Chapter 19

The car wentover a pothole that rattled my soul and made my eyes feel like they wanted to fall out of my head. I held my travel mug away from myself instinctively, even though there was a secure top on it. Everyone in the car groaned, even Tav, and he must've seen it coming, since he was driving. I brushed a stray piece of lint from the knee of my dark gray Kiton suit. I'd decided to go with one of my nicest wardrobe choices for the office today in a bid to distract everyone from my black eyes. I wasn't sure it would help, but it couldn't hurt, right?

Sighing, I took a sip of my coffee, and at that precise moment Ellis shimmied across the seat to peek up front, elbowing me. I grunted and sighed as a splash of coffee landed on my thigh, then did my best to brush it away.

"You really never went to college?" Ellis directed the question at Hilton in the front passenger seat.

Hilton shifted around so he could shoot Ellis a soft smile, one I'd never seen in the past, but he seemed green around the gills, despite his over-the-top outfit. He looked like someone who was trying to cosplay an office worker, with his collar popped and his glittery tipped hair trapped in a windswept arc. Another bump might have him rolling down the window to set his breakfast free, though. He stared at me with wide eyes.

"Are you sure I can't drive? My car sickness is better when I drive." He rested his head against the car seat and batted his dark eyelashes. His makeup was subtle, but definitely present. We sold tires, and I hoped the guys in the office would be nice about his flashy looks.

Hilton mimed driving with an imaginary steering wheel.

"Not a chance. I've seen you do something that resembles driving, but you drift. You don't use turn signals. You check your phone. You're literally the reason we need phone laws." I shuddered. "It would be wildly irresponsible of me to put you behind a wheel. How did you get your license in the first place?"

"My cousin Christian knew the guy giving the test." He shrugged and gave me a real grin, but then he groaned and buried his face against the seat for a second.

"Tell me if you need me to pull over, lad," Tav said, then ruffled his hair.

Hilton yelped and sat up, cowering to protect his hairdo while staring directly into Ellis's eyes. "To answer your question, no. I went to a private school where all they talked about was Princeton and Harvard and Yale. Maybe Amherst or MIT if your parents didn't have any pull at the big schools. Vassar if you were into literature and writing and had a trust fund that would never go stale." He shrugged. "It seemed a bit... much."

All at once, I felt bad for Hilton. He'd been in the same pressure cooker that had made me, and it sounded like he hadn't thrived. I leaned forward a bit, tugging against my seat belt. "I've learned more about you in the last few days than I did in the last two months."

He popped out his bottom lip. "Of course. I wanted to impress you before. I have to stay mysterious to do that." He grinned.

Ellis snickered.

"Yeah, well, for future reference, this Hilton is a lot more personable. I'm pretty sure people would like him better." I raised my eyebrows at him. "You don't have to pretend to be some drama queen to get a guy."

Hilton sniffed. "I'm not pretending. I just reel it in a little around you now." He shrugged, which had Ellis smothering another laugh behind his palm.

Ellis whirled and smacked my arm as I went to take another sip of my coffee, and I was beginning to suspect he was trying to deprive me of caffeine on purpose.

"Yes?" I mumbled, then quickly slurped from my travel mug.

"The internship is gonna be fun! I'm glad we have a few days for our fall break." He bounced in his seat like a kid. "Will I get to drive the cars on the ice track again?"

Chuckling, I shook my head. "No, you'll be doing work around the office. Maybe helping at events. It depends on what's needed. And I'll make sure you have the best reference letter possible for whichever schools you're applying to."

Hilton scratched at the stubble on his face. I wasn't sure what was going on there, if he thought maybe a beard would look good on him, but he really didn't seem to be growing much except some scruff around his jawline.

He grinned. "I texted my brother that I had an internship with Dailey Tires, and he was decent for once."

"You'll be fine," Tav said from behind the steering wheel. "And maybe your brother just wants to see you well on your way." He sent Hilton a kind smile. My Puffin always had more patience for him and Ellis than I did.

Hilton rolled his eyes. "I don't need to do anything. Like, nothing at all. I could dance around in a jellyfish costume all day or work on my blowjob skills and it wouldn't matter either way."

Tav hummed and scowled as the office came into view, and he swerved over to the drop-off spot in front of the building.

