Hate Me or Love Me

by Ella Miles

  “No, because you are an amazing woman who deserves the best. And I’m the best.”

  Lily smiles weakly.

  “So, what do you want, Lily?” I take her hands in mine, forcing her to look at me and stop turning away.

  She has to stop running from her problems. Even if she doesn’t want to be a senator anymore, she still needs me to help her rebuild her image. She needs to face her troubles head-on. But I can’t help her if she doesn’t know what she wants.

  “Do I have to answer now?”

  “Yes. I’m not letting you run away from this. You need to decide what you want. And then I can help you.”

  She swallows hard.

  “What do you want, Lily?”

  “I want to be the next senator from North Carolina.”

  I grin. “Good girl.”

  She smiles brightly, finally showing me the confident girl I used to know.

  “Today’s a Sunday; it’s not the best day to get your team caught up on everything or to do any interviews, so I’ll spend today getting a plan together. Then, I’ll have my team get your team up to speed, and we will start working on this tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Carter. I’m not sure what I would do without you.”

  I hug her. “You would be just fine. But I’m going to make this a lot easier for you.” I kiss her cheek. “Get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow. But don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything.”

  “So, I see that you won the bedroom argument last night,” Logan says as I take a seat at the bar next to him.

  “Yeah, I did. But your sister won the clothes fight. I had to take all my clothes to the dry cleaners today for them to attempt to get the beer out of them.”

  Logan laughs.

  “It’s not funny. Your sister is annoying as hell.”

  “And you aren’t?”

  “When is she leaving anyway?”

  Logan takes a drink of his beer. “Not sure. Probably when whatever job she came here for is finished.”

  I grin and sip my own beer.

  “What’s so funny?” Logan asks.

  “I got the job that she came here for. So, my guess is, she won’t be staying much longer.”

  Logan raises an eyebrow. “Victoria didn’t get the job?”

  I shake my head.

  Logan frowns as he stares intently at his beer.

  I slap him on the back. “Relax. I’m sure she will find something back in California.”

  Logan shakes his head as he stares at me with wide eyes. “You don’t know Victoria at all, do you?”

  “Of course I do. She’s the same girl we used to pick on all those years ago when we were young.”

  Logan laughs. “She’s not the awkward tomboy you used to know. And she’s not going to just let you push her around and not fight back anymore.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. Lily made her decision, and she chose me, not Victoria. She can fight all she wants, but the decision has already been made.”

  “Maybe. I don’t want to get in the middle of things between my sister and my best friend. But, if I were to bet, I wouldn’t count out my sister.”

  “Whatever. Let’s just celebrate my victory tonight and forget about Tori.”

  I lift my beer, and Logan clinks his against mine. I take a sip. Logan raises the glass to his lips and then grins, lowering it and looking at something behind me.

  I don’t have to turn around to know who’s standing behind me.

  “Hello, Tori,” I say, using the nickname that apparently drives her crazy.

  “Hey, Logan,” Victoria says, ignoring me to walk over to Logan.

  They hug, and then Victoria takes a seat next to Logan at the bar.

  “What can I get you to drink?” the bartender asks her.

  “I’ll take a beer,” Victoria says. “And they will each take another beer as well.” She slaps the cash down on the bar to pay for all of our beers.

  I narrow my eyes at her as she slides my beer over to me.

  “What’s this for?”

  She eyes me. “We are celebrating.”

  She lifts her glass, as do Logan and I.

  “Did you find a new job back in California?” I ask.

  She smirks. “No, Lily gave me the job.”

  I chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “That you think Lily offered you a job.”

  “Well, she did.”

  “You must be mistaken because she offered me the job before I even left her office this morning.”

  “Then, you must be the one who misunderstood because I just got off the phone with her. I start tomorrow morning, bright and early.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want to embarrass you, Tori, but she offered me the job.” I pull my phone out of my pocket. “But we can settle this once and for all.”

  I dial Lily’s number and wait for her to pick up.

  “Hey, Carter. What’s up?” Lily asks.

  “I just ran into Tori.”

  “Who?”

  “Victoria. She says that you just offered her the job of handling your PR. I just need you to verbally tell her that it isn’t happening and that I’m the guy who will be handling everything.”

  There is a moment of silence and then, “Actually…I just hired her.”

  “What?”

  “I hired both of you. I loved both of your approaches, and this is a big enough project that I thought hiring two PR firms would be worth my investment. She can loop you into her ideas tomorrow. I’m sure you will work well together.”

  I stare at Victoria as she smiles slyly at me. I don’t know what she did to convince Lily that she needs both of us, but whatever it is, I’ll change Lily’s mind tomorrow. Tonight, I need to work on Victoria.

  “We will meet you at seven at your office. Get some sleep, Lily. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

  I end the call and then glare at Victoria. “What did you do?” I ask.

  She sips her beer. “I got the job, didn’t I?”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Then, why are you so upset?”

  “Because she hired both of us.”

  Victoria’s eyes widen as she looks at Logan, like he is going to be able to do something about the situation. “What did you do?” she asks her brother.

