Raine (Gods of the Fifth Floor #2) - M.V. Ellis Page 0,8

And Noa would be...?”

“Noa would be...” I waited a long beat, enjoying the build-up of tension in the room. I slid a glance across at Beck. As I predicted, stress was emanated from every pore. Jesus, he was highly strung. I had to admit that he’d mellowed a lot since his previously non-existent love life had fallen into place, and he’d settled down with the woman of his dreams a few months previously. But he was still more tightly wound than most people.

He looked like a panther ready to pounce on its prey. Too bad that prey was me. I would never go down like some doe-eyed deer. I’d go out fighting each and every fucking time, and whoever didn’t like it could bite me.

“...my new PA.”

“No!” Their voices rang out around the room in unison.

“Awww, that was so coordinated, it’s like you guys are a choir or some shit. You’re tight. Musically speaking, I mean. Get your minds out of the gutter.”

“Shut up and drop the smart-ass routine. As if it’s not bad enough that we’ve reverted to having Confession here—”

“Again.” Chimed in Raine and Dillon.

“Again. Now I have to deal with you acting like a dick, just for a change. Don’t test me today. I’m really not in the fucking mood. Now cut to the chase, before I do or say something we’ll both regret.”

Interesting. Though he was generally as smooth as silk boxers, sometimes a switch flicked, and he lost it. It felt like we were close to that point today, and it was only just a shade after 9 a.m. Very interesting.

“Yes. And before you start losing your shit, don’t worry, this wasn’t by choice. Not even close. After I couldn’t find anyone to replace James before he left, he booked Noa there thinking it would be a good stopgap solution. On paper she ticked all the boxes, including the dick-owning one.

“Believe me, nobody was more surprised than me when the door knocked, I opened it, and she was on the other side.” I motioned my chin toward the area outside my door.

“Well she needs to be on the other side of the door of the building. She has to go, like, fucking yesterday.”

I reached across my desk for the blunt I’d probably abandoned there during the previous night’s fun. Putting it into my mouth and letting it dangle kind of precariously, I grabbed my lighter with the other hand and brought it to the joint.

Nate was on me before I’d managed to flick open the lighter. He was fast on his feet—ever the athlete.

“Don’t even think about it. You light that thing, I’ll shove it so far down your throat, you’ll be smoking it from your ass.”

“Really?” I squared my shoulders, ready for a fight, and looked him dead in the eye. He wasn’t the only one who could come out the gate swinging if the situation called for it, and I had a feeling that this situation was going to call for it. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“What the fuck is my problem? I would have thought that would’ve been painfully obvious, Raine. You are. I just get so damned tired of managing your childish bullshit. Yes, we’re friends, and yes, we’re there for each other like brothers, all of us are. Yes, I respect your professional talents and appreciate what that brings to the business, but Jesus Christ, sometimes dealing with you just gets me down. I guess you could say that today is one of those days.”

“I’ll say.” Beck had been quiet for the entire time, but suddenly seemed to kick into gear. “Nate, take a breath and take a seat. Raine, you heard him, put the fucking blunt away. And for that matter come and sit on the couches with us. How many times do I have to tell you the same fucking shit?”

Nate continued to stare me down. His eyes were cold and steely, and I still couldn’t pick which way things were going to go with him. This kind of display of anger was so unusual that it was hard to know.

Time trickled by like molasses off a spoon, but I was damned if I was going to make my move before he did. Backing down right now would make me look like a fool. The ball was firmly in Nate’s court, and I was going to make him throw it, even if I had to wait all day.

“Fuck.” Nate’s nostrils flared like a raging bull’s as he