Page 82 of Fool's Gold

Not well.

But I dragged us out of the muck and mire before Empire realized.

She pries open the small metal arms, slides the clip out of the hole, and empties the contents of the envelope onto the seat at her side. Her face pales, and her eyes go round as marbles before she catches herself.

The bobbing of her throat captures my attention.

“They watched us,” she murmurs, her voice dripping with surprise and disgust. “They took pictures of us together.”

It doesn’t excuse the way I’ve treated her. Nothing will, I realize. I’ve been an asshole and purposely caused her more pain than she deserved. Do the ends ever justify the means?

“I’ve taken care of things,” I repeat.

Her fingers shake as she flicks from one photograph to the other, fingering the zip drive containing the rest of the audio and video Celeste made sure to send my way.

“Thank you for getting it for me.”

Her voice is hardly audible, nothing more than a whisper and lost to the constant pulse of the tires. It’s a shot straight through my heart regardless.

I still feel her on me, all around me, despite the way she shuts down. Letting her have her reaction is the only thing I can do, but it still pisses me off.

“You’re out completely now. You never have to work with me or anyone connected to Maxim again. True freedom.”

It’s a punch to the gut to say out loud. Especially when her gaze lands everywhere but on me. Her thoughts, no doubt, are on her next moves. She’s not a stumbling little girl or a weight for me to carry anymore.

She’s not some precious gem who matters more than anyone else in my world. She’s a woman.

“True freedom,” she repeats. She flicks her gaze up to meet mine, and the weight of her attention lands squarely in my chest. “It sounds like a joke when you say it that way.”

“I released you. Isn’t it enough?”I lower my voice. Emotion, thick and heavy, drips through me like tar. “Empire, come on.”

How can she not realize how much strength it took to shove her away from me?

Her body stiffens as she licks her lips. Despite what happened earlier, my cock reacts.

“Is that what you were doing when you fucked me against a wall?” she asks with a chuckle. “You were releasing me? Oh, you meant giving me an orgasm.” Her scowl reeks of disappointment, and I’ve earned every single bit of it.

No words come out, and luckily I’m saved by the gentle pressure of brakes, the car rolling to a stop. Her head cocks to the side, and she studies me a moment longer before someone drags the door open.

Empire says nothing further, and there’s no time for me to force the issue, either. Not when perfect, golden-boy Jacob stands there, waiting, with his arm outstretched. A modern-day version of Prince Charming. My gut plummets at Empire’s smile, brilliant and filled with white teeth.

“Ah, there you are,” she calls out loudly against the snap of the press at Jacob’s back.

“I’ll always be here for you,” he murmurs.

Like a good boy, I shut my mouth and let her go. No one makes me as uncomfortable as Empire. It’s payback for all the scars I’ve left on her with my words and actions.

The two of them remain on the outskirts of my periphery for the remainder of the night. Throughout the festivities, the focus is on her. Not me.

I’m the asshole who forced her to work herself to the bone.

I’m the one who fucked her again, as she reminded me, who took her no better than a possession after rejecting her countless times. It’s better for her to stay with Jacob.

He’ll treat her better than I will, even if their relationship is all shiny because of its spanking newness. I have to believe things will be better for her no matter how inevitable it is for the flaws to reveal themselves.

Jacob Kessler is perfect on the outside, but I guarantee there’s more to him to discover on the inside.

And Empire looks like a goddess on his arm, a true starlet, made for this kind of dazzling sparkle and attention.

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