Her Silent Revenge novel Chapter 32

"I didn't come here to talk about Salem," I snarl. "Salem, huh? Don't you mean Miss Hopper?"

"Goddammit, Arch, there's no need to be a face-slapping cock." That's the way we relate to each other, though, by pissing each other off to breaking point. Then sanity steps in when we need it. "I came by to talk about our expansion prospects. I need an update about the second quarter."

"You mean the ones I'm overseeing?"

I give him a pained smile. "Guess we're both in the same boat, huh?"

He sighs and leans back in his chair, though there's a gleam of appreciation in his eyes.

He knows how to be fair when it comes to this shit, I'll give him that much.

Accountability is always serious business in this company. That's the Rory way, and we all play our part.

"Now that you've put your attitude away, let's talk like adults," he says.

I spend the rest of the week walled off in my office, only dropping by The Cardinal to make sure it's running smoothly.

It always is.

I'm annoyingly satisfied to see just how well Salem takes to this management role like a duck to water. It's even more undeniable now that we have real guests booking stays and bringing in revenue.

Throwing up distance doesn't evict her from my head any faster. Though I keep my cool when she's around, I'm dreaming of the distant day when I can move the fuck on without her dragging on my mind.

Especially without the memory of everything we did years ago, when we could share the same oxygen and not want to throw shit at each other.

For three entire days, I don't see her.

She doesn't intrude on my space, and when I drop into The Cardinal to see the latest progress, she's conveniently busy.

If she doesn't want my intrusion, fine. I'm happy to beat it back to Lee's Summit and work in my own office again.

My stomach churns at the horrid thought that I might be more bothered by that than her.

And I'm just thinking maybe we'll get through this mentorship sham without having to spend a ton of real time together when there's a knock on my door.

"Mr. Rory?" Salem pokes her head through.

The neat bun she's been sporting most mornings hangs loose now, sending dark curls dancing around her face. "I'm sorry to disturb you, if this is a bad time—"

"Come in."

I lean against the desk and watch her. My eyes follow her as she scans the shelves, her little fingers running over the spines of the books as she takes in the titles.

Watch her hands, you idiot. Eyes off her ass.

Easier said than done.

Then little Arlo runs up and kicks me in the shin.

Not hard—he's a kid, thankfully—but it's jolting enough to shock me out of my stupor.

"Don't look at my mom like that!" he shouts.

"Like what?" I ask before I can help myself. Bad question.

"Like you wanna eat her. Like a shark!" He tries to kick me again, but Salem runs over and starts dragging him backward, her hair flying as she grabs him.

"Arlo! That's no way to behave. I know you've been reading your Animal World books," she tells him in a whisper, "but you can't go around calling people animals, all right? And you definitely can't kick people. Do it again, and you're grounded. Remember what Mr. Lee said in karate? Self- defense only."

She signed this little punk up for martial arts? What the hell? He sticks his bottom lip out and glowers at me again.