Page 81 of The Boss Situation

“Aren’t they always?” I ask.

“Still performing for LadyLux?”

I grin. “Wasn’t her article enthralling?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s inaccurate.”

“Those are your words, not mine,” I remind her, echoing what she said to me.

I know what LuxLeaks posted—there were truths sprinkled in, even if some things were exaggerated.

This catches Billie off guard; it shows on her face.

“Why did you unblock me on Instagram?” she asks, then shakes her head. “Actually, why did you block me in the first place? That’s abetterquestion.”

I take a bite of the pizza I tried to eat earlier. “Ah. Now, that’s a great question,” I say just as a few knocks sound on Billie’s door. My brows furrow. “Are you expecting someone?”

“My boyfriend,” she tells me, and I can’t tell if she’s joking.

She moves toward the door and glances back at me. The knocking continues. She looks in the peephole, and her demeanor shifts.

“You have to hide,” she says, moving back to me as the knocking persists. Billie grabs my hand and pushes me down the hallway. “Hide in my bedroom.” She points at the door at the end of the hall. “Five minutes.”

“And if I say no?”

“Please don’t do this to me right now. Please.” She’s serious.

“Who is it?” I ask.

“Go,” she instructs.

I move toward her bedroom that’s lined by dark brick walls. Her high heels are scattered on the floor, like she undressed the moment she got home. I pass the sexy dress she was wearing, along with a strapless bra. I enter her bedroom, amazed by how she designed it.

“Nice lair, Ice Queen.”

A king-size four-poster bed rests against a light-gray wall, neatly made with fluffy white blankets and stacked pillows.

A deep voice pulls me away. I leave the door cracked open, straining to hear, but I can’t make out the words.

“What do you want?” Billie asks, her tone laced with venom and an anger I’ve never heard before. It’s surprising, considering I’ve witnessed some of her worst moments over the years.

The muffled voice returns.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m alone or not. We aren’t together. We are never getting back together,” she states firmly. “No! I will never forgive you.”

My heart races as I listen. If she raises her voice one more time, it’s over.

“No, no,” she says.

I hear footsteps approaching. I quickly slip into Billie’s closet. It’s dark, and the silhouettes of her black clothes surround me.

“I know he’s here,” the guy says, and I instantly recognize the voice—Josh Lustre.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re not together. Why the hell are you here?” she retorts. “I thought I’d made it clear that I never wanted to see you again.”

“I miss you,” he confesses. “You and Asher?—”

“Are nothing,” she snaps. “We will never be anything. Why are you so damn concerned about him? You know how I feel about him, and you still hired him! What the fuck, Josh?”

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