Page 95 of Baby Daddy
“It’s not your fault.”
Her lips quivered. “How could you do this to me? Put me in this position?”
Stupid fucking me. My impulsive charade to seal my father’s dream deal had come back to bite me in the ass.
“I should have never lied. I just wanted my father’s deal to go through.”
“So you could be CEO?”
“It had nothing to do with that.”
“Let go of me, Drake. Now!”
“I can’t. I don’t want to.”
Then, with a sharp, sudden jerk, she freed herself and flew out the door.
“Dee!” I cried out, following her outside.
The rain was coming down in buckets. In a matter of seconds, the two of us were drenched. As she tried to hail a taxi, I gripped her by her shoulders.
“D-baby, please. I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who’s sorry. Sorry for ever stepping foot in your office. Sorry for getting involved with you when I had no right to. And sorry for probably screwing up your father’s big deal.”
“Stop it.”
Impulsively, I flipped her around, cradling her wet cheeks in my hands. My lips claimed hers, with a mix of passion and rage as the rain pounded down upon us. She gripped the lapels of my soaked jacket, balling the material with a palpable push and pull. Desperate moans, caught between desire and disgust, gathered in her throat as our warm breaths fought off the chill of the downpour and our tongues did battle, clashing madly with each other.
Finally, I broke the kiss, but my hands stayed splayed on her mascara-streaked face. “Maybe I lied, but my feelings about you are real. I’m crazy in—”
Before I could say the one word I’d never said to a woman, Dee’s hand swept across my face. The swat echoed in my ears as the sting set in. Catching me off guard while I rubbed my cheek with one hand, she managed to break free of me.
“Screw you.” Her voice rose with anger. “You should have thought about your actions. And I should have thought about mine.” Turning away from me, she lifted her arm and yelled again for a taxi. Within seconds, one pulled up to the curb.
As she charged toward it, I seized her cold, wet hand, squeezing her fingers with mine.
“Let go of me, Drake!” Her voice was hoarse and desperate. Pained.
“At least, let me take you home,” I begged as the impatient cabbie lowered the front passenger window and hollered for her to get in. Horns were honking all around us.
“No, Drake. Get away from me. I never want to see you again.”
My grip loosened. She broke free of me and dashed into the cab. As she slammed the back-passenger door shut, the taxi peeled away from the curb, sending a cold splash of water all over me. I was as soaked as a drowned rat. With the rain falling on me like a spray of bullets, I buried my face in my hands and felt my heart sink to the glistening, wet pavement. Utterly defeated, I turned around and trudged back into Musso’s.
No one had left the table. The only difference was Krizia was now sitting in Dee’s seat. She was already moving in on me like a predatory beast. The extreme rage I felt toward her pulsed through my bloodstream. I clenched my fists by my sides so I wouldn’t throw her onto her bony ass.
“Drake, please sit down,” ordered my father, motioning to the chair I’d been sitting in. His words were as sharp as broken glass.
“That poor girl,” murmured my mother, sitting to my left, and then asked if I was all right.
No, I wasn’t all right. My heart was splintering and I was chilled to the bone. And my emotions were in a total turmoil. Anger, confusion, sadness, and regret ripped through me like shrapnel, shredding me to pieces.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, lacking for words.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Gunther’s voice was glacial. “Krizia spared us a lot of potential headaches and embarrassment.”
A triumphant smile slithered across Krizia’s pursed lips as Gunther continued.