Page 25 of Darling Obsession

Or am I just imaging the way she looks at me? With those wide-open blue eyes…

“We’ll do it Saturday, then,” I growl.

“I can’t. I work at Velvet that night.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I tell her. “It has to happen this weekend. All my siblings are in town. You’ll still be paid for the shift.”

“But I’ll miss out on the tips.”

“I’ll make sure you’re compensated.”

“Oh. Well… okay, then. I guess.” She gets to her feet, slowly. She’s still eying me like she can’t tell if I’m just dangerous or completely insane. “I guess I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Yes.”

She heads for the door, but turns back.

“Uh, what should I wear? I’ve never dined with a billionaire before, much less a family of them.”

My gaze sweeps over her chef jacket, the jeans beneath. “What does it matter?” I head back to my desk. “You’re not actually Darla. In case I wasn’t clear…” When I glance at her, she’s still watching me warily, and I force the words out. “After Saturday night, we’ll never see each other again.”

Chapter 5

Quinn

I’m working at the bakery on Saturday morning when I get a random text.

Unknown:Where are you?

I consider deleting it, but reply,Who is this?

When the answer comes in, I just about drop my phone.

Unknown:Harlan

Oh. My. God.

I’m not even sure why I text back an answer—What business is it of his where I am? But my fingers actually shake when I do. The level to which this man excites me is beyond sensibility. I try to convince myself it’s terror.

Me:I’m working at the bakery.

He doesn’t reply, but I save his number to my phone and label itHarlan.

There’s something deliciously intimate about that.

I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.

Luckily Justin isn’t in today, because I’m stupidly distracted, and drop an entire cake on the floor in the back room.

Does this mean I can text him now whenever I want to?

Not that I want to.

About an hour after he texts me, a courier arrives.

Wear something presentable.

Those are the three incredibly daunting words scrawled onto the envelope the courier hands me. Inside the envelope is a prepaid credit card with ten thousand dollars loaded onto it.

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