  “Nothing. I haven’t talked to Lily since high school, same as you.”

  “Logan Grant, don’t you dare lie to me. I know you enjoy watching me and Carter fight. Is this some kind of sick joke to force us to work together? What. Did. You. Do?” Victoria stands, towering over Logan, grabbing on to the neck of his shirt. She’s a tiny woman who shouldn’t be able to threaten a man like Logan with anything, but right now, the rage building inside her gives me no doubt that she would be able to take on Logan or any other man.

  “Lily and I had lunch today,” Logan says.

  Victoria releases him. “I knew it. What did you tell her?”

  “I told her I wasn’t going to get in the middle of this. She asked me for advice on deciding who she should choose and what she should do, and I told her I couldn’t help her. That either of you would be able to do the job. That it was up to her.”

  “Some friend you are,” I say at the same time Victoria says, “Some brother you are.”

  We glare at each other for a second before turning our anger back on Logan.

  “This isn’t a game, Logan. I’m not some teenager you get to play with for your amusement. This is my career you are messing with.”

  Logan stands up and grabs Victoria’s arms. “That’s why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t do anything. Maybe I should have reminded Lily that you two didn’t get along, but I never thought she would choose both of you. I promise. I would never do anything to hurt you. Not anymore.”

  Victoria takes a deep breath. “I know.” She looks at me. “I guess we will be working together.”

  “Or you could quit,” I say, taking a drink of my beer.


  She takes a seat back on the barstool. “I’m not quitting. I don’t care how miserable you try to make my life while we work together. I’m not quitting. This is my chance to start my own company. This is my big break, and I’m not letting you jeopardize that.”

  I shake my head and push down the fury building inside me. Lily needs my help, and Victoria is just going to get in the way.

  “You’re jeopardizing your career by staying.”

  “You can’t scare me off, Carter. I’m a different person than I used to be. I’m done taking your crap.”

  “Yes, you are definitely done taking my crap. That’s why I got the bed last night.”

  “And your clothes were drenched in beer.”

  “Nothing a little dry cleaning can’t fix.”

  I gulp down the rest of my beer before walking over to her. “Thanks for the beer, Tori. I’ll see you at seven sharp. Make sure to get lots of rest on that couch. I have a lot planned for tomorrow.”

  “You’d better look sharp because I plan on blowing Lily away with my ideas, and I doubt she will want to keep you around. You’ll be out on the streets, looking for a new job, so you’d better look good for your job interview.”

  I smirk. “I think I like the old Tori better.”

  She turns and pushes her breasts out. My eyes immediately go to her cleavage. I want to bury my face in her chest and taste her smooth skin. I want to flick my tongue over her hardening nipple. I want to hear her scream my name when I push my dick inside her. I want—

  “Your dick seems to like the new me.”

  “My dick is happy with any woman with breasts and a nice body. But it knows better than to get involved with trouble like you.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I don’t doubt that. I think you should just fuck Lily and leave me to handle the crisis.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, Tori; I can multitask just fine.”

  I brush a strand of her hair behind her ear and watch as her face fights between flushing with anger or blushing with lust. I might not get to fuck Victoria, but she sure is fun to play with in other more torturous ways. She’ll break. She can’t stand me. I give her eight hours of working with me tomorrow and trying to put up with my crap before she quits and leaves the job to me.

  5

  Victoria

  I needed a plan.

  And that’s exactly what I spent all night doing. Coming up with a plan to knock Lily’s socks off to ensure that Carter will get sent home. While he was sleeping in the comfortable bed, I was working. All night long.

  That’s two nights in a row without any sleep. But it will be worth it to watch Carter’s smug smile being kicked off his face.

  I yawn for the millionth time this morning.

  Thank God I was able to find the biggest coffee that Starbucks makes to keep me awake all day.

  “Good morning, Lily,” I say as brightly as I can as I enter her office.

  “Morning, Victoria,” Lily says.

  She looks happy and beautiful in her red dress while I look like a hot mess. I’m wearing a business suit, my hair is up in a bun, and I barely had time to apply any makeup.

  “I’m excited to see what you and Carter come up with. Two days ago, I thought my life was over, and then both of you came into my life and showed me that my career wasn’t over. I just need to regenerate it.”

  “I’d be happy to get started on showing you some of my new plans while we wait for Carter,” I say, trying not to add anything snarky at the end.

  “We should probably wait. That way, you don’t have to share your plans twice.”

  I sigh. So much for blowing her so out of the water with my ideas that she doesn’t even remember that Carter is coming.

  A knock rattles on the door before it is thrown open. Carter walks in, dressed in a dark blue suit. Lily’s and my eyes both go to the hot man standing in the meeting room. A man who is equally handsome and awful at the same time.

  He prances into the room, with a gleam in his eyes. He very clearly got plenty of sleep last night.

  I grab my coffee, trying to ignore him, and stifle a yawn. As the coffee cup reaches my lips, Carter smacks me hard on the back.

  “Good morning, Tori,” he says as the coffee spills all over myself.

  “Morning,” I say through clenched teeth, trying not to scream from the pain all over my body.

