Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79328 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I considered my limited options, weighing the risks against the potential reward of gaining Alexander’s respect and his business. The sensible part of my brain was busy calculating the fallout. The rest of me couldn’t stop replaying the feel of Raina’s hand on my arm, or the fact that, for one reckless heartbeat, the idea of calling her mine had appealed to me far more than it should have.
I shoved the inappropriate thought aside. The whole point of this evening was to win Alexander over. I wanted to work with him, and I wanted his business badly enough to endure hours of small talk and forced smiles at a charity gala. But was it worth pretending to be in a relationship with my assistant? Worth blurring a professional boundary I’d worked hard to maintain? Worth feeding an attraction I’d been trying—and failing—to ignore?
My gaze drifted to Chuck’s face. The smug satisfaction he’d worn all evening had curdled into something pinched and displeased—flared nostrils, a tightened jaw, thin lips pressed together in obvious irritation.
Yes, I decided. It was worth it.
This situation had crossed from professional to personal the moment Chuck confirmed he was competing for Alexander’s partnership. The man was a fraud, and even a decade later, the wound of his betrayal hadn’t fully healed. He’d sabotaged our business, stolen from us, left Kurt and me to pick up the pieces of everything we’d worked so hard to build.
I couldn’t let him win. Not this time.
It was almost laughable that he was branding himself as a family man. Sure, he had a wife and children, but I knew what he was really like. Back when we’d worked together, he’d slept around constantly—random women in different cities while his wife stayed home raising their kids. I’d kept my mouth shut about it then, telling myself it wasn’t my business. But he was far from the wholesome husband and father he wanted Alexander to believe he was.
“Is that true, son?” Alexander asked, pulling my attention back to him. The approval in his eyes was unmistakable, warm and genuine in a way it hadn’t been when he’d looked at me before. “Because I’ll be honest with you. I do prefer to go into business with people who share my values. I like to work with serious people. Settled people.”
“A man can be serious without being in a relationship,” I said without thinking.
Alexander’s expression flickered, his mouth turning down in a slight frown, and I cursed myself internally. That wasn’t going to win his approval. If anything, it sounded defensive, like I was already backing away from Raina’s claim.
Luckily, she was far better at navigating social situations than I was.
“That might be true,” Raina said, her voice warm and confident as she drew Alexander’s attention away from my misstep. “But it does take a certain kind of man to capture a good woman’s heart.”
Her hand found mine on the table, her fingers sliding between mine and interlacing with a naturalness that stole my breath. I barely managed to keep my expression neutral as the contact sent an electric current racing up my arm. Her palm was soft and warm against mine, and I had to fight the urge to pull her closer.
“You know what I mean, right, Brenda?” Raina continued, directing her smile at Alexander’s wife.
Brenda chuckled knowingly, reaching for her own husband’s hand. “I certainly do.”
The awkward moment dissolved, and conversation resumed—carried largely by Raina, who had Alexander and Brenda both charmed within minutes. I contributed where I could, but my attention kept drifting to Chuck.
His smug expression had vanished entirely. In its place was barely concealed fury—nostrils flared, brows lowered, jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
Satisfaction surged through me at the sight. But even as I savored Chuck’s displeasure, I knew this ruse Raina had invented could become a serious problem. I’d gone along with it because it seemed like my best option in the moment, but the implications were only now starting to sink in.
When the meal finally ended and Alexander was called away to speak with another guest, I tightened my grip on Raina’s hand before she could pull away.
“We need to talk,” I murmured.
I led her away from the table, weaving through the crowd. The gala was in full swing around us—couples swaying on the dance floor to a Coldplay song the string quartet had adapted, others gathering near the bar or browsing the silent auction tables in the back of the room.
But I couldn’t focus on any of that right now.
I guided Raina past the auction tables and into a quieter corner of the ballroom, stopping to face her near a towering arrangement of white roses. Her expression, while confident at the table, was now filled with uncertainty, her teeth catching her bottom lip in a way that made it difficult to remember why I was supposed to be upset with her.