Office Affairs (+18) | Completed

CHAPTER 29

Peter POV

Since Jane claimed to be busy, an assertion I didn't wholly believe, I decided I would devote my evening to tearing a strip off of my brother. Georgiana had an impressive but alarming ability to still perform her job while in her morose state, but it was almost like she was super productive so that she'd have more time to organize her highlighter collection or count the paperclips in her drawer. It was infuriating and deeply distressing. And confusing.

Anyway. I wanted no more of it. I stormed back to my penthouse after work, which was where Dane had apparently taken up residence in recent weeks.

When I got home, though, he wasn't there. Typical.

I texted him to see where he was, and he said he'd be home soon. If he was out doing anything but making up for what he did to Georgiana, I was going to be furious. Well, even more furious.

Dane staggered into the apartment around six, clearly drunk.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked.

He gave me a lopsided smile and slid down onto the couch across for me. "I just had a couple of drinks," he said. "Nothing to be concerned about. Didn't go anywhere public."

I frowned. "If you didn't go anywhere public, then where the hell did you go?"

Dane grimaced. "Possibly to an ex-girlfriend's," he said.

"Possibly?"

"Probably..."

"Probably?"

"Okay, definitely."

I stood up and stalked over to the couch. I grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and hauled him up onto two feet. I kept hold of him, mostly because he was swaying on the spot.

"Can you explain to me why Georgiana has been in a foul mood all day?" I spat.

Dane visibly cringed. "She was?" he asked softly.

I dropped him back onto the couch and went to the kitchen to make a drink. Lord knows I needed one.

"So you fuck my assistant, break her heart, then go fuck an ex-girlfriend just to prove how much of a dick you are?" I accused, pulling out the vodka from the cupboard.

Dane staggered to the kitchen island, seating himself on the barstool.

"I didn't fuck her," he said, eyes wide. "Either of the hers."

I stilled, turning and locking my gaze onto his. "You didn't sleep with your ex?"

He shook his head. "She was just the only place in Fairview I could get a little wasted and have some company without anyone seeing."

That caused me to look at him suspiciously. It had been a responsible decision, made even more responsible by the fact that he hadn't screwed it up by sleeping with his ex. I had to commend him for that.

Since an incident a few weeks ago, I'd basically grounded Dane. I was trying to teach him a little responsibility, so that he could have a hand in our family's company without burning the whole operation to the ground. This was the first noticeable sign that he actually gave a shit.

"Okay," I stated evenly. "Fine. But what happened with Georgiana while I was gone?"

His big, drunken eyes filled with emotion. It wasn't a look I was used to seeing on Dane. I willed myself not to look away.

"We kissed," he said. "After you kicked us out of the apartment so that you could sleep with Jane, she offered to let me come crash at her place for a bit."

I rubbed my face in my hands. Of course. What else would they have done? I had been so blinded by lust at the time that I hadn't seen that would be the most likely outcome for the pair.

"So you went over to her place," I said, planting my hands on the island. "But you kissed her and left?"

Dane shook his head. "I kissed her and stayed," he said. "I slept over. We cuddled." He hung his head and sighed. "It was nice."

I was confused. "Then why the hell is she so upset?"

Dane looked back up at me and grimaced. "I left while she was sleeping. May or may not have been avoiding her texts."

The muscle in my jaw ticked for the second time that day. "You did what?"

He couldn't have looked more sheepish if he grew a wool coat. "I know. It was dumb."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I exploded. "You can't fuck around with my assistant like that!"

Dane stood and backed up, holding his hands up as if they would help stop the onslaught of my rage. "I don't know. It was dumb."

I breathed deeply and closed my eyes, trying to center myself. Between his negligence of Georgiana's feelings, and Jane's frigid behavior toward me earlier, I was about at my wit's end.

"Go to bed," I stated.

I opened my eyes to see Dane looking at me questioningly.

"Go the fuck to bed!" I repeated.

He retreated with his tail between his legs. Less than a minute later I heard the door to his room close.