Page 15 of Bitter Secrets

The wine, food, and sex made her pleasantly drowsy. After days of little sleep, she could barely keep her eyes open. She paused on the threshold of the master suite and stared at Roth’s wrecked, stained bed before she walked into the guest bedroom. She put her notebook on the nightstand, flopped on the cold sheets, and sighed as she nuzzled the pillow.

CHAPTER3

“Jasmine.”

Her lip curled as a voice intruded on her dreamless slumber.

“Jasmine.”

The voice was more insistent this time and accompanied by an ass grab.

“Go fuck yourself,” she mumbled.

A hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled. Her face bounced on the mattress as the pillow was whisked out from under her. She flipped and kicked. A hand made of steel deflected her foot. She yelped.

“Quit playing around. You have twenty minutes.”

She opened one puffy eye. Roth stood beside the bed, dressed in a suit and familiar long coat. Even in her disgruntled state, she had to admit he looked damn fuckable.

“What do you want?” she growled.

“We’re leaving in twenty minutes.”

“Who?”

“Us.”

“Why?”

He flicked her tangled hair out of her face. “You’re coming with me on my business trip, princess.”

She looked around the room. Hadn’t she fallen asleep in the guest room? Why was she in the master bedroom? “These sheets were dirty.”

“The housekeeper changed them. Now, get ready.”

Her eyes focused on the windows. “It’s dark.”

“It’s early.”

“How early?”

“Two.”

“In the morning?”

He hooked her under the arms and dragged her out of bed. It took her a moment to find her balance. She thought he was being unusually patient until he pushed her toward the bathroom. She stumbled and then whirled.

“Stop pushing me around, jerk off!”

He brushed back his sleeve to look at his watch. “You have eighteen minutes.”

“Go without me!”

“You’re coming with me. I don’t care how you look in… seventeen and a half minutes.” He held up his phone and stared at the screen before he put it to his ear. “Go.”

She muttered under her breath as she staggered into the bathroom. Splashing cold water on her face did nothing to revive her. This was just too damn early. Who the hell woke up at this hour? Sadists, that’s who. She brushed her teeth and managed to pack a bag and change into jeans, boots, sweater, and coat before Roth found her in the closet.

“Good,” he clipped as he grabbed her bag and extended his hand. “Let’s go.”

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