Page 47 of Ruin Me
And although I wasn’t in the same league as Sansone and Valentino, they’d seen me hold my own. Their respect for me glimmered in their eyes as we finalized our agreement.
With my back-up plan in place, I left the mayor’s house on another errand. Valentino’s comment on the bodyguards still rankled. Besides the men Madison knew about, I had two others following her less conspicuously.
I wasn’t taking chances, which was why an hour later I pulled up to a farm. As I exited the car, my phone rang.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“Don’t beautiful me.” Madison’s voice, despite the attitude, was a welcome sound, speaking to the health of her strong lungs. “Did you tell my guards I wasn’t allowed to leave the apartment until you returned?”
“Your safety protocol isn’t fully in place yet. Until I don’t break out in a cold sweat wondering if every time you leave my sight will be the last time, you’ll stay at home.” I rested against my car and waited for her next explosion, which I expected to occur soon.
“That is such a load of bullshit,” she said, proving me right. “I have no idea where you are, but I’m supposed to pretend that you aren’t in danger, too? Kent, Carol and whoever she’sworking with is escalating, but you don’t have an issue with running these streets like nothing’s wrong. I have menyouhired to keep me safe. But I’m under house arrest?”
“Little bunny?—”
“You are not going to little bunny your way out of this. Cute pet names aside, if we aren’t partners in this relationship, we won’t work.”
I straightened my spine, all levity leaving my body. My voice lowered, and the darkness I kept from her leaked through when I said, “Did you just threaten to leave me?”
Madison remained quiet on her end.
“Madison…”
Click.
I stared at my phone in disbelief. She must have forgotten my warning. I checked the time and rushed through my last errand to get back to my stubborn little bunny. And when I got home, I would have her on her knees and apologizing.
CHAPTER 20
Madison
What did I just do? I stared in horror at my phone after I hung up on Kent.
Kent! The man I’ve been in love with for most of my life. The man I just told we wouldn’t last.
I clutched my chest as I envisioned an atomic bomb exploding our relationship and ending us prematurely. I wasn’t allowed to leave his penthouse, but I needed air. I fled to the balcony and slid the glass door shut. Because one thing I couldn’t escape was the truth behind my words.
Kent and I wouldn’t work as a couple if we weren’t partners.
I wasn’t blind to the imbalances in our relationship. He was twenty years older than me with more experience behind him. And although I was a successful crisis manager, Kent was a billionaire who ran an international conglomerate. There were already too many obstacles separating us.
I curled up on a chaise and tried to ease my anxiety. I’d come too far to sit and let life happen around me or allow Kent to dictate our future. While I contemplated what I would do andsay when I saw Kent next, time passed. The sun sat lower on the horizon when the sliding door slid open.
“Madison, we need to talk,” Kent said.
Without looking at him, I replied, “Then talk.”
“No offense, but I think our talk is about to turn into an argument, and I’d rather not have an angry woman and a balcony so close together.”
I glared at him but he stood resolute with an arm directing me inside.
Okay, if this is how he wanted things…
I stood and entered the room. Kent placed his hand on the dip in my spine and I walked away from his touch.
“Let’s go into the bedroom, unless you want everyone to hear us.”
I huffed, but turned toward the room because I didn’t know what was about to happen and having strangers witness what might be my humiliation wasn’t something I desired. On the way toward the back of the penthouse, two kennel cages caught my eye.