Page 23 of Strictly Business

“Nicholas,” I say carefully, the name foreign on my tongue. His eyes darken, just for a second, and I swear I catch the flicker of a smile before it’s gone. I lick my lips, suddenly too aware of the intensity of his gaze, and continue, “While the offer is very generous, I don’t think I can—”

“I’m a billionaire, Amara.” His brow arches, and the corner of his mouth twitches, daring me to argue. “One dress won’t make a dent in my accounts.” He steps closer, holding the card out to me again. “Take it. Buy a dress, buy ten if you have to. Shoes, bag, whatever you need. It’s on me.”

I reach for it, my fingers brushing his as I take the card and slide it into my pocket.

“Any more… hesitations?”

I shake my head, and his lips tip upward in approval.

Turning back to his desk, he grabs the contract and a pen—a Montblanc, of course—and slides them across the desk toward me as I stare down at the contract.

This is it. Once my name is there, there’s no undoing it.

Flicking my hair over my shoulder, I step forward and take the pen, removing the cap.

You’re doing this for the promotion. For the money. For your future, I tell myself.

The scratch of the pen as I sign sounds louder than it should, and when I finish, I cap the pen and set it down carefully, stepping back as if distance will make this less real.

Nicholas watches me, his sharp gaze pinning me in place. He nods, tipping his chin. “That’ll be all.”

Dismissed. Just like that. As if I didn’t just sign my life away to him for the next three months.

I turn and walk out of his office, closing the door behind me. I lift my head and catch a few pairs of eyes flicking toward me. I know the moment the news of our engagement gets out, the whispers will start. People will tally up how many times I’ve beenin Nicholas’s office, the long hours spent with the door closed, and I’ll be the center of every office rumor.

I square my shoulders, forcing myself to walk toward my desk without looking back. I made this choice for me—for my career, for my future. And I won’t let the whispers, or the sideways glances make me second guess it.

When I finally sit at my desk, I take a slow breath, trying to push the tension out of my body.

Bianca pops her head over the divider between our desks, her brow furrowing. “Everything okay?” Her voice is soft but probing. She knows me too well. “You were in there for a while.”

I hesitate for just a second, searching for the right words. “Yeah, just some things to sign.” It’s not a lie. Not exactly.

Bianca doesn’t press, but I catch the flicker of curiosity in her eyes as she gives me a thoughtful look but doesn’t say anything else.

I turn my attention back to my screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. I try to focus on the emails in front of me, but the knot in my stomach refuses to loosen.

This is it. The decision is made. I’m committed to this deal.

But even with that certainty, I can’t shake the feeling that everything’s about to change.

Chapter ten

Amara

“Holy shit.” Jade’s eyebrows shoot up.

I watch her closely, pressing my lips together as she processes the news.

A second later, her eyes widen even more. “Holy shit,” she repeats, making me breathe out a laugh.

“You’ve been saying that all day. I thought you’d have moved past the shock by now.”

Jade shakes her head, her hands thrown up. “You honestly can’t expect me to move on so quickly from this. This is huge!”

I knew this would be a shock—hell, it shocked the hell out of me, too—but I didn’t expect her to lose it like this. I guess I didn’t expect to break her either.

She shakes her head, flopping down onto my bed. “You can’t expect me to not react.” She rubs her forehead as if trying to clear her thoughts. “The other day you were telling me about your breakup with Liam, and now you’re… engaged to our boss?”

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