“It isn’t my fault that Paul thought I was better qualified.”
“He only thought that because of the way you kept your head up his ass for so long. You charmed him right into this job, didn’t you? Took everything that should have been mine.” His glee is gone, looking disgusted now. “And now you think you can turn your nose up at an even better opportunity that you most likely don’t deserve so you can hang around for steady sex? No. You need to know how it feels when things don’t go your way.”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the roaring in my head. “I’ll quit,” I tell him. “I’ll take the job. We don’t have to involve Mackenzie at all. You can have whatever you want.”
And I would think that this would be the end of it, but Dennis looks unconvinced, clicking his tongue. “Yeah, see—That’s not going to cut it, I think.”
“What more can I possibly do?”
“Well, you see . . . I’ve met your ‘mate,’ as you know. She’s smart. Too smart. Something tells me she isn’t the type who would take this lying down. I think we both know she would have a lot to say about you just up and quitting on my say-so.” He looks annoyed when he adds, “She’s very protective of you, for whatever reason.”
My heart flutters with something other than rage for the briefest of moments.
“I don’t have to tell her the specifics,” I urge, still trying to save this.
Dennis makes a face. “Yeah . . . I can’t really leave that much up to chance. Blackmailing isn’t exactly a good look for me.”
“Then what the fuck do you want, Dennis?”
He smiles again, that same awful smile that says he’s getting every terrible thing he’s ever wanted, and I would give anything to be able to tear it right off his face right now.
“You’re going to have to end things with Dr. Carter.”
I feel the air leave my lungs. “Pardon?”
“I think it’s the only way to be sure that nothing goes awry.”
“Absolutely not,” I scoff. “I won’t.”
“Aw,” Dennis coos maddeningly. “That’s so sweet.” He throws up his hands. “By all means. Don’t. I’m sure she’ll be fine when the board finds out she lied on a disclosure form. Eventually. She’s, what, a year out of her residency? Your career might bounce back after a scandal like that, I mean, you are a genius, after all. I wonder if Mackenzie would be so lucky?”
Hearing Dennis say her name makes me want to break something, and I grip the arms of my chair to keep me grounded, just to ensure I don’t fly out of it and wrap my hands around his throat.
“She doesn’t deserve that,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I have no doubt. Which is why you’ll do the right thing and end things. Free and clear.”
“There’s no way that she will just accept me ending things out of the blue. She’s too smart for that.”
Dennis throws up his arms in another shrug, still looking pleased with himself. “I guess you’re just going to have to be very convincing then. Aren’t you.”
“I could tell the board about the blackmail,” I say as a last-ditch effort. “Mutually assured destruction is at play here.”
“Hardly,” he snorts. “You think they’ll care more that I found out about your little scheme and urged you to come clean more than they’ll care about your lies? You and I both know you don’t have a leg to stand on.”
I’m vibrating with rage and frustration and even fear at the idea of what he’s asking me to do, knowing he’s put me in an impossible position. Dennis senses my struggle, and possibly even my murderous intent—stepping backward toward the door with his hands outstretched.
“Just think it over,” he says. “I’ll give you tonight to decide.”
“If you hurt Mackenzie,” I warn, “I will rip you apart.”
Dennis flashes me one last smug grin as he opens my door, raising his shoulder in a nonchalant gesture. “That all depends on you, now, doesn’t it?” He gives me a pointed look. “I’ll expect an answer by tomorrow, Dr. Taylor.”
I count to ten in my head as he closes the door, trying to keep myself from chasing after him. Even without ever having felt violent urges like I’m feeling at the moment, I know if I touched him right now it would end with me in prison and him in his own blood. Every cell in my body is concerned only with protecting Mackenzie, the idea of her being in jeopardy sending my senses into overdrive.