Page 203 of Billionaire Temptations

“I feel like weddings are a fraud.”

“How do you mean?” he asked as he looked at me.

“Well, people attend, give obscene amounts of money as a wedding gift, and in ten years, the happy couple who pledgedtheir love for each other in front of all those people and made a promise til death do us part end up divorced. Then when you get the news that the happy little couple couldn’t make it work, all you keep thinking about is the money you gave them.”

Jackson chuckled. “I never looked at it like that. I think I like your thought process, and I agree. All your little remarks and comments lead me to believe that you’re a couple hater.”

“I’m not a couple hater. I’m just a firm believer that nothing lasts forever. I don’t believe in long-term relationships or two people becoming one. For God’s sake, you are your own person, but all that goes out the window the moment you decide to hand over your life, emotional control, and identity to another person. You don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy. If anything, relationships wreak more havoc on your life than anything else.”

“Wow. Very insightful, and I agree with every word you just said. Relationships are for the weak. They’re for those who seek others so they can feel strong. Besides, people are selfish. They only enter into relationships if they can get something out of it.”

“Truth, Mr. Caine.” I smiled as I clanked my glass against his.

I stood there and listened to Jackson Caine, who had the same views on relationships. It was refreshing to finally meet a man whose thought process was the same as mine.

“So, do you have woman drama?” I asked.

“Yes, sometimes I do. It’s emotionally draining,” he replied.

“Right? It’s like, what part of ‘I don’t want a relationship’ do you not understand? We can go out to dinner, dance, drink, and have sex, but that’s the extent of it. I don’t want to meet your family. I don’t want to be exclusive. I don’t want to have to answer to you and tell you what I do every five seconds of every day, and I don’t want to have to explain myself as to why I didn’t text or call you back thirty seconds after you called or texted me.”

“Damn, Emily. You have hit the nail on the head.”

“Shouldn’t you be with your date?” I cocked my head.

The corners of his mouth curved into a sly smile. “I’d much rather be in your company right now. The stimulating conversation is very engaging.”

Once the bridal dance was over, fast music started to play, and Evelyn ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and dragged me out to the dance floor.

“You’ve been talking to Jackson all night. What’s up?”

“Nothing. We share the same views on relationships.”

“Great.” She rolled her eyes. “Another relationship hater.”

I giggled and shook my hips to the beat of the music, letting myself get lost and forgetting about the text messages I had yet to respond to.

Chapter Seven

Jackson

I stared at her as she danced on the dance floor. Her body was every man’s dream. Five foot seven, long slender legs, lean figure, long, bouncy blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She was as smart as a whip. Strong, independent, and hated relationships as much as I did. She had just become the perfect woman to have fun with when I needed it. She was career driven, just as I was—anti-relationship, just like me. I’d never met anyone like her before. I took notice of her that day in her shop. She piqued my interest because she was so beautiful. I had thought about returning to the store a few times after that day but decided that I was already dating too many women at once, and adding another to the mix wouldn’t be a good idea.

As I watched her, Kami walked over and hooked her arm around me.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“Not yet.” I continued to stare at Emily as she had my full attention.

“Are you staring at that blonde that was sitting at our table?” she asked.

“And what if I was?” I glanced over at her. “We aren’t in a relationship. We both are unattached. It’s not a crime to stare at another woman.”

“No, it’s not a crime. It’s just rude and disrespectful. You know what? I’m tired of these games with you. I’m leaving.” She stomped away in a huff.

I sighed, and Emily walked over to me as the song ended.

“What’s wrong with Kami?” she asked.

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