Page 83 of Sins and Secrets

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I say, my voice husky as I lean closer to her. “That sheer dress you put on last night was entirely the problem. And then you got naked and that’s even more of a problem.”

A bright pink blush spreads across her cheeks as the doors open to the office floor. I wink at her before heading to our office with her beside me. It feels good to walk through the business with her, knowing that she is just as ambitious as I am. That we can build a successful future together where neither of us has to worry about the other not wanting the same things.

“Do you need me to do anything before I start to run reports?” Billie asks as she takes her coffee from the tray and puts it on her desk. She pulls her laptop out of her purse before hiding the purse in the small closet.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the resort you want to build.”

She raises an eyebrow, curiosity shining in her eyes. She follows me into my office and shuts the door. I take a seat on the couch, setting my coffee on the table. Billie sits beside me, her knee brushing against mine as I open the folder I left in the middle of the table yesterday.

“I’ve been looking at the plans you have for a resort, and before you get mad at me, Christian brought them to me. He thought that it was something I should see.”

Her eyes widen slightly as she looks down at her sketches. “I don’t know why he would do that. I told you about everything I planned on doing.”

“Yeah, but you never showed me these. Billie, these are amazing. You’re ready to do this now. I know that I’ve already paid you a fair amount of money through our contract, but if you want me to, I’d love to be a silent investor in your resort business.”

Her mouth drops open and she immediately starts shaking her head. “Thank you, Alessio. I really do appreciate the offer, but this is something I have to do on my own. I want to know that I accomplished it without the mafia backing me. I just want something independent. Something that can really be my own, you know?”

I smile and nod. “I do know. But this could give you an easy foot in the door. I have more money than I know what to do with and I want to support you in your dreams. Let me help you.”

“Then support me by respecting my wishes,” she says, her tone sharp. “I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I don’t want to use your money to prop up my business. I want to build this on my own. I’ve been working since high school to make my dream a reality. Every single dollar I have has gone into saving for my future. I need to know that I worked hard for this.”

“Billie, you’re being unreasonable. This money wouldn’t be to prop you up. It would be to help you make your dream a reality faster.”

She crosses one leg over the other and takes my hand. “Thank you for being as generous as you are, but to me, this feels like propping me up. I need you to step back and see it from my perspective.”

As much as I want to argue with her and tell her that I can give her everything she needs, I take a mental step back. I need to see everything the way she is seeing it.

Even though it is hard to admit, I can see where she is coming from. I can understand the feeling of wanting to know that you made it on your own. She wants to build something from the ground up that she worked for.

“I’ll support you in whatever way you want. I won’t invest in your company, but will you let me give you a bonus at the end of the contract? You’ve been dragged through the wringer for the last couple weeks, and I want you to know how much I appreciate you standing by my side.”

She smiles. “You’re not going to let me say no to that, are you?”

I grin and shrug. “You could try, but I would just find another way to give it to you.”

“I’m not going to use the money for the business.” She stands up and smoothes down her slacks. “You should know that before you decide to send me more money.”

“Use it for whatever you want. You could use a new car. Yours is looking a little worse for wear.”

Billie gasps, putting a hand to her heart. “How dare you say that about my baby?”

“Your baby is a rust bucket just waiting to roll over and die.”

She laughs and heads for the door. “I’m going to get to work and I suggest you do the same. I hear the boss is a real hard ass.”

I watch her stride out of the office, my heart swelling.

I’m going to marry that woman one day.

27

BILLIE

“So, the contract is over,” Emilia says as we curl up on the couch and turn on a movie. “What are you going to do now with your life?”

“Well, Papa can finally be on his own, which means that I would be able to leave now if I wanted to.”

Emilia smirks and turns to face me. “That sounds like there is a but coming.”

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