the end of the working day? It didn’t matter. She was happy, having fun, and so was the guy under her right now.

  Wondering what this guy was getting, Oak wished he’d seen the sex kitten instead of the broken babe, maybe it would hurt less if he thought she was just a ho moving on to the next guy.

  What a jerk. He’d really believed it. He’d really believed that she’d been affected by being with him, that giving herself to him was significant in her life.

  Driving a hand through his hair, he pushed away from the wall and headed back down the stairs. Let her and her sugar daddy have their tryst, his conscience was clear. Evie wanted to use him and lose him; that was just fine by him.

  Fan-fucking-tastic.

  But Oak’s mood didn’t lighten. It was supposed to. Oak was supposed to just get over it. Evie was seeing a bunch of guys, so what? She’d made that clear to him on the night they first met. Being with her had changed his opinion, but he should’ve known better. She played games and he’d walked right into her trap.

  It was sort of low that she’d played him like she had. So he’d cancelled her date? That didn’t mean she should act like some kind of wounded bunny rabbit who needed his protection. Goddamn her.

  Flying out to Washington had been a hassle; it always was when they travelled in a group. By the time they checked into the hotel, everyone’s nerves were frayed.

  But even after spending hours on a cramped plane, the MatchMate crew were due to have dinner as a group. It helped that they hadn’t all been seated together on the flight, and he’d been doing his best to avoid Evie since witnessing her sneaking off with her fuck buddy.

  The only contact they’d had was when he saw her struggling to pull her suitcase from the baggage claim carousel. He’d gone over to help her pull it off, but as soon as she started her chat, he turned and walked away, he didn’t even want to look at her.

  Yeah, it was harsh. They hadn’t made promises and she had told him they wouldn’t talk about their encounter again. So that was it. One night. Not even a night. One… union. He’d been inside her, but—shaking his head, Oak cursed himself for still thinking about it.

  He had to have dinner with her and the rest of the MatchMate staff who were on the trip. He couldn’t be thinking about his feelings, or his anger, not right now.

  Just as he went into the hotel restaurant, he scanned the room and saw the table with the MatchMate banner. Good. That was easy enough to find.

  The hotel was filled with staff from different dating agencies. The convention was in the adjoining conference center and from tomorrow it would be filled with booths and anyone eager to learn about the world of commercial dating and those in search of love, of course.

  But as he started toward the table laid for him and his colleagues, he noticed someone across the room. Oak didn’t even know what had made him spot her, but when he did a double take and saw that Evie was at a corner table alone, he stopped walking.

  What was she doing sitting over there when she was here on MatchMate’s dime? He guessed that it didn’t really matter where she ate, he’d be paying for it all the same. Yet, he found his feet moving again, not in the direction of his colleagues, but towards Evie.

  He didn’t see her notice him, maybe she hadn’t and it was just coincidence that she closed the notebook she’d been writing in and stood up when he was a couple of feet away.

  “What are you doing over here?” he asked.

  To her credit, she did look surprised, but, as always, she covered. “I just finished eating.”

  “You just… you finished eating?”


  Nodding, she drew the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “I recommend the salmon.”

  “You were supposed to eat with us,” he said. “With MatchMate. What? We’re not good enough for you now?”

  Her eyes seemed cooler than usual, though she kept her tone jovial. “I was hungry. I didn’t think anyone would mind if I ate early,” she said. “It’s not a big deal.”

  “It’s rude.”

  She laughed. “Really? It’s rude that I was hungry?”

  “You’re here with us, as part of our party, and you’re going to stand us up.”

  “Would you like me to sit and watch you eat, honey?” she asked, slanting toward him. “Do you have a food fetish, boss?”

  Sneering, his patience reached its limit. “Oh, stop it, would you?” he snapped in a hiss. “You said we were through, right? So why the hell are you flirting with me?”

  “I thought it might make you feel better about eating without me,” she said, sliding her notebook into her purse.

  It infuriated him that she could hold herself so far away from any kind of emotion. “No, it’s fine, you should eat alone. It’s appropriate for someone who shuns real emotion to be by themselves. Saves the rest of us the trouble of being polite.”

