Page 124 of Billionaire Temptations

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You never mentioned him when you told me about the accident.”

“He wasn’t worth mentioning.”

Alex mixed and mingled with the elite while I stayed in the background and watched people pull out their checkbooks. I left his side to go to the bar for another glass of Pinot. He was so busy chatting that he didn’t even notice I had left. Sipping on my wine from the barstool and looking around, I noticed Alex was gone. I got up and walked around the ballroom but didn’t see him. As I stepped out into the hotel lobby, I saw him kissing a tall, elegant-looking woman with curly but frizzy brown hair. My heart started to pick up the pace as my stomach bottomed out. I quickly turned around and walked out of the Hotel. I wasn’t exactly sure what I felt then, but I couldn’t let on what I saw. My phone dinged with a text message from Alex.

“Where are you?”

I took in a deep breath before responding.

“Outside. I just needed some fresh air.”

A few moments later, Alex walked up behind me.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. It was just a little stuffy in there.” I gave a small smile.

“Are you referring to the air or the people?” He grinned.

“Maybe both.”

“Well, dinner is about to be served. So, let’s go inside and have a nice meal, and we’ll leave after.”

“Okay.”

The last thing I wanted to do was go back inside and see the woman he was kissing. Alex led us over to our table, and he was gracious enough to pull out my chair for me.

“Thanks.”

He gave me a nod and took his seat next to me. As dinner was being served, I looked at the table next to us, and she was staring at me. Or should I say, glaring at me. As I placed my napkin on my lap, I glanced over at Alex.

“That woman over there keeps staring at me.”

He looked at her, and she quickly turned away. “Maybe she’s jealous of you.”

“Why would she be jealous of me?”

“I don’t know, Emerson.” His tone sounded irritated.

I ate dinner in silence while Alex talked amongst the others around the table.

Chapter Nineteen

Alex

I hadn’t seen Bella in almost five years. Seeing her tonight was a total shock at best. It wasn’t something I had planned on. Hell, I didn’t even know she was back in L.A. Emerson was being quiet, and it bothered me. She was never this quiet, and I got the impression something was wrong. When I found her outside, she said she was fine, but I didn’t believe her. I bet it was seeing her ex-boyfriend. Five years ago, I promised never to let another woman get to me. I’d made good on that promise because I never dated anyone too long to let things get serious. Much like Emerson, once they started showing signs of wanting a commitment of some sort, it was time to leave; to walk away and find the next person with the hopes they just wanted to have a casual fling. That was what Emerson wanted. Her thinking was very much like mine, and I was grateful for that. Tonight, we had something in common. We both saw our exes after a number of years, and old wounds were reopened.

I looked over at Emerson, who was on her third glass of wine. She kept staring over at Bella, and it made me uncomfortable.

“I see you staring at that woman over there. Why do you keep doing that?” I asked.

“Why not? She was staring at me first. I think she’s very pretty except for that mess of curly hair. She really should see a stylist about those ends.”

I chuckled as I took the glass of wine from her hand. “I think you’ve had enough wine.”

Her head tilted as she took the glass back from me. “Who are you? The wine keeper?” She brought the glass to her lips and finished it in one swallow.

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