Beauty and the Boss (Modern Fairytales)

by Diane Alberts

  “Home. I have to—” She cut herself off, pressing her lips together. “I mean, I quit. I can’t be your researcher, or your fiancée, or…your anything.”

  What the hell was going on today?

  He’d been trying to find a way to tell her the same thing, that he couldn’t be her anything, but now that he faced it, he couldn’t lose her. “What happened? What’s changed?”

  “Everything’s changed. I—I have to go.”

  “Tell me why, damn it.” He backed her against the door even more, refusing to budge. Not till he had some sort of answer. “Why are you leaving me?”

  “Stop yelling at me,” she snapped, her face pale. “Let me go. I want to go.”

  Funny. He hadn’t even realized he’d raised his voice.

  “Damn it. I—I need you. Need this. You can’t just—” Walk away from me. “I’m sorry I yelled. Please, just—just—” Forgive me.

  Unable to put his words into actual words, he slammed his mouth down on hers, trapping her between the door and his chest. He couldn’t just throw her away and act as if she didn’t matter. Marry someone else and forget all about her. He couldn’t do it.

  There had to be another way. What they had, it was special. What they had…it was…it was…love. That’s what the wrenching, stabbing pain in his chest was. He loved her, and he didn’t want to lose her. Not when she’d only just shown him how to live.

  She shoved his shoulders and twisted herself free. “I said let me go.”

  He stumbled back, shock punching him in the gut. “Jesus. What’s—?”

  “I have to go home to South Dakota.” She balled her hands and lifted her chin. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving. I have to go pack, or I’ll miss my flight. It’s over. I can’t be your fiancée anymore.”

  It was happening. She was leaving him. And she hadn’t even thought twice about it. Or him. While he’d been playing the part of a lovesick fool, she’d been busily planning her departure. Just like that, she’d washed her hands of him. “Wow.”

  She tugged on a piece of hair. “I just—you can’t help me out of this. You can’t—it’s not something your money—”

  He stiffened. “Money? What the hell does money have to do with—?” He broke off, the pieces of the puzzle forming into one giant ugly-ass picture. His mother had been right all along. He was broke, and she was jumping ship. That didn’t make any sense…and yet, it did. It really fucking did. “My mother already told you, didn’t she?”

  She blinked. “Wait, what? I—”

  “Never mind, I don’t give a damn what the hell you have to say at this point.” He swept his hand, virtually shooing her away like an unwanted pest. “Get the fuck out of here. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.”

  “Benjamin.” Her face paled. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said softly. “But I have to—”

  “—Go. Yeah. I got that loud and clear, Ms. Donovan.” He crossed his arms. “So, go, then. No one’s stopping you, least of all me. You want out? You’re out.”

  She grabbed the doorknob, but didn’t turn it. Mumbling, she faced him again. “You’re angry with me. Let me explain—”

  Angry? That didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling.

  Betrayed. Gutted. Hurt. Alone. Those words all applied to how he felt.

  “I’m not angry. I’m just waiting for you to get the hell out.”

  Still, she hesitated. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to give the proper two weeks’ notice,” she said, her voice low and hesitant. “I hope that won’t affect any references I might need from the company. And I’m sorry if I let you down.”

  He was rocking from the pain of her leaving him, just as his mother predicted, because he’d lost his money, and she was worried about her references? Well, fuck that. And fuck her. This is what happened when you let someone in. They hurt you. She’d been right. Trust was a weapon, and she stabbed him in the back without a second thought. “I don’t give a damn about any of that. If you’re going, go. I don’t care.”

  She nodded, her lower lip trembling. She bit down on it hard.

  He walked back to his desk, not even looking back at her as she left. There was no point. It was over, and she didn’t give a damn. So neither would he. The door shut behind her, and he bent over his desk, gripping the edge so tightly it was amazing he didn’t break the wood. He wished he had, because damn it all to hell, he wanted to break shit.

  Lots of it.

  Shoving the papers off his desk, he picked up the hockey puck because it reminded him of her, and chucked that across the room, too. It bounced off the wall and fell to the floor without breaking anything. He couldn’t even do that right. “Son of a fucking bitch.”

  The door opened again, and he growled. What the hell was this, Grand Central Station? Elizabeth poked her blonde head in, looking scared of him.

  Good. She should be.

  “Is this a bad time?”

  Yes. “No.”

  She walked in and shut the door behind her, taking in the mess he’d made. “I gather your mother told you I’d be coming by.”

  “Yeah.” He walked over to the scotch on the bar, opened the bottle, and raised it to his mouth. No point in even bothering with a glass. He’d need the whole bottle to get through this. “We’re supposed to get married and live happily ever after now, because my mother says we have to. That sound about right?”

  She played with the leather straps on her pink purse. “Well…yeah. Basically.”

  He put the bottle down hard, his muscles trembling with impotent rage. He didn’t want this. He wanted Maggie…but she obviously didn’t want him. She’d left without a sign of doubt or regret, and hadn’t even told him why.

  But that was okay, because he knew why she left. He was broke.

  “You want to marry me,” he said, glaring out the window.

  She hesitated again. “Yes.”