  “Oh goodness, did I do that?” Carter says sarcastically, looking at the coffee now dripping all over my face, arms, jacket, and pants.

  “Yes, but it’s not a problem. No need to cry over spilled coffee,” I say, wiping off my face with the back of my jacket sleeve. I won’t let him know that he is getting to me. I’ll just pay back the favor later.

  I stand up to take my jacket off and see what I should do with my pants.

  “Here, let me help you,” Carter says, grabbing my jacket.

  Lily looks straight at me with a giant smile on her face. So, as much as I want to knee Carter in the balls for spilling scorching hot coffee all over me, I don’t. I pretend to smile and let Carter remove my jacket.

  My hands wrap around my bare arms as I feel the pain of the burn all over. I should have worn a long-sleeved blouse instead of one without any sleeves. Maybe it would have protected me better from the burns.

  “Oh my God! Victoria, are you all right? Your face and arms are bright red,” Lily says from across the table.

  “I’m fine.”

  I feel Carter’s hand touch my shoulder, and I jump. He moves his hand away for a second and then touches me softer, moving me to look at him. When he sees what I’m sure is my bright pink face and arms, he darts out of the room.

  “Do you want me to get you a change of clothes or something?” Lily asks.

  “No, I’m fine. Really. It’s just a little spilled coffee.”

  Lily eyes my arms though, and I know it looks bad. But the pain is already subsiding, so it can’t actually be that bad.

  Carter returns with a bowl of water and a washcloth. He sets the bowl on the table. “Put your wrist in the water.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’m fine,” I say again, hating the attention I’m getting.

  He ignores me and grabs my wrist. He sticks my wrist and forearm into the cool water. The burn on my arm soothes immediately. I voluntarily stick my other arm in. When I look down I realize that my arm is redder than I expected.

  “Look at me,” Carter says.

  I do.

  His eyes narrow as he studies my face. He quickly puts the washcloth into the water, wrings it out, and then places it against my cheek. I wince and pull away from the cool water. He places his hand under my chin and gently turns it back toward him as he cautiously places the washcloth on my face.

  I close my eyes at the initial sting and then open them as the cool cloth starts to calm my burn.

  Carter intensely stares at me while he holds the washcloth to my face and then slowly pulls it away. I remove my hands from the water and shake them off.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  I shake my head. “I’m fine. No damage done.”

  He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

  I swallow hard, trying to push any feelings that are creeping up, the more he takes care of me.

  “I’m fine,” I say for the millionth time, trying to convince myself more than him. “It barely hurt. My skin is just sensitive.”

  I turn away from him before he does anything else to make my heart flutter. It’s just an act. He doesn’t really care if he hurt me. He never has before.

  “Here’s some ointment to put on your burns, Victoria,” Lily says, handing me a tube.

  “Thank you. Let’s get started with the meeting though,” I say, taking it from her.

  Lily and Carter both look at me, still concerned. Lily rubs her ear while she exchanges glances with Carter like she is secretly passing a message to him that I don’t get to know.

  I sigh. “I’m fine. I promise.”

  I glan
ce down at my phone to check the time. “I was hoping to share with you my thoughts on the plans first, but I suspect that our savior himself is here.”

  Lily looks at me with wide eyes, and Carter just stares.

  I get up and run out into the hall. I sigh with relief when I see him waiting for me.

  “You came.”

  Phillip, Lily’s ex-fiancé, nods. “You were very persistent that I get here. Are you okay?”

  I bite my lip to keep from screaming. “Yes. Just a hot mess, as usual. Come on, let’s go inside, and I can share the plans with everyone.”

  I grab his arm because I’m afraid he is going to run, and I lead him into the meeting room.

  “Oh my God! Phillip, what are you doing here?” Lily says as she runs over and throws her arms around his neck.

  To my surprise, Phillip hugs her back. I stand to the side, smiling, as I clasp my hands together and watch their reunion. I wasn’t sure that my crazy plan was going to work, but seeing how happy they are to see each other reassures me.

  A knot in my stomach forms when I look over at Carter, though, who is unfazed by the interaction. I thought he would be concerned that I just won Lily over. But he doesn’t seem concerned; in fact, he seems amused.

  “I came to help you. Victoria convinced me that you needed my help, so here I am,” Phillip says.

  Lily has tears in her eyes, which makes me tear up a little as I see them reunite. Phillip has no reason to forgive Lily or to help her in any way. They were engaged when she cheated on him. But, despite all the pain she caused him, he still loves her. I know it. And this proves it.

  Phillip links his fingers with Lily’s, and I about lose it. Such a simple gesture, but it’s beautiful to observe the two of them together.

  “I’m so sorry,” Lily whispers.

  As much as I want to stay and continue to grow envious as they reclaim their love for each other, I know I shouldn’t. I motion with my head for Carter to follow me out and give them some privacy, and to my surprise, he does without protest.

  I grin and sink into the couch in the lobby, down the hallway from Lily’s office, as Carter leans against the wall.

  “So, my plan is going even better than I thought.”