Page 124 of Dear Grumpy Boss

“Longer than I expected too.” Though the last thing I wanted was to get in a fight with him, I also wasn’t going to pretend I was happy with being neglected for so long.

He shifted in his chair, angling his body toward mine, his warm breath brushing my ear as he spoke quietly. “Events like these are for charity, but they’re also where connections are made and deals are brokered. Can you give me patience tonight? I might have to speak to Peters again, if he gets his head out of his ass. Otherwise, I’m all yours.”

I slid my narrowed eyes to his. My night out with my Prince Charming was turning out to be less Cinderella’s ball and more like my senior prom when my date kept sneaking outside to smoke weed with his boys.

“If you don’t dance with me, I don’t think I’ll forgive you.”

“Elise”—he took my hand in his, his arm draped around the back of my chair—“if I don’t dance with you, I’ll never forgive myself.”

I managed to settle down and enjoy myself for a while. Weston introduced me to our tablemates, the ones who’d basically ignored me until he arrived. They weren’t my people. Most were old enough to be my parents, but they were clearly all enamored with Weston. I tried to be mad about it, but I sort of got off on watching my man being fawned over.

On the inside, I was preening. They might have wanted a piece of him, to be able to tell their friends they’d had dinner withtheWeston Aldrich, but at the end of the night, he would be only mine.

After dinner, Weston asked me to dance. On our way to the dance floor, we were waylaid by Marisol and a silver-haired man in a classic tuxedo. He had to be seventy years old if he was a day, and he was wearing a pair of cowboy boots on his feet.

Something about him set me on edge.

“Weston, I’m ready to talk brass tacks if you are.” This must have been Dominic Peters, the man who’d already stolen Weston from me once tonight.

I braced myself for it to happen again.

Weston’s fingers flexed around mine. “I would love to do that, Dominic, but we were on our way to the dance floor. I made a promise to my—”

Marisol shook her head and made a strangled sound. Dominic Peters held up a hand.

“My plane is taking off in two hours. We can schedule something when I’m back home, but I’m not sure when I’ll have the time for this discussion.”

Weston’s gaze slid to mine. I gave him a closed-lip smile. This was where I was supposed to play the good CEO’s girlfriend and happily give him up again without making him feel guilty.

“I’ll be fine on my own,” I told him, though I didn’t really mean it. “Do your thing.”

His fingers loosened then slipped from between mine, dragging up the back of my forearm. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he murmured.

“It’s really fine. Who even wants to dance?”

His calloused thumb rubbed my elbow, then he kissed my temple. “I do, Elise. I’ll be back.”

Luca sank down in the seat next to mine. “Bella.”

“Hey.”

“Where’s West?”

I shrugged. “No idea.”

It had been…a long time since Weston left me. I had gone from watching couples swirl around the dance floor in waves of silk and satin to watching the minutes tick by on my phone.

“I noticed you sitting alone but thought he was getting a drink. When he wasn’t back the next time I checked, I decided to come see what was going on.” Luca laid his hand on my shoulder. “How long has he been gone, Elise?”

“Mmm…I’ve lost track.”

I stopped checking because it was making me nauseous.

He frowned and cursed under his breath. “This isn’t the first time he left you tonight either.”

“He and Marisol are discussing a possible contract with a supplier. It’s important.”

I felt like a robot, saying the things I was supposed to say as Weston’s girlfriend. I couldn’t quite pinpoint my real emotions, though. Angry, sure. Hurt, definitely. But confusion seemed to trump both of those, at least for now. How could we have started the night so beautifully to have it go like this?

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