Page 138 of By His Rule

I continue typing and hit send before acknowledging her question.

Looking up, I hold her angry eyes for a beat. Dropping my cell into my pocket, I take a step closer to her.

Lorelei immediately backs up, but she doesn’t get very far, because the railings are still out from earlier.

“Think about it, Temptress. This is a win-win for both of us.”

“How is this any kind of win for me?” I open my mouth to respond, but she beats me to it. “I swear to God, if you try spouting some shit about increasing my social status by being photographed with you, then I will hurt you.”

Reaching out, I tug her purse from beneath her arm and flip it open.

“What are you doing?” she screeches as I pull out her cell, wake it up, and stare down at the screen.

I find exactly what I was expecting.

Spinning it around, I hold it up for her to see, not that she needs to. She already knows what’s waiting for her.

“That is why, Lorelei. He is why.”

33

LORELEI

Iswallow thickly as I stare at numerous notifications of messages from Matt staring back at me.

When I didn’t hear anything from him last night or all day, I thought that maybe he’d gotten the message and was finally going to back off.

Apparently, that was wishful thinking.

“You want him to leave you alone?” Kian asks, his voice deadly serious. “Then let me help you.”

I shake my head, unable to process all of this.

I barely hear the sound of the car pulling up, and it’s not until Kian reaches for my hand that I realize what’s happening.

He leads me toward the limo with his hand resting on the small of my back, and after greeting Jamie, who’s holding the door open for us, he follows me inside.

The second the door closes behind us, I swear all the air goes with it.

Kian presses the button to raise the privacy screen, and it only compounds the issue.

When he drops into the seat beside me, I swear he’s closer than he was on the way here.

His heat burns down the length of my body, and suddenly, my dress feels too small. Suffocating.

“I’m tired,” he says after a few seconds, although his voice doesn’t convey the feeling he expresses. He sounds fully awake and alert. “Sasha, Claudine…they all want something from me. Something that I don’t have to offer them.”

He glances at me when I don’t respond, but I stay silent and allow him to continue.

“This arrangement will be mutually beneficial for both of us. It’ll get Matt off your back, and it’ll give me a break.”

Picking at my nails, I consider his words now that the shock and initial anger have ebbed away.

“You really want to be my fake boyfriend?”

“Sure, why not?” he asks as if this isn’t a big deal.

“But I’m your assistant.”

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