Leaning forward, I brushed a kiss to the side of his neck.

With a shiver, he glanced into the rearview mirror and our gazes met. My blood heated faster than a redlining engine, and I pressed another kiss to the soft skin behind his jaw.

"Why don't you park the car, and we can all walk up together?" I rubbed my left eye because it started to ache and that just made it worse, but also weirdly helped it feel better.

Tav twisted and knocked my hand away from my eye. "Stop that."

I snorted. "Or what?"

He shook his head, and I winked at him, which hurt me, but since Tav smiled, it was worth it.

"You take the boys, and I'll meet you upstairs. Leave your coffee. That'll be my excuse."

I dropped my travel mug into the cupholder in the front console, then opened my door. "It's almost like you don't work for me."

"Funny," Tav said. Although, it sounded like he agreed with my assessment.

The boys laughed.

We strolled into the building, and Ellis's eyes were huge, as if he couldn't see enough of the corporate world he was about to enter. Hilton had his attention glued to his phone and literally had his fingers snagged in one of Ellis's belt loops to keep himself on track. I stole his phone and tucked it into my pocket.

"Hey!"

"You're working today," I reminded him.

His brow furrowed. "You meant that? I thought you just didn't want me hanging out alone in your house."

"You said you wanted to do it."

He huffed and crossed his arms as we got into the elevator together. "Yeah, I guess." He slouched in a corner, and Ellis smiled at me.

I caught sight of myself in the shiny silver doors and grimaced. I looked like hell.

When the elevator doors parted and we walked into the small reception area, I knew something was up. No one was at the small desk, which was unusual.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"Everything okay?" Ellis asked, and Hilton finally looked like something interesting might happen to him today.

"I don't know," I said, then instead of going to my office, I walked down the hallway to the main open-plan work area. When I turned the corner, there was a pop near my ear that had me flinching, and confetti drifted down to cover my shoulders and halo the floor around me. Laughter erupted as I kept walking and emerged into the room. People started clapping. It seemed like the sales team was leading the charge.

Clark strolled over to me with a wide grin and draped blue boxing gloves that matched the Dailey Tires logo over my shoulders. Someone took a photo of us, and I couldn't help but grin.

"I thought I was going to come in here and you were going to yell at me."

Clark snickered and shook his head. "You grabbed a lot of attention this weekend."

Jon came over holding a box, and I was scared to look inside but didn't get a choice. Clark grabbed out a cupcake with Loser! scrawled across white icing in big red letters.

"You lost," Jon said with a laugh. "We thought you might want a consolation prize."

Ellis and Hilton were cackling so hard that they had to lean against each other, and there was a celebratory atmosphere in the office that I didn't quite understand.

Glancing between Jon and Clark, I grimaced. "I'm sorry, guys. My plan was to come in here and try to mitigate as much of the damage as possible."

Clark adjusted the gloves around my neck like he thought I might wear them all day as I shoved half the cupcake into my face. The vanilla was excellent and the icing was perfect, so really, I didn't have much to complain about other than my aching eyes.

"I don't know what the people worried about stock prices will think," he said in a conspiratorial whisper. He popped the collar on his polo and reminded me far too much of Hilton. "But, the people ordering from the dealerships think it's a riot. We've got double the sales orders already today."

I gaped. "You're kidding!"

Clark shook his head. "Nope! I don't suppose you could find someone to beat you up again next weekend?"

"With his personality, probably," Hilton said, and that started the people nearby laughing all over again. Before I could dive into another cupcake, Jon handed them off to Clark and grabbed my elbow, dragging me to the side. I watched the boys attack the baked goods and start talking to Clark, which was perfect. Clark had a knack for getting interns to do the most mind-numbing work and thank him for it in the process.

Jon snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I whirled around, giving him my full attention.

"Your mother is in your office, and she looks ready to murder," he said quietly, a small frown tugging at his lips.

"Fuck," I mumbled.

Jon glanced at Ellis and Hilton. "Who are these kids?"

"New interns. If you need one, feel free." I gestured at them.

Jon's expression immediately smoothed out and became cheerful. "Can I have them both later? I have a lot of data entry that needs to be done."

