Chapter 196

“You are a real piece of work,” Tina snapped, glowering at Dylan. “Why are you protecting him like this?”

“I’m his attorney, and also his friend,” Dylan said. “You knew the rules and agreed to play the game. Why are you now trying to flip the table?”

Behind them, Mr. Hatfield must have said something, because a wave of ‘yes, sir’ ‘couldn’t have said it better myself, sir’ echoes through the group around him.

“Perhaps we should find somewhere more private to talk. Let me buy you a drink at the bar,” Dylan offered.

Tina tried once more to step around Dylan, but he blocked her again.

“You are going to watch me like a hawk for the rest of the night, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes,” Dylan said, seeing no reason to hide it. As far as he was concerned, Tina was not going to have the chance to speak to Mr. Hatfield tonight.”

Tina dramatically exhaled. “Fine. Buy me a drink. But I want the most expensive thing on the menu.”

Of course she did.

“Come on then,” Dylan said and motioned toward the bar. He didn’t move an inch until she moved first.

Tina rolled her eyes at him, but did finally move. Dylan kept in step behind her as they went to the bar.

Dylan’s whiskey sour was ready when they arrived. Grabbing it, Dylan hitched his thumb at Tina beside him. “And whatever she wants, on my tab.”

“Martini,” she said. “And that gin better be the best you have in the bar.”

The bartender didn’t even balk. With this crowd, they probably hear that a lot.

“Thanks,” Dylan added as the bartender set to work. To Tina, he said, “You could be nicer to people.”

“Get over yourself,” Tina snapped.

Dylan nodded. He waited a moment, and then he asked, “Why can’t you just let this go? I imagine you have suitors lined up around the block. Why not just forget Logan and move on with your life?”

“Logan is mine,” Tina growled, her hands curling into fists on the bar. She stopped speaking abruptly as the bartender brought her drink. But the second the bartender stepped away, Tina was right back in her rage. “I get everything that I want, Dylan. Things, trips, people.”

“That’s not a terribly healthy outlook,” Dylan pointed out.

“He should have known better than to fuck with me,” Tina said. “He played me from the start, already being married. You want me to take that lying down?”

“You could have walked away.”

“He meant to humiliate me. His continued disagreeable attitude –”

“His rejection, you mean,” Dylan threw in.

“It’s insulting. I won’t stand around and be insulted.” Tina sipped her martini. Some of her anger subsided somewhat, though looking closely, it was still there, simmering under the surface of her skin.

“What would it take to make this go away?” Dylan said. “If you want money…”

“Money isn’t enough,” Tina said. “For what he has done to me? I’ll take everything from him. I want to see him suffer. I want to gloat as he’s at the lowest point of his life. Then, and only then, will I be satisfied.”

Her cold words sent a chill down Dylan’s spine. He had no doubt that she meant them.

Here was a woman who had never been denied a single thing in her life. For Logan to try to back away from her like this must have really triggered a nerve. And now there’d be hell to pay.

Logan made the worst possible choice in the universe when he chose this one to be his fake girlfriend.

“You can be my shadow the rest of the evening if you feel it necessary,” Tina said. “But you cannot watch me every minute. Sooner or later, I will find a way to speak with Mr. Hatfield about his bastard of a grandchild.”

She was right, Dylan knew. There was no stopping this train that was already barreling forward on the tracks. At the very least though, he could delay that inevitable end. And he could try to give Logan a warning.

Holding her 5-figure martini, Tina stepped back from the bar. She lifted it as if to salute Dylan. “See you around, shadow.” Then she turned and headed back toward her typical socialite group.

Dylan was relieved she was at least going to drink that expensive martini. He’d expected he might be wearing it instead. The woman wanted what she wanted, and Dylan was thankful he himself wasn’t in her immediate crosshairs.

His eyes on Tina, Dylan retrieved his phone from his pocket and called Logan.

Movie forgotten on the screen, Logan pressed me into the couch, his body over mine, as we kissed with passion. I combed my fingers through his hair, tangling. His hands wandered to my breasts, feeling me through my t-shirt.

The popcorn Logan had only slightly burned was scattered across the floor, the bowl upturned when Logan and I, after checking each out all evening, finally made our moves.

Logan slotted one of his legs between my thighs, pressing against me. I moaned into his mouth.

“Hazel…” he breathed. Breaking the kiss, he lowered his mouth to my neck to suck marks into the column of my throat. I stretched my head back, giving him more access.

“Maybe… we should… move to the bedroom,” I said, quickly losing my last grip on sensibility, pleasure overtaking everything.

Logan hummed in acknowledgement but made no move to get up. In fact, he seemed to punctuate his desire to stay with a roll of his hips into mine.

I gripped tighter at his hair. “Ah…”

Suddenly, Logan’s phone rang, breaking the moment.

Logan lifted himself onto his elbows and looked at me. “I could ignore it,” he said, but we both know he wouldn’t. He just wanted my permission first.

“It could be important,” I told him, giving him that permission.

With a groan, he rolled off of me, then crossed the room to where his phone was ringing from inside his jacket pocket.

“It’s Dylan,” he said and answered. “Hey, what’s up?”

Cooling, I set the popcorn bowl on the table and began plucking the discarded pieces off the floor.

“I see,” Logan said. “And what did she say?”

Not finding anything out of the ordinary, I continued to clean up the popcorn. When most of it was off the floor and back into the bowl, ready for the garbage, I finally looked up.

Logan had gone pale. He was holding his phone in a white knuckled grip.

Stomach dropping, I pushed myself onto my feet and hurried toward him. “Logan? What is it? What’s wrong?”

“No, I agree,” Logan said into the phone. “It’s only a matter of time.” He listened another moment. “I’ll be back in the morning. It’s too late, I’d have to say goodbye… No. Okay. Thanks.” Logan hung up.

I waited with baited breath.

Logan inhaled and exhaled slowly. Then he said, “Tina tried to talk to my grandfather tonight at a high society party. Fortunately Dylan was there to intervene.”

Tina wasn’t going to hold back anymore, that much was clear.

“She’s not going to stop. I have to go back as soon as I can and try to handle this.”