Page 43 of Bitter Secrets

“I didn’t choose you—”

“You did.”

“I went up to you because I didn’t know who you were, or that you’d been blacklisted!”

“But when you found out, you didn’t walk away. You offered me your hand and took me under your wing.”

“Shut up,” she rasped.

“You defied your father to help me at your own expense. You sealed your fate, then.”

One rash decision changed the course of her life for all time, and she was still paying the price for it. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“You saw the man I could have been. I thought if I worked hard enough, I could be, but regardless of what I do, I’ll never be a part of your world.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean by that? What world?”

“Maximus was right,” he said as he cupped her nape and tugged her inexorably over the console despite her resistance. “I’m not good enough for you. You can do better, but I’m not going to give you the chance to.”

Her hand skidded over his broad chest as she tried to keep him at bay. “Don’t you dare—”

He smothered her protest with his mouth. She tasted rage simmering just beneath the surface. That mix of temper and lust triggered her own. As her body flushed with heat, she felt herself rising to meet his aggression, eager for the inevitable clash. Even as she fought him, she could feel herself sinking into his murky depths. How could something so wrong feel so right? She was betraying her father’s memory and repeating tragic habits, but there was no escape from these golden handcuffs. When she couldn’t breathe, she wrenched her mouth from his and tucked her face against his neck, panting and desperately trying to retain her sense of self when she was drowning in him.

He didn’t try to take her mouth again, but waited patiently, sifting her hair through his fingers. She was grateful for the reprieve.

“I just want to get through this in one piece,” she confessed.

“You will.”

She straightened, but wasn’t able to draw away with his hand in her hair. She mentally braced before she tilted her head back and met his searing gaze. What was he thinking? She resisted the urge to reach out and stroke his face to see if she could soften the rigid, uncompromising lines. Seeing the man he’d become, it seemed ludicrous that she pitied him the night they met.

“I want to understand,” she whispered.

Immediately, his hand fell away, and he turned from her. “You won’t.”

He exited the vehicle before she could say anything else and reached for his contracts before he slammed the door behind him. She stared at him through the window as he shrugged his sleeve back to look at his watch. He was giving her whiplash with his mood changes, but that was nothing new. She opened her door and furtively dabbed under her eyes as a Bentley cruised past. She hoped her makeup wasn’t streaming. Good thing she hadn’t put on much. She followed him to the elevator and glanced at him as the car began to rise.

“Roth—"

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say!”

“I do, and the answer’s no.”

The doors opened into his entry hall. She glared daggers at his back as she followed him into the grand living room. It wasn’t until she tossed her purse down that she realized she missed what he typed into the keypad.

“I need the code,” she said, and turned in time to see him disappear down the hallway with the contracts tucked under his arm.“Really?”

She stood there for a moment before she slipped off her coat and plopped on the oversized couch, hands folded over her full stomach as she stared at the ceiling. Champagne fizzled in her veins as her overactive mind flitted over the events of the evening. He kept tabs on Thea. Had he done so to make sure he hadn’t caused permanent damage, or was he monitoring her in case Thea reported his assault to the cops? She smothered her inner pessimist and listened to the optimistic one. He said he would try to make it up to her. That was something—more than she imagined, actually. What would he think was just compensation for strangling a woman? She passed a hand over her face as she willed away that horrific morning.

Thea was a woman with simple wants, the single mother of two children who were grown and had moved out of state. Although her children wanted their mother to move closer to them, Thea insisted on continuing her job as cook and housekeeper. Thea had been employed at Tuxedo Park since before she was born and was such an excellent employee that even Maximus had taken notice and paid for her children’s education, ensuring Thea’s eternal loyalty.

Her brow furrowed. If she had needed something done, she would have approached Thea, just as Maximus had. Thea didn’t ask questions and carried out any task without fail. And for that, she had almost paid with her life.

She reached over her head for her purse and retrieved her phone. She found Thea’s number in her contacts and sat up as the phone began to ring. She needed to hear her voice and apologize. When the call went to voicemail, she bowed her head in disappointment.

“Hey, Thea, it’s me.” Jasmine paused as she struggled to find the right words. “I hope you’re okay. I…” She swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do…anything, I’ll do it. If you want to leave, I won’t blame you.” She smacked her thigh as she floundered. “I want to hear from you, to make sure you’re all right. Call me anytime.”

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