A few minutes later, we were out the door and on our way. The smile never left her face. I’d never seen her smile so much.
Sitting at a red light, it dawned on me. “You’re thinking about the Boob Squad, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” Her voice was light and playful.
“Ready to rub it in their jealous noses that you are Mrs. Nathan Thorne.”
“Maybe.” Her smile grew wider.
“You don’t have to admit it. I know you are, and so am I. Those insipid bitches piss me off.” My fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “I hate the way they think they can treat you, and for no reason except that you’re with me.”
She shrugged. “Before you came, they pretty much ignored me and were never friendly. Then again, I didn’t make it easy—I didn’t want to get to know them.”
“They’re shallow cunts anyway.” I shivered in disgust when I remembered Jennifer grabbing my hand and putting it up her skirt. I’d been inches from her pussy and whatever disease it held.
She nodded. “Pack mentality, with Jennifer at the helm.”
I snorted. “She is the worst of them, followed up by Tiffany.”
Lila laughed. “Oh, yes, Tiffany trying to seduce you in the copy room. That was priceless.”
I quirked my brow at her. “You saw that?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I stuck around, waiting to see if you needed rescuing.”
I shook my head and brought her fingers up to my lips, placing a kiss. She never failed to surprise me. Or turn me on.
By the time we arrived, she was buzzing with energy, staring down at the rings on her fingers. I glanced at mine, still getting used to something being there after so long.
“I wonder if my new nameplate is up.”
I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close as we walked in the building. “Another way to stick it to them, huh?”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah. Plus, I love my new name. I want to scream it from the rooftops.”
I laughed and kissed the side of her head. “You still need to get it changed legally.”
“Yeah. I’m doing that tomorrow at lunch.”
I quirked a brow as I held the door open for her. “I’m surprised you can wait that long.”
She elbowed me in the ribs. “I figured there wouldn’t be time today. I’m afraid to see what my desk looks like…and poor Owen. He hasn’t been in the position long.”
I pushed the call button for the elevator. “He can handle himself.”
She pursed her lips, silent as the doors slid open and we stepped in. A loud sigh came out of her, and I looked down.
“What?”
“Yesterday we were on the beach. I want to go back.”
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to our floor. I took a moment to lean into her. “Soon.”
“Tomorrow?”
I chuckled as I grabbed her hand and started walking down the hall. “Not quite that soon.”
Of course, turning the corner would put us right in front of the fucking BS bitches—some of their cubes were right in the hallway. I fucking hated seeing the lust light up their eyes, then turn to disdain when they noticed Lila. Then again, I’d rather have them not look at us at all.
“Another vacation? Jeez, Delilah, I’m surprised Mr. Holloway still has you on.” The vile skank known as Jennifer rolled her eyes.
The other diseased one, Tiffany, held her hand up to her mouth, as if we wouldn’t hear her. “You know she’s only still here because Nathan was his son-in-law.”
My eye twitched as my jaw tightened and flexed. When did my past start circulating? We were already water cooler gossip, but my relationship with Jack had been kept quiet.
“It’s none of your business how I use my vacation time. I have a lot saved up over the years, and still plenty to go—I’ll use it how I want to.” Lila was cool and collected, and the venom in her voice turned me on.
My fingers flexed on her hip. I loved to see her fight back—it was so fucking sexy. She wasn’t weak, no matter what that shithead or the bitches in front of us thought.
They rolled their eyes. “I’m surprised you have any left after all the time you took off last year.”
Lila shook her head before narrowing her gaze on them. “You really are the stupidest bunch of rat-pack bitches, aren’t you? I was hit by a car, unable to take care of myself, let alone work. That classifies as sick time and medical leave. Company policy allows a certain number of weeks to be taken with half pay in the event you are unable to work for medical reasons. Vacation time is not used for medical leave.”
She glared at them as she explained in terms their collagen-filled brains might understand. I cringed and backed up when Jennifer puckered her lips at me. Fuck, if her lips got any bigger, they were going to explode. It was bad enough she put her hands on me and shoved her breasts in my face every fucking chance she got, but there was no way I’d want those monsters near me.
The BS bitches were tsking and getting riled up and yammering—pissing me off. It was too fucking early to listen to their squawking. I’d had enough.
I grabbed the back of Lila’s head and turned her to me, fisting her hair. My other hand grabbed on to her jaw as I devoured her lips with mine. I turned, pressing her against the wall as I shoved my tongue in her mouth, claiming her as mine, hips thrusting as I practically fucked her in front of them.
It made me remember our honeymoon, just two days prior when I had to lay claim to her in front of a bunch of idiots who were trying to buy her a drink at the pool bar. I kissed her harder, deeper, fucking her mouth with my tongue. She was whimpering and moaning, her hands gripped tight on my lapels.
I pulled back, panting, happy at the complete desire and want on her face. I looked over to the bitches, their stunned expressions making me want to laugh.
“My wife.” More than one of them gasped in shock, apparently unaware what had transpired the week before. “I don’t want anyone but her, so stop trying to tear her down to make yourselves feel better or think you have a chance at getting to me. Women like you make me sick.”
“You can’t!” Jennifer screamed out, jumping up from her seat.
My spine straightened, and I turned to face them, glaring down at them. Tiffany’s eyes widened and she scurried back behind the cube wall. Kelly, the least aggressive of the bunch, sat down in her seat when my head cocked in her direction, scooting it back to her desk.
“What can’t I do?” My voice was even, smooth. From their shuddering, it also had the desired chilling effect. “I’ve been fairly tolerant of your advances, but your bleached brain doesn’t seem to grasp that I am in a relationship and therefore unavailable. You have chosen not to respect that, and are no better than an insect, in my view.”
Jennifer was defiant, yet to be broken. “She’s an insect.” Her lip curled up in insolence as she looked at Lila.
I stepped forward, looming over her and flashed my left hand so their leader could see. “I asked Lila to marry me, to be my wife. I wanted to marry her, to have her with me forever, to have her body on mine whenever and wherever I want. Not you. Never any of you. Only her.”
Jennifer’s jaw jutted forward and her arms crossed over her chest. “So, what you’re saying is you married your whore.”
My eyes widened and my body vibrated.
“Jenn, I think you should stop.” Kelly’s voice was low, reserved.
“Say that again, skank. Call my wife a whore again and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” She stepped forward, her body so close I could feel the heat of her devil fire on my skin.
“Have you fired.”
A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I turned to Jack. The BS bitches all gasped, and Jennifer’s mouth was gaping open, stumbling over words as she stepped away from me. I relaxed back toward Lila, my muscles uncoiling at her touch.