Page 62 of Serving the CEO

This couldn’t be real.My chest was tight, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Logically, I knew this wasn’t a real wedding for a real marriage, but no matter what happened in the future, this was what I’d think of when someone asked about my wedding. I shouldn’t have been hurt by the fact that Derrick was treating it like the business deal it was, but he’d told me that this was supposed to be like a real relationship, and I supposed that, after I’d trusted him the other night, I’d expected something different.

“My wedding dress?” My voice was low, barely loud enough for him to hear. “You mentioned a fitting. I assume that means my dress has already been chosen?”

“A few days ago, I think,” he said absently, his attention on his phone screen.

I didn’t want to be in this room anymore. Hell, I didn’t want to be anywhere near him right now. I swallowed my hurt and reminded myself that just because we’d had sex didn’t mean that I actually meant anything to him.

“I see. I suppose I’ll have to speak with Anamaria then. It might be nice to see what I’m expected to wear for my wedding.”

Rising, I headed to the door and walked out. I kept my chin up and my shoulders back, determined that no one would see even a hint of anything unprofessional in my expression.

He said my name, but I didn’t turn back. When he caught my arm, I stopped, but only because I didn’t want to get into some sort of tugging match with my arm being the prize. I still didn’t look at him.

“Yes?” I asked.

“What’s the problem?” His voice was tight, edged with irritation.

He was pissed.

Hewas pissed?

What. The. Fuck.

The control I had over my temper snapped, and I looked over my shoulder at him, anger flaring in my eyes and flooding my voice.

“Oh, nothing. I didn’t realize that I’d given up my right to opinions, even the option to help plan my wedding or select my own fucking wedding dress, when I signed that contract.”

Using a move I’d learned in a self-defense class, I stepped into him and instinctively, his hand loosened, and I jerked back out of his reach.

“I assumed I’d at least have the same respect you show to all of your other business partners, but I see that I was wrong.” With that, I strode out of the office, my eyes burning.

I told myself not to cry. Why should I? The wedding wasn’t real. None of this was. Not the wedding, not the affection on Derrick’s part I’d started to think he actually felt.

It was all just part of hisexperiment.

And I was an idiot for thinking otherwise.

* * *

“Areyou going to tell me what’s bothering you, Jess?”

After the strain of the day, the concern in my mother’s voice almost undid me, but I plastered a fake smile on my face before looking at her.

“Nothing, Mom. I’m fine.”

She gave me a skeptical look. “Bullshit.”

Startled that my normally mild-mannered mother had just called me out, I stayed quiet as she came closer and reached up to cup my cheek.

“I know my daughter.” She stroked her thumb over my skin and shook her head. “I know when you’re upset, when you’re unhappy…and I know when you’re hiding something from me. You never used to hide things from me.”

Tears threatened, and I knew if I stood there any longer, the truth would come boiling out—and that would do more harm than good. This was something I definitely couldn’t talk to either of my parents about.

I stepped around her on the pretext of straightening a shelf. “It’s just work shit, Mom,” I lied, hating myself as I delivered the statement. “Today was particularly bad, but it’s nothing you can help with.”

Things had only gotten worse after I left Derrick’s office.

Anamaria had filled me in on everything she’d done so far, including showing me a picture of my wedding dress. It was beautiful. Everything was beautiful.

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