Page 29 of Sinister Devotion

"Yes?" I ask her.

She laughs softly, giving me half a smile. "You called me in here, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Listen, I need to apologize to you. The way I spoke to you, the way I've been avoiding you, I'm not very good at this relationship stuff."

"Oh, so this is a relationship?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. "Just a business one, I presume."

"Claire, I'm trying to make things right. Call Nina's Boutique and tell her Julian's coming in for a private shopping appointment tonight at nine o'clock. Make sure to tell her the tab's unlimited."

Claire swipes the screen on her tablet and makes the call. She speaks to someone briefly before disconnecting the call. "Is there anything else you need from me tonight, Julian?"

"Yes, come with me to Nina's Boutique. Call it a belated birthday gift."

She puffs her cheeks, blows out a breath, and folding her arms over her chest.

"What?" I ask her.

"The way you spoke to me, Julian? You scared me. I’ve never been on the opposite side of you when you're angry." She raises and lowers her hand at me.

Fuck.

I walk over to her, caution rides every step to assure her I'm not trying to scare or intimidate her. My shoulders droop as I share some honesty. "I have an idea of what it looks like, Claire. Charleston's no prince and his temper is ten times worse than mine. That morning he came here, if I hadn't been there, I know he would have hit Fiona. I've seen him do worse. I grew up with that monster and I hate how much of him is in me. I'm sorry, Claire. I never want you to feel anything the eleven-year-old me ever felt."

"Oh my god, Julian. I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she says, reaching up to stroke the side of my face.

It's comforting, but I don't deserve it. I shrug away from her touch and move to change the subject. I need to lighten the heaviness between us, telling her, "It's no excuse. You mean a lot to me and another trait I've picked up from my crazy parents is to use my wealth to get what I want. What I want is for you to forgive me while I work on keeping my temper in check with you."

"You can't just throw money at me to make me feel better about the way you're treating me." Her words are tough, but the softness in her eyes lets me see she's open to my apology.

I nod and tip my head side to side. "Shouldn't you wait to see how much money I'm throwing at you before you make that choice? Grab your stuff and let's go."

"What if I have plans?" she asks, the smile gracing her lips eases the seriousness of our earlier exchange.

"Remember you're still my assistant. You have to assist me in buying you a birthday gift. Are you really going to make me beg?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing you grovel. On your knees, swine," she says, teasing me, but she has no idea how much that shit turns me the fuck on.

I have to take a beat, issuing a seductive warning to her. "I have a room in the manor for that if you're truly interested."

That piques her interest. "Is that part of that dark side you don't want to show me? The pain and pleasure bit?"

"It is, but for now, let me throw an obscene amount of money around at a boutique that is known around the city as the store of apologies."

She laughs and shrugs. "Fine, but just know that if money can't buy you happiness, it's going to be even harder to buy you forgiveness."

I shake my head, leading her out of the office and down to the garage where Edward is waiting in the SUV for us. Bonnie's home for the night, and I'm desperate to get back into Claire's good graces.

"We're going to Nina's, Edward," I tell him as Claire and I settle into the back seat. He eyes me through the rearview mirror, a knowing glare that tells me he knows exactly what's going on between us. I ignore Edward to address her last statement. "For the record, Claire, studies have shown that money does indeed buy happiness for most people making under a hundred thousand a year. Time and access to basic needs are a luxury many can't afford."

"Is that why you're buying up all those properties for low-income housing?" she asks.

A pit churns in my stomach, shooting off a spike of anxiety. "How did you know that? Who told you that?"

"Fiona mentioned it that day she had me delivering documents. Why? Is it supposed to be a secret or something?" She asks.

"It is. How many people did you tell?"

She shrugs. "No one besides the guy who filed the forms at the office. I think he already knew since he knew who Fiona was. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was something I shouldn't tell people. That's really dumb though, Julian. People deserve to know about your philanthropy. Otherwise, they'll think you're like the rest of the snobby, wealth-hoarding one percent."

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