Chapter 18

NATHANIEL. When his elevator dinged, Thane almost tripped running towards it. Mitch strolled into his penthouse with his usual calm stride, as if the world bowed to his every whim. Nathaniel refrained from rolling his eyes, instead turning around and walking to the bar to pour himself a drink. “She signed the papers.” Releasing a breath he had not known he was holding, Thane threw his head back and let the whiskey burn its way down his throat. He was finally free. Thank God. It felt much like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could now stretch his body as fluidly as he wanted. Freedom could do that to a man. “What took you so long?” he asked, sliding a glass of whiskey filled with ice toward Mitch once he sat on a stool at the bar. He waited for the older man to down the glass before refilling it. He supposed this was his way of celebrating his newfound freedom from the clutches of promiscuous women. “You could have come with me, you know.” Mitch eyed him. “Your wife is gorgeous.” “Ex-wife,” he corrected, refilling his own glass as he reflected on the word. It felt foreign coming out of his mouth. “And I don’t care if she’s Miss World. She’s a cheat.” “Says you,” Mitch muttered wryly, emptying his glass again. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Thane’s voice held an edge to it and he had to remind himself that Ysabel had no control over him anymore. She could go ahead and have kids with her boyfriend. He did not care. “Nothing.” Mitch shrugged, rubbing his jaw, a habit he did absentmindedly. “Regardless, she refused to pay the emotional damages.” Thane gaped at him, pausing. “And you let her sign?” “Don’t be ridiculous, man. We both know you don’t need the money.” “Yes, I do. She needs to pay for her infidelity.” “Again, are you sure you caught her cheating?” Mitch actually seemed serious. “Or did you just jump to conclusions? She said she’d never cheated on you and she appeared to be telling the truth.” “You’re a freaking lawyer, Mitch. How did you let a woman deceive you?” “Exactly.” Mitch nodded. “I’m a lawyer and I deal with facts. This woman was willing to go to court to prove she never cheated. I know what I saw.” “You just cost me fifty thousand bucks.” “You’ll live.” Thane was brooding. Maybe he should get another lawyer, one who did not decide to go off on a whim without the consent of his client. Sighing, he supposed Mitch was right. Even though she’d wanted to bleed Ysabel dry for all she was worth, he was still glad that the worst was over. Now they could go their separate ways. “Thank you.” Next to him, Mitch chuckled, getting down from the stool and adjusting his suit. “Don’t thank me, Thane. I still think you fumbled away a good woman.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Thane to his thoughts. The elevator dinged again and seconds later, he was all alone. Fumbled a good woman? He snorted. The only mistake he’d made was believing his mother’s words that Ysabel was a good woman and marrying her in the first place. If what Mitch thought was fumbling was regaining his freedom, then he decided that he had fumbled and would gladly do it again. Remembering that he was supposed to meet up with Winter in a few minutes, Thane headed to his room to change. He was not looking forward to seeing his best friend, especially since he was sure Winter had his sneaky eyes on his assistant but there was no avoiding it. **** Winter was waiting for him at the bar of their favorite spot in New York. It was an exclusive club that also housed a restaurant area and a gaming area for the men to relax and cool off if they wanted to. Thane had never ventured into that particular area of the club, choosing to visit only the bar and the restaurant when he needed to fill his stomach. “I hope you have not been waiting long. Had a meeting with my lawyer,” he said, taking the stool next to Winter. He signaled to the bartender. “I’ll have a rum and a Diet Coke, please.” “Don’t pretend like you did not intend to keep me waiting, you ass,” Winter teased. They fell into a silence that Thane noticed had begun during the time that Winter had started to show interest in Aurora. He wondered if it was the reason Winter had asked him out today. The bartender pushed his order forward He did not have to wonder for long. “I’m not going to take up much of your time, Thane,” Winter said. “I’ll go straight to the point. I like Aurora and I want to pursue her.” Thane heaved in a breath. What was he supposed to say to that? Scoffing, he shook his head. Of course, he knew what to say. He wanted to tell Winter that he could go to hell. But he feared doing that would make him seem overly protective. After all, she was just his personal assistant, not his wife. “She’s married” was what he settled for. It did not escape him that he had already said it to Winter previously and it had not deterred him. “So, you’ve mentioned.” He nodded, taking a sip from his glass. “Respect it.” The words should have been enough, damn it. Why was he so bent on pursuing Aurora? There were millions of women in the city who he could run after. Why did it have to be the one woman that was off-limits? “I will, if she tells me to,” Winter said. “If she doesn’t, then I’m not going to hesitate. I like her. I might even be bold as to say I have feelings for her. You’re my best friend and her boss. I just thought you should know.” Even if she had not been married, Thane was fiercely against Winter dating Aurora. He refused to ask himself why. The other day when she’d been on the phone with her husband, he’d felt a surge of possessive he hadn’t known he possessed, and when he’d come to pick her up after work, he’d seen red. No woman had ever made him feel like this. Why was Aurora different? It wasn’t like she could not have a relationship outside of her work. Or maybe it was the fact that said relationship involved Winter? Or was it just that he could not bear to see her with anyone? What was wrong with him?