I called Damien. “Did you tell Hades we were sleeping together?” I couldn’t imagine why Damien would do that, but I also couldn’t understand how Hades had jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion. There was no way I would sleep with someone so soon, let alone his former best friend and business partner.
“No, but I did say something.”
I started to yell into the phone in my office. “Why the hell would you say that? I’m trying to get him back, not piss him off. What did you say to him?”
“I told him I might ask you out.”
I gripped my skull with one hand. “And why would you say that?”
“Just wanted to piss him off.”
“Well, thanks for throwing me under the bus…”
“Before you get all mad at me, think about what happened. When he thought you and I had something going on, he got mad, right?”
I got up to shut my office door because I was being so loud. “What does that matter?”
“It means he cares, Sofia.”
“Just because he cares doesn’t mean he wants to get back together.”
“No. But it does mean he thinks you’re sleeping with somebody else, so if he doesn’t sleep with you, somebody else will. Now, you’re a hot commodity. He knows what will happen if he’s not in the picture anymore. Maybe it will only make him jealous, but maybe that’s all you need to get his attention.”
When I thought about the question Hades had asked me and the ruthless way he said it, it did seem like he was upset about the idea of Damien and me being together. He’d turned red in the face and even followed me all the way to the stairs. That wasn’t how I wanted to get him back, but I would take anything at this point.
“What did you say when he asked you?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Good. Neither confirm nor deny as long as you can.”
“I’d feel like such a whore for sleeping with my ex-husband’s best friend.”
“We aren’t friends. We’re enemies. And that makes it so much worse…which works in your favor.”
Maybe this would destroy what little chance I had with Hades. Or maybe it would give me a chance at all. “Now what?”
“We’ll see what happens.”
“What if he says something to you?”
“I’ll string him along without answering his question directly.”
“And what should I do?”
“Look hot. That’s all.”
A few days later, Hades made a surprise visit at the Tuscan Rose.
I was sitting at my desk when he stopped by unannounced. Now that I was back at work, I assumed he would leave the care of the hotel to me, but then I remembered half the hotel still belonged to him after our divorce.
He stepped inside wearing a dark blue suit and tie. There was a nice shadow along his jawline, just the way I liked. His hair was styled, and he had a watch on his wrist, but it wasn’t the one I gave him.
He was such a sexy man, and I hated to think about the women who were enjoying him now that he wasn’t mine. The thought was so painful, it made me want to hurl everything I’d had for lunch. It made me so weak, I wasn’t sure I could stand in these heels.
He straightened his tie with his palm as he approached my desk, that same hostile expression in his eyes. He was behaving the same way as he had when I’d rejected his marriage proposal years ago. He treated me like he hated me, hated me more than Maddox.
I held his gaze and felt my fingertips go numb. I had to keep up the pretense of indifference because that was the only thing he responded to. That was the only thing that interested him. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“There’s a meeting with the board today. I’ve been handling all those while you’ve been gone. Do you want me to continue to do so?”
“No. This is my hotel. I can handle it.”
His mood visibly soured. “Our hotel. Half of it is still mine, and I made some changes around here.”
I knew what kind of changes he was referring to. He was drunk on power and used the hotel as a perfect base for his criminal activities. Without me in the picture, he tarnished the pure reputation of the hotel and turned it into a mafia paradise. “I can still handle it. I know you have other responsibilities.”
He continued to watch me with that cold stare. The love in his eyes had been extinguished a long time ago, and now he stared at me like I was a burden more than an asset. I’d been replaced by the beautiful women who threw themselves at him wherever he went. Even if he was still married, they wouldn’t care.
I rose to my feet and shut my laptop. “Anything else?”
“No.”
I waited for him to leave and kept up my own form of coldness. He only seemed to pay attention to me when I was heartless and cruel. If I wore my heart on my sleeve and told him I loved him, it would just push him away. It was difficult to lie instead of just telling the truth…but I wanted him to be my husband again. “Then why are you still here?”
He broke eye contact with me. “Not sure.”
Maybe Damien was right. Maybe the stupid thing he said to piss off Hades was actually beneficial to both of us. “Well, I have things to do. So, if you’d excuse me…”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and adjusted his watch. “Ash is the one who helped you?”
I nodded. “You owe Damien an apology.”
“I wouldn’t have accused him in the first place if he’d had a clean record.”
“That’s a terrible excuse. Innocent people will commit crimes, and criminals will abide by the law. You should never make assumptions.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Be a man and admit you were wrong.”
“Don’t be a coward and not answer my question.”
I stilled at the accusation. “What question?”
“Are you screwing Damien?” His brown eyes were so hot, they started to steam. They were like a hot cup of coffee on a winter day. He was definitely angered by the idea, but it wasn’t obvious why.
My heart started to beat so fast. “If it has nothing to do with raising our son or running our hotel, then it’s none of your business, and I don’t have to answer your question. I’ve never asked you what you do with your evenings, so how dare you ask what I do.”
Instead of letting it go and being rational, he continued to push it. “This isn’t some random guy. This is Damien. I run two businesses with him, so I have the right to know if he’s fucking my ex-wife.”
“Why don’t you just ask him, then? Because he’s obligated to answer you. I’m not.”
His anger rose. “He won’t answer me.”
“Then let it go.”
He took a deep breath and slowly let the air escape through his flared nostrils. “Just fucking answer me.”
“No. What does it matter if it’s him or somebody else? What if I told you I was hooking up with a guy I met at a bar last week? I’m a single woman. I can do whatever I want.”
His shoulders squared and his body visibly tightened as he absorbed my answer. He wasn’t getting what he wanted, and it only infuriated him. “Are you hooking up with some guy?”
It was the first time I felt hope for us. He was so cold and cruel to me that I assumed he didn’t give a damn about me. But now he was struggling with the idea of me screwing his former friend, and also the idea of me screwing anyone. There was only one explanation for that.
He still cared.
Despite my delight, I had to keep up my ferocity. “Get the fuck out of my office, Hades.”
I was home with Andrew when Damien called me.
“You got plans tonight?”
“Depends. Are you asking me out?”
He chuckled quietly. “No. You’re pretty but not my type.”
“Then what’s your type?”
“I don’t know…I’m not picky. I guess I still see you as a sister.”
It was a sweet thing to say, and it made me more frustrated with Hades that he wouldn’t let the past go. He’d lost a good friend when that person should’ve been in his life forever. “You’re not my type either.”
“What? Sexy, tall, rich… That’s not your type?”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “You said I’m not your type either, so what does it matter?”
“Just want to make sure you’re not blind or anything…”
I definitely wasn’t blind. When Hades walked into my office the other day, I saw him well—all of him. “So, why did you call?”
“I overheard Hades talking with some clients. He’s going out tonight. I thought you could show up, looking all conspicuously sexy in a tight little dress. And skip the panties. Let a bunch of guys hit on you to piss him off.”
“I don’t like to play games.”
“You’re gonna have to play the game if you want to win. Are you gonna go for it or what?”
I’d already taken off all my makeup; I was tired from working all day and taking care of Andrew when I got home. But if I didn’t intercept Hades, some other woman would snatch him. It was a disturbing thought, and it made up my mind quickly.
“You really only have to sleep with him once. Because the second it happens, it’s gonna make everything complicated. That’s good for you…bad for him.”
I knew I would never love anyone but Hades, so I had to do everything I possibly could to get him back. I wanted the life I’d lost, wanted the family I’d never got the chance to enjoy. “Which bar is it?”