down all of those helpful college classmates from the articles. They all had suspicious deposits to their bank accounts. Ten thousand dollars each? Isn’t that a little light for a soon-to-be CEO?”
“Go fuck yourself, Emily,” Lita spat. She was losing her cool, her confidence. And that’s usually when she lashed out.
“And then there’s La Sophia. They have one hour to issue a public apology and abandon their claim to my patent. I imagine they’ll want that payment they gave you back. So what it all comes down to is you have nothing, Lita. Exactly what you deserve.”
“You fucking cunt. At least I stripped you of that title you were so proud of. At least I have that.” She gritted her teeth.
It still wasn’t enough for her. I could see it in her eyes, shiny with rage.
“Funny story. I didn’t actually resign. I orchestrated a buyout. A very generous one. Oh, and Derek and I are partners now. In his firm and my lab,” I said cheerfully. “So it all worked out really well for me. I should get you a thank you card.”
I could hear her teeth grinding.
“I hate you. I’ve always hated you. You should have been in that car. You should have died, too.” Her nostrils flared.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. Did you really want me to die, or was there another game you were playing?”
Her smile was unhinged. “I had cameras set up in his room. I could have gotten a nice payout for a sex tape starring Emily fucking Stanton.”
I was disgusted. This time it was Jane who appeared in the doorway, brandishing a stun gun. Derek hooked her around the waist, but she grabbed on to both sides of the doorway and silently wrestled for freedom.
“Instead, your meal ticket died because a bartender I didn’t know took care of me like a friend should have.”
“You always land on your goddamn feet, and I am so fucking sick of it! When is it my turn?” she raged.
“Never. Because you’re not good enough.”
She slapped me. Hard. The sound of flesh connecting to flesh echoed off the glass.
“Aw, is that the best you can do?” I asked.
On a howl of rage, she charged me, raking her nails down my arm and throwing an elbow in my jaw. I saw stars, but it was enough. I’d finally drawn a line I wouldn’t allow her to cross.
I wound up and plowed my fist into that pretty, pretty nose of hers.
She went down like a bag of hammers.
“Damn, that hurts without gloves,” I muttered, shaking out my hand.
The office flooded with people. Derek and Jane ran in, followed closely by building security.
Derek stepped over Lita and gathered me in his arms.
“Are you hugging me or stopping me from hitting her again?” I asked over the commotion.
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Both. Are you all right?”
He nudged my chin up and looked at the blooming mark on my jaw. His hands slid down my arms, and he frowned fiercely at the bleeding scratches.
“I’m pretty freaking great, Price.”
“In that case, I think we need to schedule a meeting,” he said.
“About what?”
“About the prospect of a joint venture.”
“We’re already fifty-fifty partners.”
He squeezed my arms. “Marriage, Emily. I want to marry you.”
“Did Jane deprive your brain of oxygen too long?”
“Yes.”
I grinned up at him and brushed a kiss over his mouth. “I’m willing to discuss the potential benefits of a… merger sometime in the future. But first, I want the biggest pitcher of Bloody Marys available to mankind.”
“I’m never going to get to use this stun gun,” Jane whined, standing over Lita’s wailing form.
His smile faded. “Emily, there’s something else you need to know. Lita wasn’t working alone.”
I stopped him with a hand to his chest. “I know. I’ll deal with it later.”
The washroom door opened, and Lona, the unflappable journalist, stepped out. “Is it safe to come out?” she asked, eyeing Lita who was screeching about lawsuits through the hands that covered her bleeding face.
“Lona, I’d almost forgotten you were in there,” I said cheerfully. “Oh, and your recorder was on this whole time. How embarrassing.” I handed it to her.
“Florida is two-party consent,” Lita snapped as security hauled her to her feet. Beautiful, big drops of blood dripped onto the white crepe of her dress. “You can’t record me without my knowledge. Miss Goody Two Shoes should have known that,” she said snidely.
“Well, we can’t. But the SEC can if they suspect fraud is being