Page 41 of Forbidden Desires

Not that it changed anything between us.

“I’ll see you soon, Jasmine,” I said, stepping away while I still could. “Enjoy your painting.”

CHAPTER 18

Eric

My office was more a formality than something that I actually needed to have. A penthouse space in a business tower in Coral Gables, a receptionist that was polite and tended not to bother me. Meetings were conducted here, and it gave me a place that was quiet, where I could spread out papers and contracts and sometimes gallery blueprints I needed to peruse. I loathed taking work to my home, so it was a good option to have.

The downside was, as I did not own the building, I could not control who came and went, or who necessarily decided to call on me in person at this office.

It was the only reason James Dupont was standing just outside of my door, hassling my receptionist about seeing me. My jaw clenched at his arrogance, along with the fact that he’d arrived without a warning, which I did not appreciate.

It had been one thing to learn that he and Jasmine had been acquainted with each other. As Jasmine had told me, given her work, I couldn’t be too upset about the development, but there was something grating about the fact that James had been with her. That he knew her. That he, too, had indulged in her company. And it was not jealousy that I wasn’t Jasmine’s first in this regard; it was that I found James utterly unworthy to even be in her presence.

I didn’t bother to get up as my receptionist led him in, looking completely exasperated for having to deal with such a pretentious man. I looked across my desk at him, brow up, making sure my annoyance was evident.

“What are you doing here, James?” I asked, my voice as impolite as possible.

He smirked, a smarmy expression on his face as he strolled further into my office. “Eric. You don’t have to sound so put out. Being peers, it’s not a good look. But I’ll just chalk it up to it being a Monday. You know how those go.”

My jaw clenched so hard I was surprised my teeth didn’t crack. “If I sound put out, it’s because I’ve told you before that I want you to stay the fuck out of my personal spaces, but we’re both aware of the fact that you have no respect for boundaries of any sort.”

“I’m a go-getter, what can I say.” He shrugged casually. “Being assertive in our line of business is, after all, imperative.”

“I am in the business of art. You’re in the business of being a jackass,” I said in an irritated tone. “I’ll say it only one more time. What do you want?”

Reaching the opposite side of my desk, he leaned over it, his fingers tracing the wood grain as he looked at me. “There’s a beautiful piece of property I’ve had my eyes on for a while, that I had a deal lined up for. Not too far from the coast, a spectacular view of the ocean, five floor building, an abundance of glasswindows to let the sunlight in. Personally designed by the best architects this side of Orlando.” He tapped his fingers against the surface of my desk, his eyes turning cold and calculating. “I had so many plans for the place and yet, when I go to finalize everything, I come to find that the property has been bought outright already. The fact that you convinced them to break a contract with me was fucking disrespectful—”

“Your contract was barely a contract that needed to be ‘broken,’” I said, cutting him off. “If you had such an airtight contract, it wouldn’t have been so easy to put a better offer on the table and purchase the Shoreside property. That’s the one you’re talking about, right? The one you were going to charge outrageous prices for people to showcase their galleries there?”

James rolled his eyes. “Jesus Christ, Eric, you can’t be indignant about the way that I spend my money when we’re just as rich as each other. You have such a morality issue surrounding the way others spend their money—”

“I’d have less of an issue with the way you spent your money if it wasn’t monopolizing something that shouldn’t be monopolized.”

James and I ran in the same social circles because of our wealth, but he was nothing if not motivated by consumption. More, more, more. Women, cars, clothes, properties, money. As far as I was concerned, it was a heinous practice when it encroached into the art world, where his idea of propagating art was gatekeeping it from people who often created the best, most interesting, creative works that were out there.

So, I frankly didn’t give a fuck about James’ supposed lost contract.

I leaned back in my chair, my expression hard and uncompromising. “If all you stopped by to do was to complain about a contract that you clearly poorly constructed and executed, you can leave. I’ve done nothing illegal and since Ihaven’t been contacted by our lawyers, you’re well aware of that fact.”

I waited for him to exit my office, but James remained standing there. Despite me putting him in his place, he hadn’t lost the smug, self-aggrandizing smirk on his face.

“I didn’t just come over here for business, Eric. And contrary to what you might believe, I didn’t stop by to convince you to turn over that property you yanked out from under me,” he said, which sounded like a load of bullshit. “I came to congratulate you on that purchase, as well as another acquisition you’ve made.”

He waited, as if I was supposed to know what he was referring to, but the Shoreside property was the only thing that I had ‘acquired’ in any sort of meaningful capacity.

“Speak clearly, James,” I snapped impatiently. “I don’t feel like deciphering your petty comments like they’re Morse code.”

“Jasmine,” he said simply.

My eyes narrowed on him, furious that he’d even bring her into this conversation. “What about Jasmine?”

James rolled his eyes and found the nerve to sit himself sideways on the edge of my desk. “You were with her the other night. I know how you tend to operate when it comes to pretty women whose time you have to pay for. You only take the best. Invest in the best. Only make them a regular part of your routine if they prove themselves capable of handlingyourroutine. I think it’s rather admirable. I wanted to know if she’s still seeking out clients. Never a good business move to put all your eggs in a single basket, am I right?”

James’ interest in Jasmine made my stomach churn. It was also enough of a red flag to make my hackles rise, which I knew he’d been anticipating. Remaining outwardly calm took effort as I asked, “What do you want with Jasmine?”

“Well, we go way back,” he said with a shrug. “I was one of her first clients when she started as an escort. We got to know each other well, and I taught her the ropes of this world and how it operated. A mutual exchange, really. You could say that it’s me you should thank for how well she’s servicing you.” He smirked. “And I imagine that she’s servicing you very, very well, isn’t she?”

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