  “Why?” He turned on her, and she jumped, as if she was afraid he might bite. And yet she wanted to fucking marry him. “Why the hell would you want to marry me? I’m apparently poor, as well as a jerk. We never really got along when we were dating, and the chemistry between us is pretty much nonexistent.”

  She crossed the room and stared up at him, her intent clear. “That’s not true.” She clasped his suit jacket, holding on for dear life, and kissed him. He stiffened when her tongue touched his. She let out a soft moan and pressed more firmly against him, deepening the kiss, and he let her because he was desperate to feel something. Anything.

  He felt nothing. Except sick.

  Cursing inwardly, he ended the kiss, swiped a hand across his mouth, and downed more scotch. It was what he’d expected—she did nothing for him, and never would. The only person who’d been able to fill him with an undying need to touch and feel had left him. He was doomed to be the unfeeling beast they all thought he was.

  “See?” she said, her chest rising and falling. She watched him like some sort of starved animal. “Electrifying.”

  Gripping the bottle tightly, he tossed back more. “I can’t marry you.”

  “Yes, you can.” She walked up behind him and rested her hands on his back. “And you will.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I’d eat you alive like the monster I am. You don’t want to be married to a guy like me. I’ll make you miserable, and you’ll want to kill me, or yourself, or both of us. It won’t work. Trust me.”

  “But I want to marry you.” She ran her fingers over his shoulders. “I always have. I don’t love you, and I don’t want you to love me. I just want to unite our families. Build a legacy to hand down to our kids, and their kids, and so on.”

  He laughed, unable to believe he was hearing this and not telling her to go fuck herself, and even more unable to believe that Maggie had just left him. “I think you’re crazy.”

  She watched him with so much greed, desire…and something else he couldn’t quite name…it made him sick. �
��At least think about it? Don’t dismiss it out of hand.”

  He’d just told her he’d make her life a living hell, and she was okay with that? Well, if that’s what she wanted, and she was okay with hating him, then what the hell ever. It didn’t matter anymore because the only woman he’d ever loved walked out of his life the second he lost his cash.

  “Want a drink?” he asked, wiggling the bottle.

  “With you?” She nodded and pressed against him. “Yes.”

  He poured a glass, handing it off. Saluting her, he said, “To a world without love and pain.”

  And then he took another shot.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After telling the cab driver to wait outside the office building, Maggie made her way back up to Benjamin’s office. He’d been on edge before she’d even told him her news, and it had freaked her out. He’d been harsh. Angry. Different. Scary, even.

  So she hadn’t really felt like opening up to him and telling him about her parent’s financial issues. But now that she’d had time to think rationally, maybe she should have been a little bit more open. If nothing else, she should have demanded he tell her what he’d meant when he mentioned his mother.

  His mother had been in there with him. She’d obviously upset him, and then Maggie leaving without explaining why had probably put him over the edge. It didn’t give him a reason to be such a jerk, but he didn’t handle that kind of stress well. And had trouble with his emotions.

  She needed to find out what had really gone on back in his office.

  Give him a chance to explain.

  Over the time they’d spent together, he had come to mean a lot to her, and she needed to tell him that her leaving had nothing to do with him. Her family was actually losing their farm. The one constant in her life was going away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She couldn’t help them. But she had to go home and try anyway.

  There was already an investor interested in purchasing the land for development, and her parents had been urged to accept. So they were. Already. Everything was happening so fast, and she needed to pack up her old room, say good-bye to her childhood home and look for a new one, and—

  It hurt. It hurt so much.

  But despite all that, he deserved an explanation on why she’d cut out on him like that. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped into the office, pressing her thumb against the back of the ring he had given her. She would have to take it off and return it. No matter what he’d said on that first date, she couldn’t keep it.

  It wouldn’t be right.

  Everyone else was gone, but he’d still be there working, like usual. She walked up to his door, reached out for the knob—and froze, because he wasn’t alone.

  Elizabeth, his ex, was with him.

  An empty bottle of scotch lay on the table, tipped over on its side, and Benjamin sat in the same chair he had when they’d had their first “date.” He’d taken his suit jacket off and loosened his collar, while Elizabeth paced in front of him, talking animatedly.

  He watched her through hooded lids.

  The other woman stopped in front of him and knelt between his legs, resting her greedy little hands on his thighs. He didn’t move away. Elizabeth said a few more words, he nodded, and she rose on her knees, pressing her mouth to his.

  “No.” Pain pierced through Maggie, and she swallowed back a cry, pressing a hand over her mouth. He’d obviously moved on. “No.”

  “Charming, isn’t it?” someone said behind her. She recognized that voice. And hated it. “They found one another again.”

  Maggie stiffened. “Let me guess. You gave him a little push after I left?”

  “That’s what mothers do, isn’t it?” Mrs. Gale asked, smirking. “Guide our children into making the right choices. We’ll stop at nothing to ensure they reach their full potential, and I assure you, I’m more determined than most mothers.”

  She turned her back on whatever was going on inside Benjamin’s office, refusing to look again. She’d seen enough. “I’m glad you got what you wanted, Helen. I just hope he does, too.”

