Page 33 of My Rose

“Mhm.” I rolled my lips in, trying to ease the swelling and the dumb smile that was getting harder to hide around him. A full smile. I’d never wanted to jump a man as much as I did now.

And that man was Briggs Andrews.

Chapter 14

Briggs

“If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell.” ? Virgil

The sensation that I was floating was something entirely new to me. Until I opened the door to my estate, and my father was standing there, his hands tucked into his front pockets with a look I’d grown to know so well—irritation. “Briggs. There’s a business meeting we are late for. Didn’t Dean call you?”

I pulledout my phone, where ten missed calls, and almost fifteen texts filled the screen.Shit. “I’ll go get ready. Give me five.” He nodded, then checked his watch. I walked by him, expecting some kind of gut punch for being late, but his hands remained tucked away.

“Hey, there you are!” Dean’s arm slid over my shoulder as I entered the hallway that led to my room. He lowered his voice. “What took you so long?”

“I didn’t see the calls.”

Dean rubbed his knuckles into my side. “Ah, so you took my advice for once?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I didn’t want my father to hear any part of this conversation.

He grinned. “Sure, you don’t.” He leaned in closer toward my ear. “You got a little lipstick on your face.”

I grunted and rubbed along every place she’d touched, though doing so felt wrong. “Where are we being sent now?” We walked into my room, where I started to quickly undress as Dean turned around. I walked to the en-suite, finding the pressed suit left out for me. Rhonda saved my ass more times than I could count. Any wrinkles and I’d be reprimanded for looking indecent.

He inspected my face as I returned to the bedroom. “The usual spot for meetings this late. Cappolla Properties is finally meeting with us. Ernie and Mick, the owners.” My throat closed, and that euphoric, floating sensation after finally giving in to the woman I wanted crashed to the floor. All gone and wasted.

“Here.” Dean pulled out two blue pills and held them out to me. I took them with ease and tucked them into my pocket. “Just in case you don’t want to be up here tonight.” He tapped his finger to his temple. Our meetings at the club usually required a certain level of inebriation—hence the Molly I just slipped into my pocket. It was fucking lewd, but I’d been doing it for years now. Rolling and talking business was as easy as doling out punishments to those who did our company wrong. To make as much money as we did, you had to be willing to get dirty. At least, that’s what Father believed.

“I thought he would be gone for a few more days,” I said while cuffing my sleeves.

Dean leaned against the wall. “He found this to be more important.” He shrugged with one shoulder. “Just got back in.”

“Fuck.” That meant he’d be extra touchy, more on edge than usual. “Where’s Jasmine?”

“Sent her back to the penthouse. She’ll be good there until we get back.” I wondered how much of our business Jasmine truly knew about. She seemed pretty intuitive at the diner, and I saw that same intuition in Rose. I could only hope I’d be able to hold Rose back from all of it for as long as I could. Possibly, indefinitely. She’d never agree to be near me if she knew the shit I’d done. And if my father ever knew about her…

Well, that was exactly why I chose to stay away in the first place. My mind was spiraling—so many scenarios running through my mind that it was hard to focus on the present. And the presentmereally fucking wanted Rose.

I’d make it work.

I lowered my voice more. “I promised I’d take her out tomorrow.” I pulled out my phone, typing out a quick message to Rose about not being able to take her out like I planned to.

“Ah, so you got the girl, huh?” I glared at him as I slid my phone back into my pocket. I’m sure he was aware of what his girlfriend said to her—they were in the same damn car when Rose called her. Jasmine knew her friend was incapable of keeping her gorgeous mouth closed with as much anger as I fueled her with. Put her words and my actions together, and now she was mine. He released a chuckle. “She’ll understand. I could always ask Jasmine to come back down for the day to keep her company.”

“Jasmine is better off far away from here.” Like I wished Rose was right about now. The further away fromhim, the better off she’d be.

I checked my watch, relaxing into my suit jacket. Four minutes. That’s how efficient I’d become. Four fucking minutes to prep to be with women I didn’t want, take pills I didn’t want, and wear a suit that cost tens of thousands of dollars that I would never purchase for myself. No surprise there—I’d prefer to be in my sweatpants right about now.

Preferably with Rose tucked in my arm.

We walked down the hall, and my father stood from his position where he’d been on one of the couches meant purely for display. “Ready to go, Father.” Dean moved to stand next to him, probably checking his phone for last-minute details about the company we were trying to acquire.

“Ernie is the shorter, fatter one. Mick is the one with a buzz cut,” Dean said as he put his phone away. I remembered them from theteleconferences we scheduled, but I didn’t think the acquisition was this close. Certainly not the day before my first date with Rose. Something must’ve changed their mind.

“Got it. Is the company going under?” My father’s hand twitched at his side. Dean stepped in front of him, blocking me from his view.

“No, Briggs. They have just finally decided to sell. You will help seal that deal tonight,” my father demanded from behind Dean. I nodded, focusing on the cuff links on my wrist as my father stepped around Dean and led the way out to the limo that would take us to the hangar just outside of town, where we kept our private jet.

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