Page 22 of Fearless Sinner

Dressed in a little blue skater dress and her hair down in loose waves, Chloe looks completely different to how she did the other day.

She’s more beautiful, and her gentle, elegant appearance contrasts with the dragon woman before me who couldn’t hold a candle to her.

Chloe doesn’t look like she belongs in my office or anywhere near me, yet here she is. And the more I look at Chloe, the more Jessica fumes.

“You can leave now,” I tell Jessica.

She cuts me a hard glance and summons the filthiest rude-as-fuck look she can manage to throw at Chloe before she storms out.

Chloe looks taken aback as she watches her go. When she looks back at me it’s clear that she’s even more anxious about me than she previously was.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you and your girlfriend,” Chloe stutters.

Girlfriend. I almost laugh. “That is not my girlfriend.” I want to tell her that I would rather cut off my balls and wear them around my neck than be with Jessica Riley, but I bite my tongue.

“I apologize. I’m doing this all wrong.”

“And what would that be?”

“Trying to be quick.”

“How about you come in first? I swear I don’t bite, despite the rumors.”

Her cheeks flush and she looks like she doesn’t know what to say to me, then she walks in.

“How can I help you, Miss Ricci? I take it Harlan hasn’t made an appearance yet.”

“No. We don’t think he’s coming back. He’s stolen everything from my mother. It seems he set her up.”

I was right. Just once—even just for this week—I wish I could be proven wrong.

“So, you’re here because?”

She couldn’t look more uncomfortable if she tried, but there’s something about her meekness and desperation that calls to me.

“I came to ask for an extension on the loan repayment date.”

“And you thought I’d agree?” I raise a brow.

Her shoulders fall, drawing attention to the staggered rise and fall of her breasts. “No. But I thought I’d try.”

“Harlan Jacobs borrowed that money from me knowing he had no intention of repaying it.”

“I know, but my mother didn’t know what his plans were. I’ve only just come back and learned about this mess. Please give me a chance to fix it.” She pulls a check from her purse and approaches me, filling my space with the scent of magnolia. “That’s everything I have.”

I take it from her and my brows knit when I read the amount. “Fifteen grand, Lass?” Jesus, I feel like I’m taking candy from a child.

“I know it’s a drop in the well, but I’m working on getting the rest.”

“How?”

“A business investment loan. I stand a good chance of getting one because I don’t have any debt. I have an appointment with the bank in two days.”

“What if you don’t get the loan?”

“Then I failed, but I have to try something. I can’t let my mom lose her home and her restaurant. My great-grandparents built that restaurant when they first moved here from Italy. They poured everything into making sure it was the best in the city. That’s my legacy.” She presses her lips together and the devil inside me conjures the image of those lips on my cock.But those big light brown eyes of hers make the fantasy fade, and I see her desperation.

I’m not known for compassion. Not at all. I’m the kill-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy people fear, but there’s something about this girl.

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