Page 22 of Wreck Me

I want her to myself.

In any capacity.

‘You know you can’t carry on working here. Nice girls like you don’t belong here.’

Scarlett’s fingers strum over the stem of her glass. ‘What makes you so sure I’m nice?’

‘I’m never wrong about people. And you’re one of thegood ones.’ I rub a thumb over the stubble dusting my chin. ‘But Cole is like a hound chasing the scent of blood. He didn't like what happened tonight. He didn't like losing you to me. He’s not going to forget. He’s going to keep coming after you.’

I watch as my words sink in. Her expression falls.

‘Help me, Scarlett, please. Pretend for a while. I have a big deal I’m working on and it would really help to get the Board and my father off my back, at least until the deal’s done. It might take a few months, but I’d pay you well for it. How does three hundred thousand sound? And, unlike your current boss, I won’t pressure you into sex. If you come to me looking for it though…’ My lips quirk at the serious expression pinching her face.

It’s impossible to miss the way she presses her thighs together. The slight roll of her slim hips. The way her tongue dips over her lips.

‘What would I have to do?’ She sucks on the inside of her cheek contemplatively.

‘Resign from this place for a start. Attend my boring as fuck societal obligations. Publicly date me. Don’t worry, Scarlett, this isn't a trap. I won’t corrupt your virtue. Unless you want me to, that is.’

She stares into space for a long beat, seeing something that isn't there. I’d love to know what she’s thinking.

Eventually, she stands, downs the remaining champagne in her glass and places it on the floor beside the couch. Every muscle in my body tightens, bracing itself for disappointment, waiting for her to walk out of the door.

But she doesn’t.

Instead, she struts purposely towards the podium and steps up. ‘I’ll think about it. Let me dance for you. It’s what you paid for, after all. And if I accept your offer, I might not get to do it again.’ She grips the pole and pushes herselfagainst it, swaying those hips in a hypnotic rhythm that’s animalistic, agonising and utterly enthralling.

My cock is rock solid in seconds.

If I get my way, she will dance for me again, but it will be naked in my bedroom.

Because as much as I need to get my father and the Board off my back, what I desire more than anything, is time alone with her.

The need to know more about this woman is consuming me.

Chapter Thirteen

SCARLETT

Avery allowed me to leave the club on Friday night without a full debrief, but on the promise I meet her for Sunday brunch and a badly needed shopping spree. And apart from the fact I’m dying to discuss James, I’m also in desperate need of some new clothes.

Who knows? If I accept James Beckett’s proposition, I might just need them.

But what if he finds out I’m the step daughter of his family’s biggest rival? I’m all too aware of the legal battles, the public showdowns. I know how James’s father, Alexander, got that scar on his face. And it’s not a pretty story.

No. There’s no way James can ever find out. I’ve changed my name. Cut my ties. There’s nothing that can link me to the O’Connors. In fact, they’re as much my enemies now as they are the Becketts’.

If I accept James’s proposition, it could potentially set me up for life.

Plus, I’m insanely attracted to him. More attracted than I’ve ever been to any man.

‘If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to rip that pretty little scrap of silk from your pussy and bury my tongue in it.’

I got myself off twice when I went home that night, just imagining it. Of course, if I were to agree to his proposition, we couldn't complicate our arrangement with sex.

There’s a reason he wants a fake girlfriend, not a real one.

By the time I stride into the restaurant to meet Avery, I’ve made my decision.

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