Page 92 of Forbidden Boss (Manhattan Billionaires)

“What?” Nikki put her hands to her head and let out an incredulous laugh. “Wait. Stop. This isn’t happening. Everything is going wrong.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then lifted her gaze to mine.

Shelookedsincere.

But how could I trust her sincerity? How could I trust that she’d stay by my side when no one else did? The only reason she was here was because I was paying her. If we removed that… If she wasn’t actually employed by me and required to be here…

Then what would actually make her stay?

“Rome,” she said softly, “I want to be with you. Really, truly be with you.”

We stared at each other as the silence thickened. My throat felt raw. My chest ached. Iwantedto believe her. I wanted to take that sincerity written on her face and have it be everything I needed.

But it wasn’t.

No one wanted me. Not without an ulterior motive. Not without an exit plan.

Cole was my best friend, and he was turning his back on me. He was pursuing his career, and I couldn’t begrudge him that, but I fuckingdid. And my family treated me like an inconvenience that could be summoned and dismissed at will. The only person that had ever cared about me was Reggie, and he died when I needed him most. Would he have stuck around if I hadn’t made the effort after high school? Or would he have turned his back on me once I was out of sight the way everyone else did?

So yeah, I wanted to believe Nikki. But I didn’t.

“What brought this on?” I asked, my voice like crushed gravel.

She licked her lips and gulped, eyes sliding to the side. I could see her marshaling her thoughts, figuring out the best way to let me down gently. She shouldn’t have bothered. I already knew what was coming. She’d tell me that she just cared about me so much, but we needed to have more time to ourselves. She’d back away slowly like I was a wounded animal who would attack if she turned around and ran. And then she’d cut me out of her life the way everyone else did.

That’s what I thought would happen, which was probably why the words she said shocked me so much.

“Roseanne Monk offered me a job,” she said, lifting her eyes to mine. “And it’s not that I was interested—well, I mean, Iwas—but it just made me realize that our?—”

“Shewhat?”

Nikki blinked. “I haven’t accepted.”

“You’re damn right you haven’t. You’re soliciting work from my clients? Is that what this has been about the whole time?”

Nikki took a step back, and I realized I’d lurched toward her. She put her hands up. “Rome, it just got me thinking, is all. It was a casual offer. It just made me realize that maybe—maybe it would be best if you and I… If we did this the regular way?”

I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. All I knew was that Nikki had leveraged her position as my plus-one to advance her own career. She was clever, I’d give her that. I didn’t even see the betrayal coming. To use the one thing I was proud of, the company I’d built from the ground up?—

“Get out.”

“Rome—”

“Get out!”

She jumped, scrambling for the door. I heard the clip-clop of her heels as they headed for the elevator, and Clara’s voice as she called out to ask if Nikki was okay. All I could do was drag in deep breaths as I shoved my fingers through my hair, pulling at my scalp until my vision righted itself.

I heard the shuffle of a foot on the floor and turned to see Clara in the doorway, frowning at me.

“Start Ms. Jordan’s exit paperwork. She’s no longer employed at Blakely, effective immediately.”

Clara stared at me for a beat, then dipped her chin. “Right away.”

The door snicked shut, and I was alone. I almost started laughing. Of course I was alone. How else would I be? Did I really think Nikki would swan in here and wrap her arms around me and make everything all right? Did I think she wasdifferent?

I was a fucking fool. The worst kind of fool, because I should have known better. Not one single person in my life had stuck by my side. Not unless they had a fat paycheck or used me as a rung up the ladder. My acquaintances were clients. My friends were nonexistent.

Nikki had read me properly from the very start. She probably never cared about me at all. She saw the pathetic, lonely, business-obsessed loser that I was, and she decided to work me for everything she could.

But she could have done it for longer,my brain reminded me.She came in here to tell you she wanted to be with you. She wanted a relationship.

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