Page 81 of Coerced Wife

“Sure.” Giorgio shrugs. “I hooked up with one of the strippers after the engagement party. I spent the night at her place.”

“I’ll need a name and a contact number to verify that,” Jordan says, getting to his feet.

Giorgio grins. “My lawyer will be in touch with the details.”

Jordan’s flat smile stretches. “Gentlemen.” He straightens his jacket. “Ms. Brennan.” He shoots a last glance at the photos on the wall of the famous movie stars and celebrities who’ve been patrons of the club through the years before walking to the door. “Thanks for your time.”

The moment he’s gone, Anya’s proud posture sags. Her shoulders slump as she places a trembling hand on her throat as if she finds it difficult to breathe.

I get up and go to her, needing to soothe her. Pride for her brilliant performance warms my chest.

Kneading her tense shoulders, I say, “You did great.”

She wheels her chair away, rejecting my touch and my offer of comfort, and stands. “I need to use the bathroom.”

I ball my hands into fists, forcing myself not to grab her by the arms and drag her back to me. Instead, I watch with mounting anger, frustration, and worry as she walks from the room.

Feeling Giorgio’s gaze on me, I turn to him and bark out, “What?”

He rides on the back feet of his chair and observes me with a sardonic smile on his lips. “She’s not marrying you because she suddenly fell deeply and madly in love with you.”

“What are you saying?” I snap.

“You lied to us.Loyal to youmy ass.” He snickers. “She’s as little loyal to you as Rach is. You’re marrying her to protect her from my father because you want to keep her. Why didn’t you tell us she was pregnant? I’ll tell you why. Because you didn’t want us to knowwhyyou wanted to keep her.”

I’m in his face in a second. “Don’t pretend to understand how things work between Anya and me.”

He doesn’t cower. “I don’t because it’s fucked up. What I do understand though is that she doesn’t love you.”

I grab the front of his shirt in a fist. “You don’t know her.”

He watches me with a bold gaze. “I know what she told Rach.”

I let him go, dropping him like a red-hot stone. “What are you talking about?”

“They had a chat at the party last night. Anya said straight out she’s only using you.”

I stumble back a step, taking that piece of information like a knockout punch in the gut. Because I care. And after what she said and did for me last night, waiting up worrying and stitching my cut, I thought she cared too.

“Don’t worry, Sav. Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell my father our bookkeeper is still a liability because I don’t give a fuck why you’re keeping her. I don’t care if you want her because she gets your dick in a knot or because you want to play daddy for her baby. I agree with you. She saved both our asses. Again. We need her.” He pushes to his feet, bumping my chest like a rooster in a cock fight. “Just watch your back, because she’ll plant a knife into it at the first chance she gets, and when she tries, I’ll finish her no matter for what fucked-up reasons you want her.”

I knock my body against his, sending him back two steps. “You stay the fuck away from her. Any man who touches her is dead. I don’t give a damn who he is.”

He brushes down his jacket and walks around me. “Just keep your eyes open, Sav.”

With that, he’s gone.

I stand there for a moment, bristling with fury that pushes up inside me until it demands an outlet or consumes me whole.

Slamming a fist against the wall, I say, “Fuck!”

The pain that explodes in my knuckles is grounding. I welcome it, using the bite that zips through my bones to find my control.

Anya walks into the office, barely looking at me as she goes to her desk.

I shake out my fingers and take my jacket from the back of my chair. “I’m going out to see someone. Stay here.” I wince as I shove my left arm into the sleeve of the jacket. Fuck. That hurts. “I’ll be back before lunch.”

She meets my gaze with questions burning in hers, but she doesn’t give voice to them.

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