“No need,” I bitterly growled into the phone. “Don’t call but do text me when Rinaldi leaves—immediately, Mike.Not five, not ten, not fifteen minutes later. The second the prick steps out of the front door, you bloody well inform me!” I thundered, out of my mind and incensed beyond comprehension.

After ending the blasted call, I mindlessly stared at the screen as images of her aroused and obliging flashed before my very eyes. Wanton and alluring, Gisele proved to be quite the raging harlot these days. Oh, how she bloody misled me!

I love you. There’s no shame in that, she ardently promised hours ago.

Oh, yeah, she was so bloody overwhelmed with her declarations of love that she could hardly stop herself from spreading it around now could she? In the throes of unbridled passion with Wyatt Rinaldi no less.

“YOU DECEITFUL BITCH!” I bellowed into my expansive office space, white hot with rage, wholly consumed by her betrayal and the lies she fed me.

I loathed believing her deceit. There was no need for promises. I sure as hell didn’t demand it. And yet, she did it anyway, and by doing so, chipped a huge chunk of my armor as I unconsciously let myself trust she’d only have me from here on out.

Well, more was I the fool.

What was the point of being celibate the past month, anyway? Rose had been placed on the backburner because my thoughts were occupied by another. But sex was sex…Still, something provoked me to take such drastic measures to remain clean, free from traces of another woman’s touch and carnal essence.

I did it…for her.It was my way of punishing myself for leaving her, and yet, look where that got me tonight. Utterly nowhere.

The evil side of me injected the idea of barging in on them, but another side argued that this could be for the best. This was what I had wanted in the beginning, wasn’t it?

Once upon a time, I had—before tonight transpired, before I savored how the wretched woman ignited with lecherous passion in my arms, dominated by an unfurling necessity for completion.

I supposed she had been left unsatisfied after orgasming twice. The lascivious woman coveted more. She had stated her plans on shagging Wyatt tonight. It seemed that plan remained intact. If not mistaken, Rinaldi was fucking her right this very moment…seeking the same warm crevice I vacated hours ago, with my seed aiding him to fuck her better. Well, good on them then. Truly.

What makes you think you weren’t fucking her with Wyatt Rinaldi’s nut coating your dick, too?

BLOODY FUCKING CHRIST.“Damn you, Gisele! God damn you!”My body turned rigid, literally revolted at the thought of her being so filthy.

And the wench had the gall to claim herself a virgin at Hank Rinaldi’s party? Yeah, right. If she was, then I’m the bloody fucking Pope.

Ah, the vixen named Lexi Anne. I didn’t even bloody know where to start with this madness.

The intricate web of lies she weaved. She spun so many I was left astounded by it all. Gisele’s vindictiveness was dumbfounding. I had to hand it to her; she was truly such a great actress. The deceitful woman had tricked me twice, and on both counts, I hadn’t seen them coming. I actually trusted her even after I walked in on her dressed as Lexi. It seemed my idiocy knew no bounds where she was concerned. I was a fool for letting a brat into my life. These childish amusements were juvenile, just like the fibber herself. Touching her should’ve been out of the question. But at that time, resisting her had been a sweet torture for me. Her enthusiasm, her quiet elegance, not to mention her stunning beauty made her irresistible in my eyes.

Maybe this was her way of payback—all those rejected nights I held her to sleep had come into a vile fruition. Perhaps I deserved her vindictive mind games. After a devious successful night, she must be glowing with pride for out-maneuvering me each time.

Women.

There was a reason barriers were erected. For years, I’d successfully eluded manipulative women. Gisele Weber’s cunningness put them all to shame. The kitten had claws, and how deep those sharpened talons pierced through her victims.

The mindfuck commenced, but instead of hastily dropping by on them unannounced, I stuck to my resolve and remained seated while I infuriatingly continued working on the prototype. While doing so, I endured several phases of anger. The betrayal coiled into something incredibly grotesque and abominable. It was volatile. Unpredictable. Impulsive.

The last phase finalized to insouciance. Once I had found her endearing, enchanting. Never had I ever been so disillusioned. Well, she could go on with her infantile games, but I was done actively playing the part. The entertainment was kaput.

This time, I sincerely meant it.

It was seven in the morning when I emerged out of the company building. It was the same exact moment Mike’s message pealed into my phone, enacting my demand hours prior.

Rinaldi just left. Alone, it said.

My jaw locked. My resolve, undiminishing. “She doesn’t matter anymore. Rinaldi can have her all to himself.” Gisele Weber had no hold on me. Thank the fucking gods, I was free—free from the wretched guilt that consumed me these past weeks. I could live the life I once reveled in.

Unperturbed, I slid my phone back into my trousers before pulling out my car keys, set to begin my Saturday morning in a much more jovial manner.

Exhausted as I was, I left the headquarters feeling quite relieved. With Gisele’s deceits exposed, the ardent, undying hunger within me that she alone could satisfy had all diminished down to nothingness. The guilt that plagued me for the past month after rejecting her in the closet that one afternoon had vanished. I was wholly unburdened by it all. Leaving no hindrance in seeking Rose’s body once again. An inviting, warm, pliable body that indubitably could quench my desires. My pent-up hate, frustrations, cravings, and everything in between would be channeled into Rose’s willing body.

And that was where I was heading and where I’d be seeking for days and nights to come.

Gisele Weber should not and would not stop me ever again.