  “Don’t worry, he’ll be just fine. He’s missed her ever since she left him. He loved her,” she added, pouring salt on the wounds she’d ripped into Maggie. “Always has, ever since they were children. You can’t compete with something like that.”

  “I thought he left her,” she said.

  “Is that what he told you?” The older woman laughed. “And you believed him? Have you seen her?”

  Maggie didn’t say anything. She couldn’t, because her heart was being shredded with each passing moment.

  And it hurt even more than losing her childhood home had.

  “Poor, naive child.” She shook her head. “He probably wanted to save face, because he couldn’t get over losing her. This whole charade with you was a ploy to get her attention, and it worked.”

  Maggie blinked rapidly. “I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have to believe me. You saw it with your own eyes.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Run along now, child. Your job here is finished, and your parents will be needing you in this trying time.”

  Maggie stole one last look at him. The kiss had ended. He paced back and forth, talking. She couldn’t see Elizabeth’s face, but it looked like she lifted her hands and covered it. Maggie wanted to yank them off until she had nothing but bloody stumps left on the ends of her arms. But his mother was right.

  He was obviously done with her, and her parents would be—

  “Wait a second.” She crossed her arms, understanding sinking in despite the pain wracking her. “How did you find out about my parents?”

  “Oh. About that?” The other woman gave a gloating smile. “I’m the buyer.”

  She shook her head, reeling. “What? Why?”

  “It got rid of you.” Mrs. Gale shrugged. “And now you know that I could destroy your parents’ last chance of getting a profit out of that tiny piece of dry, unworkable land.” She snapped her fingers. “It would be that easy to ruin them. To ruin you.”

  She curled her hands into fists, dropping her arms at her sides, and fought the urge that screamed at her to scratch the woman’s eyes out, one then the other. She was evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh, but I would. And I’d enjoy it, too. It’s what I’m best at, squashing little ants that threaten my plans.” She pointed at the door. “So I suggest you leave before he sees you, and before I decide to step on you just for fun.”

  Tears blurred her vision. “Why are you doing this to me…to us?”

  “Oh, honey. We’ve been in a battle since the second I found you under that table.” She shrugged and stared over her shoulder. “And I refuse to do business with a woman like you for another second. Get out, or your parents lose everything.”

  She glowered at her. “You’re a vile person. All you do is twist and turn things until you get what you want, and you treat your own son like a criminal. At some point, he’s going to stop accepting your hatred as his punishment. At some point, he’ll have enough, and you’ll lose him, too.”

  Looking completely unaffected, she shrugged. “That might be true. But regardless, if you want my money to save your parents from living in destitution for the rest of their lives, run along quickly, and forget all about Benjamin Gale. He’s not for you.”

  “You’re wrong. He’s not for you,” Maggie snapped. “You don’t deserve someone like him for a son. He’s a good guy, you’re just too much of a coldhearted bitch to appreciate it.”

  The witch checked her watch. “If you miss that flight, I’ll retract my offer and spread word that the land isn’t worth anything. No one else will buy it, and your parents will be penniless. And it’ll be all your fault.”

  “I—” Maggie glanced at Benjamin again.

  He had his hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders and spoke quietly—completely oblivious to what his mother was doing to her just outside his door. Not that he cared. It was cl
ear his mother had been telling the truth.

  He’d gotten what he wanted—his ex.

  And she had handed him to her on a gold platter.

  Had Benjamin really done this? Had he used Maggie to get his ex back? Had he cared about her at all, or had it been an act? It didn’t matter, really. Her heart had just been ripped out of her chest, and he was happy with the woman he’d apparently always loved. He didn’t care about Maggie. He had what he wanted. He had Elizabeth.

  Screw him.

  They deserved each other.

  Maggie stiffened, anger settling over her like a cloak, and walked away. As she passed her desk, she laid the ring he’d given her on it, right next to the credit card he insisted she take. She didn’t need the reminder that she’d leaped off a cliff for him, and he hadn’t caught her.

  And she’d never forgive him for that.

  Benjamin looked into Elizabeth’s eyes, willing himself to feel something—anything—for the woman quite literally begging him to marry her. But he got zilch, nada, zip. Instead, he found himself incredibly bored. And it only made him miss Maggie even more than he already did. What had she done to him?

  Elizabeth stared up at him, all wide eyes and pouting lips. Her hands rested on his chest, and she rubbed him in a way that was probably supposed to arouse him, but was just annoying. “What are you saying?”

  He tensed, unable to stand her hands moving over him for another second. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life with this woman.

  Jesus, he’d rather die.

  “I’m saying that I can’t marry you.” He forcibly removed her hands from his body. “You need to leave. Now.”

  “But—”

  He pointed to the door. “Leave. Now.”

  She gathered her purse to her chest, hugging it, and her lower lip trembled. Unlike Maggie, she did nothing to attempt to stop it. Maggie…

  Was he too late? Had she already left?

  “You’re a real beast. You know that?” Elizabeth asked, sniffing.

  “Yeah. I do.” He picked up his phone and swiped his finger across it. “I’m surprised it took you so long to notice, though.”