Page 26 of Just Not That Into Billionaires

“Waiting,” he says.

“I think you should’ve given me that divorce when I asked for it,” I say casually.

His eyes twinkle. “And miss all this fun?”

“You make a good point,” I say, trying not to grin like a madwoman.

Benny narrows his eyes, suspicious at my agreement. Erp!

“Bringing the wife to dinner. Stroke of brilliance,” Aaron says, trying to echo Benny’s debonair tone, but it just turns out asshole-ly, because that’s Aaron.

Benny still has that suspicious look. “Youareplanning on behaving…”

“I wouldn’t dream of disobeying any one of your orders!” I say.

“Good girl,” Aaron says.

The host arrives and we’re led to a large corner table. Two women and three men stand as we approach, watching me with friendly curiosity. There are greetings all around and everybody agrees that it’s great to finally meet face to face instead of Zoom.

Benny turns to me, gazing into my eyes with a look of superiority tailor-made to irk me. “My adoring wife, Francine.”

Oh the fun he’s having.

Aaron looks on confidently.

“Hi, everyone!” I say, trying to act natural. “So great to meet you!” I give smug Benny my most adoring smile—I really pour it on. “I’ve been so excited about this dinner for so long. I don’t get out much. Barely at all, in fact.”

Benny cocks his head, maybe wondering why I would say such a thing.

Heart racing a million miles an hour, I start to undo the buttons of my coat, slowly revealing my dress. I smile innocently at him as I pull my coat off, baring the gathered sleeves, the embroidered apron, the full Swiss Miss madness.

Benny’s expression has shifted from smug pleasure to something far more delightful—let’s call it energetic surprise.

I was worried, but now…worth it!

Innocent as can be, I look around the table at the baffled glances of the Arcana Protech people, who have clearly heard the rumors about me being locked in a Swiss chalet.

“Uh…cute dress,” Juliana’s pink-lipstick-wearing Texan colleague says. Other people startled. One of the guys is a deer in headlights.

“Thank you! It’s one of Benny’s favorites. Pretty and stylish, he always says.” I drape my coat on the back of the chair. “This is really fun already. Seeing new people and all! It’s such a rare treat for me!” I sit and take a menu from the waiter. “Thank you,” I say brightly.

I turn to Aaron, who’s seated next to me and looks like he’s about to lose his mind. “This place looks amazing,” I say. “Did you pick it, Aaron?”

“No,” he says, managing to pack an astounding amount of growl into that single syllable.

I ask the leader of the small group, Juliana, if it’s her first time in New York City. It’s not, and we strike up a wee conversation about the different airports. For the record, I am being totally charming, as promised.

I can feel Benny’s gaze on me. I’m almost glad I came, now. I turn to him and smile. Our eyes meet. My pulse races.

His gaze lowers to the bodice of my dress, which plumps up my breasts in a super sassy and sexy way. When he looks back up, he’s still all cool and hard on the outside, but I know he thinks it’s hot. He can’t hide it from me.

And I think it’s hot that he thinks it’s hot.

“What is it, honey?” I ask innocently.

He gives me a heated look, his face hard planes. The way he’s looking at me, it’s like a very sexy arrow that goes right into me, right down to my curling toes.

My gaze drops to the side of his neck where his pulse pounds away. That place seems so unbearably alive; it’s the wild, beating heart of him, his highly annoyed molten center, and I have this crazy impulse to brush my fingertips down along his throat, right there, just to touch him, to breach the foreboding force field of Benny.

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