Page 5 of Let Me Say It Again

He swirled the liquid in his glass, cocking his head as he looked like there was more he had to say. “And I only do business with smart men.”

That last part was obviously added as a warning, and it stabbed me like the dagger it was intended to be. I took another hearty gulp of my drink, which didn’t contain nearly enough alcohol. My chance of getting Mark to invest was quickly slipping through my fingers—I could feel it. I just couldn’t believe how I never knew his pre-req—being married—before. A doozy of a pre-req, if you asked me.

Before I could answer, though, Sherrilyn’s fingers danced on Mark’s arm as she laughed lightly and looked around. “Honey, I’m sure Red is at least engaged. He’s quite the catch. He couldn’t be single. Am I right? You have a fiancée who will be joining us, correct?” Again, she peered around.

I hated to be the one to spoil things for her, but she could look around a hundred times over again, and she still wouldn’t find a woman here I was romantically involved with.

What was with these two?

Was a man worthless without a woman? It almost felt like I should have been standing here having this conversation with a vagina and two breasts, not a penis. Was this what women put up with—being told they were worthless without a man? I’d never experienced this before, least of all in business. If I didn’t need Mark’s money quite so badly to take Lyons Enterprises to the next level, I’d tell him and his wife to fuck the hell off.

That wasn’t the case, though, so now what?

Just then, my eyes caught sight of Jade slipping up the stairs with my dry cleaning slung over her arm wearing the world’s shortest pair of ripped jean shorts and a crop top. Did the woman ever know how to dress?

If we weren’t at a party like this, I wouldn’t be complaining. I mean, I was a warm-blooded man, and my cock practically wanted to salute her shorts since they were cupping her ass perfectly. And don’t even get me started on that top. I had a feeling she didn’t own a bra. If she did, then I’d never seen it.

My heart beat at a pace that was more rapid than usual. Without giving any real thought to the idea that came to my mind, I opened my mouth, andfoot, meet mouth, because I’m about to stick it in it. “Of course, my fiancée will be joining us. She texted me earlier that she was running late at”—I paused and thought hard. Where would one come home from dressed like that?—“the community garden where she volunteers. In fact, it looks like she just got home.” My eyes were firmly fixed on Jade’s cute little ass that appeared to be peeking out of her shorts at this angle.

Two more sets of eyes followed my gaze and fell on Jade while Sherrilyn asked, “Community garden?”

Fuck. “She’s quite the philanthropist, my little Jade.”

“Jade,” Mark said, as if testing it out on his tongue, and glanced up. “Well, we can’t wait to meet her. The woman says a lot about the man. Right, honey?”

Sherrilyn smiled and nodded. “Right, honey.”

Well, I was beyond glad they didn’t seem to have any trouble agreeing on matters. First, the fact that I needed to be in a relationship and now this. Boy, was I lucky.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Jade walk down the stairs, empty-handed. She had obviously dropped off my dry cleaning and was on her way. Her tongue darted out as she licked her lips and held her head high. Fuck, I loved how confident she was. She looked out of place (but in an adorable way only she could pull off), yet she didn’t seem to care.

That was so hot—she was practically holding her middle finger up at every person at this party by not caring whether she looked like she fit in or not.

I could hear my blood pumping in my ears.

“Aren’t you going to call her over here and introduce us?” Sherrilyn asked, interrupting me from my thoughts.

Uhh. Yeah.Sure.It was a good thing she couldn’t read my thoughts. They were currently focused on undressing Jade, so I could worship every part of her body until she was so satiated and spent she couldn’t imagine coming again. But she would. I’d make sure of it.

Sherrilyn tilted her head and eyed Jade, as though she was trying to send her a telepathic message to stop by. Too bad that would make her a party to this train wreck.

Farce.

Lie of all lies.

Told you, I would stick my foot in it.

And I had.

Big.

Damn.

Time.

I grinned, nodding. “Of course, I am.” I wasn’t planning on it. I didn’t need Jade blowing this whole thing to smithereens. I could just see it now—we’re not engaged. Those three words would be the final nail in my coffin with Mark.

But I had little choice in the matter. Or so it seemed.

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