  “Yes,” she said and was nodding, appearing bored as she sought something out. “Is there a clock in here?”

  “Fuck your six minutes, Evie. I’ll be out of here in thirty seconds.”

  “Good. You better go and bond with your precious buddies and explain to them what a bitch I am for having an appetite.”

  “You’re a goddamn adult, you can wait an hour.”

  She laughed, a single unimpressed snort. “Why should I? To assuage your ego?” Accentuating her cleavage, she slid into her pouting bimbo persona. “Oh, I’m so sorry I displease you, Mr. Orion, whatever can I do to make it up to you?” Leaning back, she curled her fingers around the strap of her purse and smirked at him. “Are you kidding me? I was hungry, I ate. Why should I sit with you and your buddies anyway? I’m here to take your company apart, right? You think they’re all going to love me after my final presentation? No way. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to do the job you hired me to do so you could get into my panties. You achieved your goal! Congratulations! I’m so sorry I didn’t fall madly in love with you, Oakley. You just don’t do it for me, ok? Big deal! Move on. Grow up and get fucking over it!”

  Taking a step back, he couldn’t believe how far he’d considered going for this woman. When he looked her up and down, all he felt was angry disappointment. “You know I believed there was depth, that there was a reason for the facades you put up, but now I see the truth. You’re not deep. You’re just a fucking bitch.”

  “And you get a gold medal for finally figuring that out,” she said.

  The bite of her vicious stare probably matched the ice in his. Good. They needed this. Turning around, he marched away from her. Sixty-four days was a long fucking time, but that was how many days were left on her contract and he’d be counting down every single one, he couldn’t get her out of his life fast enough.

  seven

  From the minute Evie walked into his hotel suite the next afternoon, Oak was ready for her to leave. It felt so fake. She sat there laughing and joking with his staff, people he trusted and cared about. People she had no respect for. He didn’t get it. After what they’d said to each other in the dining room last night, how could she just sit there today like nothing had happened?

  The group came up with their strategy for the next few days and everyone was dispersing to go off and do their designated jobs.

  “Evie, wait a minute,” he said just as she was about to reach the door.

  Evie stopped walking and although her back was to him, he was sure she’d rolled her eyes. Kody had looked at her and smiled, a sure sign that Oak had just been mocked. The guy didn’t know that Evie’s bed was equivalent to the viper’s nest… yet.

  Taylor lingered for half a second, asking Evie a question with her gaze rather than directing it at him. Why had his sister latched onto this callous woman with such ease? Was she that bad a judge of character? Maybe it was in their blood.

  Kody was on his own, if he wanted to leap into Evie’s web, then Oak would stay the hell out of it. Taylor was a different matter. He’d be talking to his sister, telling her to stay far away from the bitch before her goodness was infected with Evie’s evil.

  The door to his suite closed, sealing them in alone. “There’s no point,” Evie said without turning.

  “No point in what?”

  Spinning around, she hugged her notepad to her chest and narrowed her severe gaze on him. “In apologizing. I don’t care. Really, Oakley, you’ll apologize, I’ll yawn, you’ll get pissed off and we’ll fight again. Let’s just do our best to get through this.”

  Wow, she was something else and he didn’t even try to contain the laugh that burst from him. “I’m not going to apologize to you,” he said. “Are you insane? You’re a goddamn bitch. I don’t give a damn. You apologize to people you care about to save relationships that mean something to you. This means nothing.”

  Her lips stayed together as she blinked, and he thought he might have shocked her. Good, it was about time someone stood up to her. She’d gotten away with her bullshit for too long.

  “Good,” she said. He saw the quiver in her throat when she swallowed. “Thank fuck for that. So, what?”

  “What?”

  “Why did you tell me to wait behind after class? Want me to suck your dick? Hmm?” she asked, striding closer to him at a slow pace, putting one foot directly in front of the other. “Hoping for a replay? Does your cock miss my pussy?”

  She wanted to tempt him, but his rage was too powerful to be conquered even by the offer of her body. “No chance. Why would I want a replay?”

  “Hmm,” she said and managed to spin on the spot to take a step away from him.