"Of course. I need them for a minute first, though." I walked over and snagged Hilton by the arm, then Ellis.

Jon took the gloves from around my neck and slung them over his shoulder. "I don't think that's going to keep her from ripping you apart." He eyed the boys up.

"Can't hurt!" I led them away toward my office.

He didn't look like he agreed with me, but I didn't have the energy to deal with a full-on unmitigated onslaught from my mother this morning.

"Listen, my mom's in my office, and she won't be as nasty with witnesses." I dragged them to a standstill right outside my door, working on my courage.

Hilton glanced at my face and pushed his cheek out with his tongue for a second. "Yeah, no. She's going to lose her mind."

"She didn't seem to care about me and Tav last time," Ellis said, frowning. "She was mean."

"Imagine if you hadn't been there." I shrugged.

"Coward," Hilton murmured, snaking his hand toward my suit coat pocket where I'd stashed his phone. I slapped it away. In retaliation, he smirked and opened my office door wide, gesturing me forward.

The little shit. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye as I walked in.

"He isn't being a coward. He's cautious," Ellis whispered behind me, but he was loud enough for me to hear him.

My mother was parked in my chair behind my desk, as if it belonged to her, which I didn't really care about, but it was pretty audacious. She was in her element, dressed in a black suit that conformed to her curves. As I came to a stop by the desk and rested my fingertips on the top, she held up a finger at me. I rolled my eyes and pointed at the chairs. Ellis and Hilton flopped gracelessly into them, like a pair of puppies. Hilton stared at my coat pocket, clearly stuck on his phone, and Ellis studied the overpriced art on the walls.

"Have you seen yourself?" Mom snapped. She was still typing away. "Anyone with a drop of sense would be working from home for the next two weeks."

I shrugged. "You're the only one with a problem. What did Dad think?—"

She closed the lid of her laptop and glared. If she could strike me dead with a look, I had a feeling she would right now. "Am I? Because your stunt over the weekend has the other investors agreeing with me. I'm a proven entity. I always make people money." She folded her hands over her laptop and tilted her head at me.

Tav came through the door with a grin on his face, my travel mug in one hand and a cupcake in the other, then froze. He walked over and passed me my coffee as his face flushed.

Mom's scowl deepened to the point that wrinkles formed on her forehead. "Seriously? You're bringing this into the office now?" She shook her head.

"Tav's been working for me." My mouth felt dry and drinking my coffee did nothing to alleviate the sensation.

She shot to her feet. "Is that wise? You've never shown up to work looking like this," she hissed, glaring at Tav. I stepped in front of him. If this was anyone else, I would've told them to fuck off by now.

"Shouldn't you be in your office? At your business? Why aren't you handling your own problems?" I asked coldly.

"Because I'm here to tell you that a vote to divest you is on the horizon." She picked up her laptop and tucked it under her arm. "End of day Friday, you're out, unless you want to share news about your improved relationship status." Her frosty gaze drifted toward Tav, and I stepped in front of her again. "The investors were waffling. You've done an excellent job at creating a profitable company." She tilted her head back and gave me a satisfied smile that had my blood boiling. "Then, they saw you fighting with bikers like a common fool." She shook her head.

"That isn't what happened," I growled out.

"It was my fault," Tav said, sidestepping so that he was back in her line of fire.

She held her laptop between both hands like she wanted to smack him with it. "I'm sure it was."

Tense silence filled the room.

Hilton sighed like he was bored, head falling back against his seat.

Mom's attention swiveled to him as if she was about to read him the riot act, too, but then her face brightened. She went around my desk to Hilton's side, then pinched his cheek.

"Is that little Hilton Bloomberg? Look at you! You're all grown up!"

Hilton sat up in his seat and stared at her like a tornado was headed in his direction.

"I wouldn't go that far," Tav muttered.

I snorted and coughed to cover up my laugh when Mom glared. She ignored Ellis completely to fuss at Hilton, which had my pulse hammering in my temples.

Mom cupped Hilton's face.

"Hi, Mrs. Dailey. Uncle Mason sends his regards," he said, even though I doubted he'd talked to his uncle recently.

"How old are you now, dear?"

Hilton blinked quickly at her and sat up even straighter in the chair. "Uh, twenty-two, why? I'm going to be an intern." He flushed pink.

