Page 287 of Billionaire Temptations

“I told him, and he responded that he loved me as a friend and nothing more.”

“Asshole.” She frowned.

“I broke one of the rules and am now paying the consequences for it. It’s my fault. I never should have signed that contract. Now that I think about it, I was so stupid.”

“No, you weren’t. You did what you thought was right at the time because your beliefs were different. I get that.”

“I never planned on telling him that I loved him, but we started arguing, and he said some things that really hurt me, so I just told him.”

After the waitress stopped by our table and Jules placed her order, she reached across the table and grabbed hold of my hands.

“And you should have told him. You had every right. What if something happened to him before you got the chance to tell him?”

I felt nauseous when the waitress set down Jules’ corned beef sandwich in front of her.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “All of a sudden, you look really pale.”

“I feel really sick to my stomach. Excuse me for a moment.” I got up and ran to the bathroom.

I knew it was nerves, for it had been happening all week. Hence the reason I’d barely eaten. When I got back to the table, Jules looked at me strangely.

“Were you sick?” she asked with concern.

“Yeah. It’s been happening all week. It’s just nerves. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure that’s what it is? I am a doctor. I can check you out.”

“I’m fine, Jules. Trust me. This whole thing with Jackson has me all messed up. Please promise me you won’t tell him.”

“I won’t. But if it persists, I want you to come see me.”

“I will.”

After lunch, Jules returned to the hospital, and I returned to the shop.

Jackson

My father was released from the hospital, and he was doing well. Since he didn’t have a permanent place here in New York yet, my mother moved him in with her so she could help with his recovery. Seeing them together like this was strange and a bit unsettling to me. My father and I had a long talk, and I apologized to him and my mother for how I behaved towards them. But I did make it very clear that if they decided that things wouldn’t work out again, I would not be around, and I didn’t want to hear about it.

Sitting in my office one morning, Audrey, my secretary, walked in and placed some papers on my desk. The smell of her perfume caught me off guard.

“Audrey, what kind of perfume are you wearing?”

“Joe Malone.” She smiled. “My husband bought it for me for our anniversary.”

“Do me a favor, and please don’t wear it to the office.”

“Oh. Okay. I’m sorry.” She looked at me strangely.

“Did I just hear you tell Audrey not to wear that perfume?” Samuel asked as he stepped into my office.

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t that some form of harassment or something? I think it smells nice.”

“It’s the same perfume Emily wears, and I never liked it.”

“You’re lying. You’re just trying to forget her.”

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