  “You were shit.” That made her stop mid-strut. Good. Ha. She was exactly what she’d said on that first night, a whore who played with men’s emotions and he’d been dumb enough to fall for it. He’d let his emotions get involved. Well, that was his mistake, but it didn’t mean he would be taken down without fighting back. “Yeah, honey, you were the worst fucking lay I’ve ever had. You know what I should do? Extend your membership a year or two for free. Yeah, go on, ride every MatchMate cock I’ve got on the books. You need the practice.”

  Her shoulders hitched up a fraction and he heard her blow out a breath. Finally, had someone gotten through?

  “You know what I love about men?” she asked, her voice so hard and deep that he felt the icicles of her anger pierce his skin. Turning to face him, she pinned her wrath on him. He’d never seen a person so furious, yet she was so cold and detached; a demon capable of being entirely separate from the power of the emotion scorching her insides. “Absolutely nothing. Every one of you is exactly the same. You care only about what women can do for you. You care about what’s in it for you. You care about your pleasure. About your needs. About your wants. It’s me. Me. Me. All the fucking time. Men want to take and the only thing they give is pain.”

  “Pain?” he snapped. “You’re the bitch who laid out the rules. You took what you wanted and spat me out when you were done. And two days later you were on to the next guy!”

  “The next guy?” she asked, her ire was still there but a flicker of curiosity flashed in her eyes.

  “In the hotel, the guy, you got a room, in the middle of the afternoon, on my fucking time. Time I was paying you for!”

  Closing her lips, she took in a breath through her nose; negative emotion sparkled around her. “Yes,” she said, her voice flat. “That’s exactly what I was doing. I was fucking him in your hotel. On your time. Does that make you my pimp? Do you want a cut? Is that why you’re so hurt?”

  “Hurt? Fuck hurt,” he said, watching her grind her teeth. “I’m pissed I fell for it. I’m pissed that you use my agency as a
brothel! I’m pissed that you switch it on and off like you’re incapable of feeling anything.”

  “Why would you care whether I can feel if you don’t feel anything?”

  “No,” he said, taking a long step toward her. “Don’t turn this on to me. Don’t think you can grab for control of this conversation and make it about me. This is about you! You are the fake here! You conned me and now you’re conning my fucking sister!”

  “Taylor? I would never hurt Taylor.”

  For a split second, she was soft; that crack made him retreat for a breath. But, damnit, no! This was what she did, she made him believe that she could be a real person and then he fell for it and… fuck her. Fuck hurt. Fuck everything.

  “I think you should go back to HQ,” he said, watching the shell close around her again.

  She spoke fast, super-fast. “I can email my reports to you, pro-rate my invoice for work completed and be out of your life permanently within twelve hours.”

  He nodded once and she reciprocated.

  Charging away, she was at the door before he stepped back, confused by how quickly she’d flicked off her emotion.

  That fast change made Oak wonder if he hadn’t just given her exactly what she wanted. “Evie,” he said when she touched the door handle.

  “You know,” she said, leaving the door to march a few steps nearer again. “You never once stopped to wonder why I want to stay the hell away from men like you, did you?” Wow, that was anger, real anger, the kind that reddened her face and… shit… were those tears in her eyes? “You didn’t think that it was weird how I constantly pushed away every man who tried to get near me? Did you ever see me kiss another guy? Did you? Did you ever see me touch one? Actually touch one, did you, Oakley? Did you?”

  “No,” he said, feeling about two inches tall.

  She built up more fury. “Not that it’s your business, but Noel is my therapist. He’s the guy you saw me take a room with, and…” She exhaled a laugh. “He’s a fucking MatchMate employee! I went to him in private practice and he told me about MatchMate because he does work for you guys on the side! And why would I need MatchMate? Why would a therapist suggest I take a membership with a dating agency with a reputation for providing a safe, secure environment? I’ll tell you, Mr. Orion, it’s because I haven’t had sex for more than four years! Yeah, you heard me, you bastard! That’s why I was shit in bed! That’s why I wasn’t good enough for you! I haven’t had sex since before the night I came home early to find my sister being dismembered by the boyfriend she worshipped! Yeah,” she said, sneering at his shock.