Chapter 35

Wolfe's POV.

The sound of muted background music from the club downstairs faded into the background as I downed the whiskey in my glass in one gulp. My throat burned, but the alcohol did little to quell the anger simmering inside me. I'd been furious all day, so much so that I could barely sketch a thing. So much for dismissing Makenna to ‘get back to work.’ Now I wished I hadn’t said what I did. But maybe it was better for both of us. Keeping my distance wasn’t changing anything. I still thought about her constantly, still longed for her touch.

At this point, I didn’t mind throwing caution to the wind and driving to her place to get what I wanted. But that would be selfish of me, and as much as I didn’t care about emotional attachments or feelings, I cared about her opinions and feelings.

It was in this very club she had given me her virginity—a total stranger. Despite my annoyance, I chuckled at the memory. She had looked wild with her brown hair, yet still so innocent on my bed. Then I’d come out of the bathroom, and she was gone. Vanished like a dream.

I reached for the bottle to refill my glass, but someone else grabbed it first. I looked up and frowned. Makenna?

She emptied the glass of whiskey and poured another one, then sat down on the sofa opposite me. Her choice of attire was bold—definitely not the Makenna I knew. She wore a stunning gown that hugged her curves like a second skin.

The fabric, a deep shade of midnight black, shimmered subtly under the club lights, catching glimpses of attention with every move she made. The gown's neckline dipped daringly low, revealing just enough to captivate without revealing too much. She was beautiful, exuding allure and elegance, but she wasn’t Makenna.

Definitely not Makenna. She wasn’t this brazen. Besides, she didn’t know about the secluded area in the club—no one knew, apart from the staff, my brothers, and sons of my top clients. So how the hell was Mackenzie here?

I ignored her and signaled a waitress for another bottle of whiskey and an extra glass. If I had company, I might as well get an extra bottle. The first one was almost empty anyway. As much as I didn’t mind her presence at the moment—mostly because she was Makenna’s sister—I really wasn’t in the mood for company.

“What are you doing here?” I asked curtly, watching her cross her legs and sip from my glass.

“That’s no way to welcome a guest, Mr. Wilder,” she replied, giving me a small smile.

“I don’t remember inviting you over,” I retorted. I just wanted some time to assess the situation with Makenna. I didn’t want any company, especially not one that looked exactly like her. I didn’t even notice the waitress bringing my order. I usually invited my brothers on days like this, but this was different. I didn’t want to give them a chance to verify my thoughts about my feelings for Makenna.

"Hello to you too," she chuckled, watching me brood. "Besides, this part of the club is more interesting than what's going on downstairs."

Mackenzie leaned back, studying me with her sharp eyes. “Do you always brood like this when things don’t go your way?”

I clenched my jaw, getting really annoyed at her interruption. “What do you want, Mackenzie?”

She laughed softly, a sound that grated on my nerves. “I wanted to see you. Is that a crime?”

“It’s late, and I’m not in the mood for games,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“I’m not playing games, Wolfe. I thought we could have a chat, maybe get to know each other better. After all, I am your new accountant.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “This is neither the place nor the time for that.” I frowned, emptying the first bottle of whiskey into the new glass. ”You don't see anyone here, do you?” I asked, drinking half of the glass and glancing at her.

She gave me a sultry smile. “Business gone wrong?”

“Even if it was, I don't think it's any of your business.” I emptied my glass. I had planned to get drunk, maybe take the drinks to my room and drown out thoughts of Makenna and my anger. The last thing I needed was Mackenzie finding out how I felt, especially if I got drunk while she was here.

“Actually, it is my business. I handle the accounts, remember?” She watched me curiously. “What's got you in such a mood, Wolfe?”

“Are we on a first-name basis now?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“As I said, we're in a club.” She shrugged, pouring herself another glass of whiskey. “Why not ditch the unnecessary formalities? And I'm single.” She winked and sipped from her glass.

I shook my head in annoyance. She was one hell of a minx.

“You didn't answer my question though,” she said, leaning toward me, her cleavage a bit exposed.

I ignored her and slowly sipped from my glass of whiskey.

She suddenly moved to sit beside me and grabbed my right hand. “You're injured,” she noted, her proximity unnerving. It didn't help that she looked exactly like her sister.

“What the fuck are you doing?” My patience with her was definitely stretching thin.

She ignored me and called a waitress to get a first aid box.

“I'm fine,” I grunted, pulling my hand away and slightly pushing her away.

“No, you're not, but whatever you say,” she said, slightly moving away, her pride obviously hurt. “Just let me dress your wound at least.”

“It's barely an injury,” I grunted, feeling guilty for pushing her away. “You really don't have to do that.”

“I know. But it could get infected.” The waitress arrived with a small first aid box. Mackenzie turned to me, extended her hand, and asked, “May I?”

Grudgingly, I placed my hand in her palm. She cleaned my wound gently, her touch almost tender. Her concentration reminded me of Makenna, making me uncomfortable. I almost reached out to touch her face before I reminded myself that she was Mackenzie, not Makenna.

At that moment, she lifted her head, and our faces were barely inches apart. She leaned toward me, glancing at my lips.

“Thanks for this,” I said, abruptly backing away and pulling my bandaged knuckles from her hands. “But you need to leave. You're still my staff. This is inappropriate.”

“I don't think it matters if I'm your staff,” she said, watching me curiously. “I've heard a lot about you. Is this about a woman?” Her eyebrows raised.

She knew about me? What was she getting at? And where the hell was she getting her information from?

“You need to leave now, Ms. Barnes,” I repeated, ignoring her question. I needed to have a word with my security. No one should have let her into my private space without my permission.

She nodded, downing her glass of whiskey. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” she said, grabbing her bag from the sofa beside me. “For now. You know where to find me if you need some company.” She blew me a kiss and sashayed toward the entrance of the private club.

What was that?

I almost fucking kissed Makenna’s sister. I knew I was an asshole, but I wasn’t that foolish.

Groaning, I ran my hands through my hair in frustration as I emptied my glass.

One way or another, I needed to see Makenna before I did something stupid.