Page 36 of Off-Limits Bosses
“Landon, I—” The look on his face silenced me quickly. I knew I wasn’t going to explain my way out of this one, and I had no idea what to do about it.
I should have seen this coming. I’d known that things couldn’t go on the way they had been forever, but this was too fast.
“The pool needs to be prepared for the bridal shower,” Landon said coldly, before he turned and walked away.
His posture was stiff and precise, more so than usual. I had expected him to be more furious, maybe even to yell at me. This silence was heavier, and made me feel far worse than an all-out confrontation would have.
I glanced at Nolan, but his jaw was tight and there was betrayal in his eyes. Those two words had been enough to tell him that he wasn’t the only man I’d been sleeping with.
All I wanted was to sink into the earth and disappear, but I still had a job to do. And at some point, I would have to truly face all of this.
“I should go,” I said to Nolan, who didn’t answer.
The sous chef’s gaze followed me as I left the pantry, and the rest of the kitchen staff were all watching me with wide eyes. Iknew the rumor mill would have a field day with this, but there was nothing I could do about that.
All I could really do was keep my head down and get the bridal shower up and running successfully. Doing my job would also win me a bit of time to think of something. That’s what I hoped for, anyway.
I made my way out to the pool where people were busy setting up the decor that Dahlia had requested. It was neon-bright, with all kinds of random things that didn’t seem like they should go together, but did. It felt like walking into a music video she was shooting rather than a bridal shower.
But I figured she wanted to do something that would truly anger her mother-in-law, and after having met Celeste, this was perfect for that goal.
“Okay, this is supposed to be the cocktail bar,” I said, walking up to a guy building what looked like a giant flamingo. “It can’t be this close to the wall. You need to leave enough space to work behind it.”
He grumbled something under his breath, but nodded. I walked on to the next thing; the angle of the bubble machines that were supposed to create foam for the party.
I noticed Bryant from the corner of my eye. He was standing at one end of the pool, watching everything going on as he sipped on a drink. I caught him looking my way a few times, but I did my best not to pay any attention to it. I was already in a tough enough spot as it was.
“You can let the bride-to-be know we’ll be ready to get started in the ballroom shortly,” I told one of the porters that passed by, and they disappeared quickly.
I caught glances from several people. The rumors had probably spread like wildfire. But I couldn’t let it get to me. This partycould not fail. The press was already outside, and I’d noticed Dahlia’s PR people hurrying to talk to them. If Dahlia’s shower was overshadowed by my scandal, I would never live it down.
And I’d have the whole world’s eyes on me for all the wrong reasons.
I noticed Landon walk down one of the hallways inside the hotel as he passed by a window. I needed to talk to him. Maybe if I explained myself, he’d understand. It was a stupid idea and a long shot, but it was better than avoiding the conflict altogether.
“Okay, get the hors d’oeuvres out, and have the guests in the ballroom for the starting speeches,” I said to the closest person, before rushing after Landon.
I caught up with him around the corner of a fairly quiet hallway, and grabbed his arm when it looked like he was going to keep walking and ignoring me. He turned, but his face was cold, and I felt my heart drop.
“Landon, please, will you listen to me?” I begged, hoping that I could still salvage the whole thing. “Please, I’m just asking for two minutes.”
“What is there to say?” he asked bluntly, pulling his arm free from my grip. “We had nothing exclusive. I couldn’t stop you from doing whatever it is you wanted to do.”
“It’s not like that!” I snapped, even though I was trying to keep my voice down.
“Then what is it?” Landon was clearly not in the mood to listen to me, but I had to try. “Are you doing this to advance your career? Just finding whoever has some power so you can gain more influence?”
I hadn’t thought about it, but I realized how easily this could look like that. I shook my head firmly, feeling the emotion and hurt bubbling up in my chest. That Landon would think of methat way… I didn’t have any evidence to prove him wrong, but I needed to hope that he’d believe me.
“No!” I insisted, balling my hands into fists at my sides. “I just— I fell for both of you, okay? Hard. You’re equal in my eyes, and I… I couldn’t choose.”
“That’s too bad,” Landon answered with a dismissive shrug. “Because it’s either him, or me. I’m not going to argue about it. You make your choice, and let me know. That’s it.”
He turned away from me without letting me reply, and walked away tightly, as if he didn’t care what I did next. It made my heart feel as if it was shattered, and I knew this was all my fault. But I wanted to fix it. With both of them. I couldn’t imagine letting one of them go.
I managed to make it to the start of the pool party without losing my mind, but it was getting more and more difficult.
I tried to talk to Nolan, but he avoided me like the plague. Even when he was supposed to be working with me, he’d send the sous chef in his stead. She looked at me and talked to me like I had committed murder. Everyone else spoke in hushed whispers that stopped when I walked past.
