Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 64979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
The sound of footsteps trailing closer interrupted our conversation.
“She’s coming.” I put my finger over my mouth. “Shhh!”
“She’s not going to come into your dressing room, kitten. Relax.”
“Fine.” Inhaling a deep breath, I tried on the lingerie for him.
It was an intricate white corset top with matching panties and a garter belt. Once I was dressed, I stood in front of the mirror with Tristian standing behind me.
“You’re fucking stunning.” He kissed my shoulder.
I moved away from him. “Don’t start that. We can’t do that in here.”
“Kitten, when are you going to learn that I can do what I want?”
“Tris—”
With that, he walked out of the room.
Oh my God.
The expression on the seamstress’ face was one I’d never forget as she witnessed him stepping out of my dressing room.
“Mr. Hawkins, I—”
“Here’s five hundred dollars. You never saw me here, understood?”
Her eyes beamed, grabbing the bills from his hands. “Yes. No problem. I won’t say a word.”
“Great.” He gazed at the rack of dresses. “She’s going to try these on, and she’ll call you when you’re needed.”
She eagerly nodded, glancing back and forth between us before leaving.
I smacked his chest. “Are you out of your mind?”
He laughed.
“Where did you get all that money?”
“I have a trust. It was in my parents’ will.”
“You just spent five hundred dollars to be alone with me in a dressing room.”
“And I would have paid more if I had to.”
“You’re insane.”
He smiled, tugging me toward him with his hand on the back of my neck. “Insanely in love with you.”
I wish I would have known then that this was the beginning of the end...
For us.
Chapter 23
—Tristian—
Now
“Do we have to leave?” she questioned, kissing my chest.
We’d just woken up, and it was the last day of our two-week honeymoon.
“Considering you didn’t want to come and now you’re begging me to stay, I could be persuaded to give you what you want.”
“You know what they say: happy wife, happy life.”
I chuckled. “I have a call I need to be on soon. We can discuss this after I’m finished.”
“I like the sound of that. What’s the call about?”
“It’s with an old friend, Adrian Drake. He needs help with his Fortune 500 company.”
She cheekily smiled. “Maybe I should be on the call. I could definitely give him my expert advice.”
“That you can, kitten, but I think he’s looking for a man chat.”
“Oh, no girls allowed?”
“If you must know, he’s struggling with his executive assistant, and he wanted to know if I knew anyone qualified that he could bring on. The position is for half a year.”
“Adrian Drake…” She thought about it for a second. “Why does that sound familiar?”
“He’s done business with Montgomery Enterprise.”
“Ohhhhh! I know who you’re talking about. He’s tall, maybe six-two? Has hazel eyes with flecks of green? Strong jawline, broody looking, walks around like he’s God? You know, similar to you.”
I possessively replied, “That’s awfully descriptive.”
She put her finger over her mouth. “Did I forget to say handsome? Because he’s that too.”
I inadvertently growled.
“Awe, baby, don’t be jealous.”
“Don’t call me baby. I’m not a child.”
“I mean…” She shrugged. “You’re kind of acting like one right now.”
“Do I need to remind you of how much of a man I am?”
“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
I smacked her ass, hard.
“Hey! That’s not nice.”
In one quick motion, I gripped the back of her thighs and tossed her onto the bed and hovered above her.
“I’m not nice.”
She smirked. “You can be nice sometimes, but back to Adrian—”
“You can call him Mr. Drake.”
“But he’s your friend.”
“My friend, kitten. Not yours.”
“What happened to what’s mine is yours?”
“Are you purposely trying to piss me off?”
She sarcastically remarked, “Sir, I would never.”
“I could get used to you calling me sir.”
“I’m sure you could.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “So he’s looking for a new EA?”
“From what I’ve heard.”
“If I’m pregnant, I won’t be needing, Paige, my executive assistant, as much as I usually do. I know she’ll probably want something a little more demanding. If he’s in a pinch, I could let him borrow her.”
“That’s very sweet of you.”
“What can I say? I’m a sweet girl.”
“The sweetest.” I kissed along her neck. “I’ll see how he feels about it.” I grabbed her chin, making her look at me. “Talk to me.”
Those three words carried a mean ass punch, and I could tell she felt each one in the pit of her stomach.
Taking a deep breath that made my chest hurt, she brushed it off, babbling, “We are talking.”
I didn’t hesitate in calling her out. “Are you trying to avoid what’s really bothering you by your relentless pursuit of trying to make me jealous?”
She narrowed her eyes at me with a stern, pointed look. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You know what.”
I grinned. “Does it bother you, kitten, that I know what’s in your head and heart?”
“See… And then you say swoony stuff, and I’m just like hold me.” She smiled with kind eyes, being sinful and adorable all at the same time.