Page 54 of Unmasked

A second later, Lainey walked through the doors like the very embodiment of his desires. She always sent a jolt of electricity to his libido, and the feeling had only grown stronger since their weekend together.

“Hey,” she said, her hands fiddling with the end of her long red ponytail. Today she looked different. There was no dramatic makeup, no fitted clothing or sky-high heels—none of her usual attention-grabbing tactics, in fact. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“You’re always welcome here,” he said, gesturing for her to have a seat. “I was going to call you, anyway.”

“You were?” A smile ghosted across her lips.

“I signed Jerry McPartlin.” He clapped his hands together and leaned back in his chair. “And I owe you a celebratory drink. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” She ran her hands over the floaty hem of her white cotton dress. The stark contrast with her flame-red hair made her look like a firework against a black-and-white background—like she was the only bit of colour he could see.

“My first meeting with the man was a disaster.” He laughed. “If it wasn’t for you going along with the whole fake-fiancée thing, I doubt he would have given me a second chance.”

“I’m glad I could help. I know he’s an important client.”

“He is.” For some reason he felt a little less victorious than he had the moment the email had popped into his inbox—would Lainey still be happy she helped if he told her the full story? “He was my old boss’s client.”

Her brows dipped into a frown, as if she was unsure of the significance of that detail.

“Jenny was having an affair with him. My boss...ex-boss.” He cleared his throat, startled by the rush of anger that resurfaced fresh and raw. How many years would pass before those feelings stopped? “I found them. Together.”

She blinked. “I had no idea.”

“I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want anyone to know.” He sucked in a breath. “The worst thing was that it started as a revenge screw. She didn’t want me starting my own business because it would mean even longer hours and she thought I neglected her enough as it was. She told me if I was a good husband then she never would have had to go elsewhere.”

“That’s a load of bullshit.” She pursed her lips. “And it certainly doesn’t excuse an affair.”

“Well, my boss was a bastard, and when I resigned he told me I’d never make it to the big leagues, that I’d never be on his level. He’d hired me to be his gofer and nothing more.”

“So you stole his client?” Lainey asked.

“His favourite client.”

She picked at the embroidery curving around the hem of her dress. “Why are you telling me this?”

“You were involved.” He shrugged. “I thought you had a right to know.”

“If you thought that, you would have mentioned it before I got involved.” She looked up. “Do you still love her?”

“Jenny?” He reeled. “Fuck, no. Not after what she did.”

“But you’re still clinging to her.” Her expression was soft and sad and not at all what he’d expected. “This whole revenge thing says you’re not over what happened. You said yourself it’s the reason you couldn’t stay in the apartment. She’s still part of your life even if you don’t want her to be.”

Damian’s mind whirred. He knew he didn’t love Jenny anymore. That was a certainty. But her betrayal haunted his every move. Mocked his every step toward success, telling him it would never be enough. He would never be enough. Not until he proved that they’d been wrong to doubt him.

That was why McPartlin was so important. Landing this client was the key to him being able to move on, because it was proof he’d become successful...wasn’t it?

Is that really the kind of success you want?

“She’s not part of my life anymore,” he gritted out.

Lainey shook her head. “But you haven’t had a real relationship since.”

“Because I don’t want one.” He swallowed. “I told you that.”

“Why did that change?” Frustration gave her voice an edge, subtle enough that most people wouldn’t hear it. But he did, because he knew her. “Was it due to her cheating, or something else?”

“I was sick of having to take sides between her and my career. I didn’t want to be in that position again.”

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