Eason
Fifteen minutes ago, I watched as Skylar had returned from her lunch with Dylan. She was alone. I couldn’t help the small smug smile that curled my lips. Maybe the lovebirds weren’t so cozy after all. I shook my head and focused back on the screen in front of me. For the past hour I’d been looking at the same report. I couldn’t concentrate. Standing from my desk, I marched over to the open door and closed it with a slam. The murmuring between Skylar and Edie was too much. Too distracting. Too beautiful. Too sexy. I stomped back to my desk, pissed off that my one-track mind was headed in one direction. With a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on the damn report.
A ruckus pulled my attention to the closed door of my office. What the hell was going on now?
“Ma’am you can’t go in there. Mr. Hill is not expecting you.” Skylar’s muffled words could barely be heard through the door.
I stood from the desk just as the door swung open. My stomach dropped to my toes. The last person I wanted to see was waltzing into my office.
“I can see Mr. Hill any time I want. I am his fiancée and you’d do well to remember that before I have your job.” Monaco said over her shoulder as she slammed the door in Skylar’s face.
“Monaco.” I said flatly.
She curled her lips as she sashayed over to my desk. I sat back in my chair. There was a time in my life when I would have enjoyed watching her walk over to me. Unfortunately for her, I was no longer that idiot in my twenties.
When Monaco finished her runway walk over to my desk, she boosted herself on the edge.
“Hello, lover.”
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to say congratulations on getting the company.”
“I didn’t get the company. I just agreed to a different position.”
She leaned closer making sure to push out her breasts. I tried not to roll my eyes at her blatant move. “You could have the company all to yourself if you wanted. You know Kai and Wilder don’t really contribute. It wouldn’t take much to push them out.”
A pounding in my head began. I stared at the woman I once loved. Her long silky hair flowed down her back framing a face made for magazines. Monaco’s body was sheathed in a fitted white jumpsuit that dipped low to expose her impressive cleavage. Her entire visage was meant to make someone feel a certain way. This one in particular was meant for me to fall to my knees. I’d known her for too long for any of it to work on me.
“That’s never going to happen, Mon. Why are you really here? Did things with the sheik fall through?”
Her smile didn’t falter at my mention of the man she called off our engagement to runaway with. Monaco’s face may not have changed but I could see the reaction in her eyes. My comment had hit home. There were rumors that there was trouble in that paradise.
“We don’t need to bring Muhammad up.”
I laughed. “He dumped you.” Leaning back in my chair I crossed my arms across my chest. “When you heard I’d gotten my father’s old job you thought you could come running back here and I’d be grateful. It’s been two years. I’ve moved on.”
She sucked in a breath while dragging her hand down her chest. Another one of her distraction techniques. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Eason.”
“You never loved me, Monaco. I thought I loved you but the best thing that ever came out of our relationship was my realization that a hollow person will never fulfill my needs.”
Monaco bit her lip and huffed. “Come on.”
Something else was up. It wasn’t just the money she was after. “Why are you pushing this? What’s really going on?”
She pursed her lips then said, “Fine. Grandfather put a clause on my inheritance. I need to be married and have a child before I’m thirty. If I don’t the amount decreases by a hundred thousand for each year I go over.”
Bingo. It was never really about me.
“What about Muhammad?”
“He doesn’t want to marry me, yet. He said he’s not sure he even wants to get married. Let alone have a child together.”
I huffed out another laugh. “You know, Mon, if you had proposed this even a year ago I would have seriously thought about it. But, now, there isn’t a chance in hell that I will marry you or have a child with you.”
“Oh come on, Eason. We’d have a beautiful baby.”
Before I could explain to her in detail how I wouldn’t have a child with her the door to my office swung open crashing against the wall.
“Don’t do it.” Wilder ran in yelling.
“What?”
“Don’t let that bitch convince you to take her back.”
“Wilder.” Monaco groaned.
“Hi, Mon. How’s it going?” Kai gave a little wave from behind Wilder.
“Why does everyone think they can burst into my office today?” I see Skylar standing by the door wringing her hands. An irrational anger over came me. “Ms. Albright!”
She walked in tentatively. “Yes, sir?”
“Does my office look like a playground?”
“No, sir.”
“Well then why are you allowing people to barge in here without any rhyme or reason?”
“I-“
I cut her off with the wave of my hand. “You know what? I don’t want to hear any excuses. You can go back to your desk and I will deal with you later. Shut the door on your way out.”
Watching Skylar leave, I didn’t even notice that Wilder, Kai and Monaco were fussing at each other. I glanced over at the three and the pounding headache became a full blown migraine.
“Mind your business. This has nothing to do with the two of you.” Monaco stomped her stiletto clad foot.
“I heard the sheik wanted you to be part of his harem. How did you get out?” Kai asked.
“She probably flashed the beaver at one too many people and got booted.” Wilder said.
“You two are disgusting. Eason, you must tell them to leave so we can finish our discussion.”
“Leave.” I snapped.
Monaco looked smugly at my brothers. “You heard him.”
“That included you, Monaco. Our discussion was finished.”
“But..”
“Now!” I shouted.
The three of them blanched at my shout. With a glare, Monaco spun on her heel and marched out. Wilder gave me a thumbs up then two middle fingers to Monaco’s retreating back while leaving with Kai. They shut the door allowing me to massage my temples. Stress poured over me while I tried to will the headache away. When I heard mumbling from outside of my office, I glared at the door knowing it was Skylar out there. The irrational anger flooded back making me forget all about the headache.
“Ms. Albright. In here now.” I shouted.