Page 18 of Exposed

His brows shoot up. “That’s it?”

“There’s more.” I shake my head, not only because there’s more, but because I cannot believe I’ve gotten myself into this situation and make myself say it. “I used to work here.”

His expression turns bland, and I have no clue what that means. “Really.”

Not a question.

“Yes. I didn’t leave on good terms.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before you agreed to show me the place?” he demands.

The words that fall from my lips match the desperation that churns in my gut. “Because I want to plan your aunt’s wedding. I need this contract. Business has been slow since I left The Pink. Just when I think I have a new client in the books, they cancel on me with no reason. It’s happened more times than I can count in the last six months. My plan was to bring you here, show you its faults, and convince you to book your event elsewhere.”

He hikes a brow, and his deep exhale fans my face. I also feel it in every place our bodies touch. “Were you fired?”

I shake my head. “No. Goodness, no. I’ve never been fired from any job in my life. I’m good at what I do. If you let me plan your aunt’s wedding somewhere else, I promise it will be amazing and heartfelt and made of memories that will last a lifetime—yours and hers. I’ve had employers beg me not to leave.”

“Did The Pink beg you not to leave?”

I hesitate before answering. “Not exactly.”

He motions around the room before returning his hand squarely to the small of my back where he presses in. His patience is waning—that is if he had any patience to begin with. “Then why would you leave this place to go out on your own? This has to be the end-all be-all for someone like you.”

I lower my voice. “I thought it was, but it’s not. It’s definitely not the be-all, but it is the end-all. Especially for me.”

A string quartet tunes up in the distance, but Daniel’s intense focus on me never waivers. “You talk in circles. What does end-all mean?”

“Why do you care?” I demand. The last thing I want to do is wave my dirty-laundry drama like a red flag. I’ve already messed this up enough. There’s no way I’ll be able to plan Trippy’s wedding. I was a fool to think I could convince this man of anything else.

His square jaw goes taut as he bites his words back. He’s about to say something when a vibration hits my breast. It’s his cell tucked between us in the pocket of his jacket.

“Hold that thought.” He pushes me away far enough to reach for his phone and reads the screen. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

His exasperated glare focuses back on me. “I don’t have time for this, Goldie. It’s clear you’re not supposed to be here, which means I’m not supposed to be here either. That means you and I are crashing a party that requires an invite and more to get into. We snuck through the kitchen like we’re in the middle of a shitty rom-com masking itself as an action movie. You owe me the truth. What does end-all mean?”

I turn to look across the hall toward the front of the room.

There he is, sitting at the head table surrounded by his closest confidants. The woman by his side is fawning all over him.

She’s new.

I’ve never seen her before, but she fits the mold.

His mold.

She fits into the life I don’t want any part of. I gave up everything to get away from it.

“Goldie.” My name is sharp on his tongue, and I feel him tug me impossibly close. When I turn back, his blue eyes are demanding. “Tell me.”

My voice dips so low, I can barely hear myself over the strings and chatter. “I’m a rule follower, okay? Heck, I don’t speed. I don’t even curse. But things are not right here. Like, really not right. When I realized what was going on, I wanted no part of it. They didn’t beg me not to leave, Daniel. They threatened me not to leave, but I got out. If I get caught here, I have no idea what will happen.”

5

MY FIANCÉE

King

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