"Oh, intern? For a Bloomberg? Surely, we can do better than that?" She glared at me with a brand-new intensity that made me want to leave the room. "How did you hear about the opportunity?"

"I'm staying with Judah," he said, then bit his lip and gave me an apologetic glance.

Mom beamed. "Really?"

"Don't get too excited. Tav and Ellis are still there." I didn't want this getting out of hand and the sparkle in her eye was horrifying.

Mom eyed up Hilton like he was a Christmas present. "Can we have a private conversation, son?" She frowned at Ellis, then Tav.

"God no."

"Fine. Hilton, are you still modeling for NG Burnish?" Mom did her best to make polite talk, but I could see that it was destroying her. Fashion wasn't her thing, and she barely respected it as a business.

"Yes," he said, tilting his head. He seemed confused, and that made two of us.

"Are you gay?" she asked bluntly.

"Mom! You can't ask people that!" I said, slapping a hand to my face.

"Also yes," he chirped, grinning at me. "I don't mind. I'm very out on social media."

Mom set her laptop on my desk before walking around behind him to rest her hands on his shoulders. She smiled, and for Mom it was the equivalent of tap dancing. "Hilton, do you hang out with trashy bikers?" she asked sweetly.

Tav huffed at my side like an angry bull.

"I mean, no, but only because I don't know any." He gave her wide, innocent eyes. "Sounds like a good time."

She ignored him and nodded. Hell, I doubt she'd even listened to the words that came out of his mouth. She walked over to the desk to snatch up her laptop. On her way out, she crowded in next to me, forcing Tav to take a step back. "Choose better," she hissed. She glared at Tav. "And for God's sake, go home and work there. Ice those eyes."

"It really wasn't his fault," Tav said, like he needed me to still be in her good graces.

I shook my head and tried to catch his attention, but he was busy staring at Mom.

"I'm aware," she said, then sailed out of the room, taking all the breathable air with her. I stood there, rubbing my chest, while Hilton got up to plop in my chair and mess around with a mini tire I had on the corner of the desk as a paperweight.

"She does not know me." Hilton accidentally sent the tire bouncing off the edge, and Ellis popped up out of his seat to retrieve it. "Tav is like, a real adult. Even I know he's a better choice for you."

"Shit, she's going to try to squeeze me out of my own company." I ran a hand through my hair, then shooed Hilton out of my seat and plonked my phone on the desk in front of myself. My stomach wobbled and my chest tightened. "She's fucking serious."

Tav crouched next to me. "Maybe I should?—"

"Can you take the boys out and help them find Clark or Jon?" I asked, glancing at him. He looked upset, but that's what spending time with Mom did to a person. "Please?"

"Maybe I should go," he said.

My stomach clenched. "You always hang out during the day."

He shook his head and stood. "I don't mean from the office."

I sat straight up, slamming against the back of my chair.

Hilton grabbed Ellis's arm and tugged him out of his seat. "We'll go find someone to put us to—" He shuddered. "—work."

"What's going on?" Ellis asked, but Hilton just shoved him toward the door. I guess he was more observant than I'd given him credit for.

I shot to my feet. "You're not leaving me because Mom's being a bitch."

Tav tossed his hands up. "So, you're prepared to lose this company you obviously love to have me?"

"Yes!" I grabbed my phone and waved it around. "But I'm going to go down fighting."

Tav shook his head. "She'll just keep coming at you. She even thinks Hilton would be a better fit."

I rolled my eyes. "She just sees his last name. The Bloombergs are big around town."

Tav scrubbed his hands through his hair. "See! I wouldn't even know that."

"It doesn't matter." I grabbed him by the back of his neck and tried to kiss him, but he turned away. His eyes were sad as he spun toward the door. "Tav!"

"I'm going. I'll get an Uber back to your place." He tossed my car keys at me, then closed the door softly behind himself.

"Fuck." I wanted to race after him, but Mom was probably serious—check that, she was dead serious—and I had a ton of phone calls to make. "Double fuck." I sat down at my desk and started scrolling through my contacts. It was going to be a long day, and maybe I could think of some way to convince Tav that none of this was actually his fault.

My Puffin wasn't going anywhere. Or else.