Page 63 of Sex, Lust & Lingerie

Evil laughter, another kiss, a groan. And that’s when I entered the picture.

Me: “Is this your business client?”

Jaime: “Jesus Christ.”

Me: “Fuck you.”

Tears pricked my eyes. I regretted my words and more so, tossing the exquisite ring Jaime had given me. Special Agent Andrews told Jaime we’d heard enough, sparing me the pain of having to hear any more.

As Jaime clicked off the recording, Andrews turned to Victor. “Have you heard enough, Mr. Holden?”

Victor’s face was red with rage. Vivien, in shock, clapped a hand to her mouth. My eyes bounced back and forth between the two of them and Jaime.

“Oh Daddy, I’m so, so, sorry!” croaked Vivien, her hand still cupped over her mouth.

Victor’s lips pinched together and his eyes narrowed with fury. “You stupid, stupid girl. How could you confide in that asshole stepbrother of yours?”

Tears leaked from Vivien’s eyes. I glanced at Jaime. Only Mr. Cockiness could nonchalantly shrug a shoulder…and whistle! With all this drama and my own to unfold shortly, I seriously didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. My mind was a whirling dervish of emotions—shock, rage, and apprehension. My eyes searched the crowd for Kevin. Did he know what was happening? I didn’t see him anywhere. Maybe, he was dealing with reporters, trying to prevent Victor’s arrest from disrupting the evening.

“Mr. Holden, we advise you to cooperate and not to create a scene,” said Special Agent Marshall as he yanked Victor’s arms behind his back and handcuffed his wrists. Though still fuming, Victor quietly complied. Shocked eyeballs from other tables turned to him as he was carted away by the two agents. He shot me one last odious look.

As my eyes shot back daggers, Vivien leaped out of her seat. “Don’t take my Daddy!” she cried out. She flung herself at her father, desperately clinging to him.

Victor turned to face her, his expression glacial. “Vivien. Let. Go. Of. Me. Now!”

“Oh, Daddy!” Totally defeated, Vivien, in her skintight dress and stilettos, sagged to her knees and sobbed. Her wretched eyes gazed up at Jaime and me. “You fuckers!” she shrieked as her father disappeared into the crowd.

Before I could blink, two husky security guards came to whisk her away. Heaving with sobs, she let them drag her through the ballroom like a sack of potatoes.

I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for her or hate her after all she’d done to me. I wondered—was she born a bad seed or had life made her a rotten apple? In the end, I chose to believe that Vivien was as troubled as the girls who went through my mentoring program and hoped she would seek help.

While waiters came around and served the rubber chicken meal that was typical of these kind of events. Jaime Zander moved two seats over into the chair formally occupied by Victor. I instantly felt the radiating warmth of his body beside me as his thigh brushed against mine. Gently, he tugged at my French braid.

“Gloria.” His sultry voice was soft. “You look stunning.”

I swallowed hard. My bare arms broke out in goosebumps as I turned to face him. Dressed up in black tie, Mr. Elegant was sexier and more gorgeous than ever. His eyes burned into mine, and his breath heated my face.

“Do you trust me?”

I scowled. “You used me to take down Victor. And the little vixen. That’s why you wanted the Gloria’s Secret account.”

He gripped my shoulders and his voice rose an octave. “Jesus, Gloria. That is so far from the truth. If you remember, you pursued ZAP! and not the other way around.”

Suddenly, I felt three feet tall. He was right.

He looked hard into my eyes. “And I had no idea about Victor’s scheme. The FBI approached me the night you flew off to Paris. They were already on to him and asked me to fake a relationship with Vivien to extract more incriminating information. Then I learned that the bastard was trying to take you down.” He loosened his grip on my shoulders and then lightly traced my face with his deft fingers. His voice softened. “Angel, I couldn’t let that happen to you. It ripped me apart. Do you understand now?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I stammered.

“I was sworn to secrecy.”

So, that was Jaime Zander’s secret. Though the details of the sting operation were still scant, I understood now that Jaime had used gullible, needy Vivien to bring his nemesis Victor Holden down. And to save my corporate ass. He did it not just for himself, but also for me. My eyes melted into his.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, overwhelmed with emotion.

“No, angel, I’m the one who’s sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” He lifted my right hand to his lips and reverently kissed the bandage covering the raw flesh. Beneath his loving touch, the pain magically faded away. He had once told me that he would never hurt me; I should have believed him.

With his other hand, he tickled the sensitive crook of my neck with the tip of my braid. “I’m going to ask you again. Do you trust me, Gloria?”

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