Boss Me (Private Listing #3)

Engaged? This is a fucking train wreck.

When we move into the room, Noah and I settle on the low leather benches for visitors to sit and admire the paintings and furnishings. Blake paces like a caged tiger.

“Explain,” I bite out.

Coop straightens, walks to one of the marble columns, and places his hand on it. “Leighton?—‍”

“Of course this is because of that bitch.” Blake leans against the wall opposite Coop, crossing his arms over his chest, which always makes him seem larger than life. “She always fucks with your brain. You let her dig her way inside every fucking time.”

“What happened?” Noah seems like the least unsettled by this development. My mind spins around why. He wanted to claim Madison as his own. Now Coop has upped the stakes, claiming he and Madison are engaged.

“I told Leighton Madison is my fiancée.” Coop turns, puts his hands in his pockets, and leans his shoulder against the column like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “And then I told Heath.”

“What the fuck, Coop?” The words pop out of my mouth before I can stop them. Noah and Blake both raise an eyebrow at my tone. I can’t seem to stop myself though. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“That Leighton wants me back as much as Elizabeth wants you back.” Coop shrugs. “So instead of asking the bitch out, I put her in her place.”

The dig lodges in my stomach.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I stand. My hands clench at my sides as I hold back from wrapping them around his neck. “You dating Madison was fucking damage control. Us bringing dates was damage control. This is just petty bullshit.”

“Right, because if you could’ve rubbed Madison in Elizabeth’s face, you wouldn’t have taken the opportunity.” Coop scoffs. “It’s not like I ran off and married Madison. It’s just a fancy girlfriend title.”

“It also keeps her locked in a relationship with you.” Noah leans back on his hands as he shakes his head at Coop. “It would be one thing if you ‘dated’ Madison for a while and then dropped her. One of us could have easily ‘comforted’ her and dated after a respectable amount of time.”

Coop crosses his arms over his chest as he watches Noah.

“Your ex-girlfriend might have been testing the bro code, but for any of us to make a move on your ex-fiancée would make us a huge asshole.” Noah laughs bitterly. “But tell us how this will work in our favor.”

Looking down, Coop sighs. “Fuck.”

I glance around the empty hall. This isn’t the best place to have a conversation. “We may need to talk about this at home. This isn’t a secure location.”

Coop rubs the back of his neck. “Madison and I fucked in here earlier. We heard a door close when we finished. But we didn’t see anyone.”

“Because you were too busy fucking?” Blake steps forward. His fists are clenched, and he looks like he’s on the verge of losing control. “Too busy getting off to make sure she’s protected?”

Noah steps in front of Blake. “We can review the security feed.”

“Not possible.” Coop pushes off the column and points to the camera. “My buddy shut them off for me so I wouldn’t have to have security erase them later.”

Both Noah and Blake erupt at that. I don’t pay attention to their words because I’m thinking the same damned thing. He brought Madison to an unsecured area of the event where anything could have happened to either of them.

Fuck. This is a mess.

“Are you saying she’s not safe with me?” Coop’s voice is louder than usual. I focus on him. Gone is the smooth-talking playboy. “Fuck you both. I can protect her. I can take care of her without your fucking help. She’s as much mine as she is yours.”

And that’s the rub. We’re all falling for her. We all want to protect her. Claim her.

“Enough.” I hold up my hand. “All of us are worried about her and what might happen. We’re doing everything we can.”

“We need to do what’s right for Madison. Not just what’s good for our own petty revenge.” Noah shakes his head as he and Blake step away from Coop.

“This engagement might make the stalker escalate. Did you even consider that?” Blake’s mouth is a firm line. His words are clipped. “That news is going to spread like wildfire, most likely because of Leighton. She’ll want to prove you’re lying about the engagement.”

“Fuck.” Coop smacks his hand against the column. His eyes narrow on me. “I fucked up. But you brought that snake back into our group. Elizabeth shouldn’t even be at our table. I don’t give a fuck how much money her family’s company could bring in.”

“For one night.” I sit. Elizabeth was a misstep, but not as big as Coop made. “You couldn’t get over yourself for one night.”