Page 5 of Bargaining

Blame her for what?A chill went up my spine.Oh no. No fucking way. They better not be pulling some shi—

The fishbowl space flooded with fluorescent light.

“Surprise!” A melodic chorus of shouts rang out in unison.

People in stupid little hats stuffed every inch of the room. Party poppers exploded. A sudden blast of Stevie Wonder erupted from somewhere. My teeth gritted. Lucas held his arms open.

“Happy birthday, you old bastard.” His lips curved in a begrudging smile. “Thirty is a big one. You can ignore all the others, but you have to mark thirty.”

My heart pounded. A surprise party. My life was about minimizing surprises. It was about scrupulous control and discipline. That was the only way we’d achieved everything we had. A room full of expectant eyes trained on me.

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I’d done a stress management course once. An hour out of my calendar to breathe. Breathing was free. I couldn’t keep a roof on this building for free or pay wages for free. There were cheeses, glistening olives stuffed with little chilies, and fancy charcuterie. Fruit was piled high on silver platters. Champagne tumbled in a mini fountain. I wanted to get that tray of olives and ram the entire lot down Lucas’s throat. What was he thinking?

“Turn it off,” I muttered.

Lucas leaned in closer. “What?”

“Turn this racket off,” I shouted over the music.

Stevie Wonder halted abruptly, and a brittle quiet swept in. Smiles dimmed to anxious whispers. You could govern either by fear or love. I hadn’t dragged myself onto theSunday TimesRich List by a desire to be loved.

My voice sounded low and dangerous. “Is this what I pay you for?”

Lucas’s hands landed on my shoulders and gave me a gentle shake. “It’s your birthday. Have a drink before you disappear again.”

I shrugged him off. This wasn’t good enough. Nobody here was trying. Only me. I never fucking stopped.Fuck turning thirty. Fuck Gabe Rivers not answering my calls. Fuck stuffed olives.

“Enjoy your champagne.” I addressed the crowd of bewildered faces. “You’re all fired.”

Chapter 3

Cole

“You can’t fire your entire company.” Lucas fell into step alongside me.

“Not the entire company. Just everyone at that party.”

“The people who stayed late foryourparty, you mean? To celebrateyourbirthday?”

“No one gives a fuck about my birthday. Everyone is there for the free booze.”

Lucas paused at the elevator. I strode past him to the stairs.

“Can’t we take the elevator like normal people?”

I took the stairs two at a time. “We live in an obesogenic environment. An elevator is a shortcut to cardiovascular disease. What were you thinking? A surprise party is the most misjudged thing that’s happened around here since you grew that beard.”

Lucas jogged to catch up with me. His hand flew defensively to his chin. “There’s nothing wrong with a beard.”

“In general, no, but teamed with that hair, you look like you’re about to sell me an overpriced wood-fired pizza or tell me you do burgers differently.”

Lucas chased me up the stairs, half a step behind. “You’re salty because Gabe Rivers doesn’t want to talk to you.”

He knew about that? My shoulders stiffened. I paused in the stairwell. “Are you spying on me? You’re worse than Dad. I don’t even know Gabe Rivers. There’s no reason for him not to take my calls.”

“Why are you so desperate to talk to him?”

“Mind your own business.”