Page 64 of Serving the CEO

I couldn’t speak as I processed everything that he’d thrown at me in just a matter of minutes. Drew was one of the few people who could call me on my shit and get away with it, but it had never been anything like this. Not his words, and not the way they made me feel. Rage simmered in my gut, and judging by his smirk, he knew it.

And he was right. At least mostly right.

“I guess I should apologize,” I said stiffly, not wanting to get into a fight with him.

I didn’t want to fight with Jessica either. I wanted our experiment to work, and I definitelydidn’twant to have to find a new woman.

“An apology might not be a bad idea.”

“I’ll find a jewelry store—”

He snorted. “Yeah, like that’s going to work. Jessica’s not impressed with your money, man.”

“Then she would be the only one.” Women flocked to me because I had power and money. Yeah, even poor I probably wouldn’t have had difficulty finding women to fill my bed, but they wouldn’t pursue me the way they did now.

“You’re an idiot,” Drew said quietly. “Sometimes I don’t even understand how we’re friends.” Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face. “Look, if you really want to fix things, you need to find something personal. Something that tells her you actually pay attention toher. Otherwise, you might want to start shopping for a new ‘business partner.’”

* * *

I calledher once on my way home and it went to voicemail. Dictating into the car’s bluetooth system, I sent her the first text ten minutes after I left a message on her voicemail.

Perhaps we should discuss the wedding in more detail. I’ve thought about it and realized I didn’t handle it well. Can you call me?

She didn’t answer. I wasn’t surprised, even if I still thought she was taking this all too seriously. This was why I didn’t do relationships. They were too complicated, women expected too much, and they weren’t worth it, not when I could find what I needed at my club far easier.

For a brief moment, I considered scrapping the entire idea of trying to make things right. I could go back to simple. Let Jessica know that I was letting her out of our business arrangement and then head to the club. Find a sub I could dominate without worrying about any sort of emotional connection.

Only I found the idea of picking up a sub at the club…unappealing.

An hour later, from the comfort of my home office, I texted her again.

I shouldn’t have excluded you from the matter. Please call me.

She didn’t answer that, either, though I saw that she’d read both messages. Drew’s plan to find some personal item she would enjoy sounded more and more like a better plan than just texting her.

I spent the next three hours trying to figure out something personal and unique. Halfway through, I remembered why I usually had Anamaria buy gifts for women who needed a little money spent on them for some reason or another, and while it was tempting, I knew that if I wanted to continue my arrangement with Jessica, I needed to do this by myself.

Finally, on a whim, I started reading through one of her old interviews, and that was where I found it.

Somebody had asked what book she’d like to have most in the world. She had namedSonnets from the Portuguese. Apparently, it was a collection of poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and antiquarian copies went for upwards of a thousand.

I’d found a copy at a rare books dealer here in the city.

After several phone calls and a lot of persistence, I tracked down the owner's name, and she agreed to meet me at the shop before she usually opened to sell me the copy.

Telling myself it would work, I finally fell asleep.

My positive mood lasted until I greeted the dealer at her shop, and she told me that she’d been mistaken. Her employee hadn’t updated the inventory after he’d sold their only copy.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and reminded myself that yelling at this woman who resembled Betty White wouldn’t fix anything.

“I need that book,” I said calmly. “Can you think of anywhere else I can find it?”

“I don’t normally recommend this to potential customers, but have you considered looking online?” she asked. “I can even search for you and order it when I find it.”

I shook my head. “I need it today.”

Her eyebrows went up. “Did you forget someone’s birthday or anniversary?” She waved a hand as soon as she asked the question. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”

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