Page 16 of Claimed By My Billionaire Ex

I slapped Jessie's back. "Jessie, this is one of my oldest friends—"

Olive slid forward, offering Jessie a hand. "Mallory Jensen."

My brow furrowed. Huh?

Jessie took Olive's hand and kissed the tip of her fingers. "Mallory, my dear, you are a sight to behold. Make yourself at home." He swung his arm into the house, nearly slapping a bartender carrying escargot right in the head. "Whoops. Come inside the two of you. There's people I want you to meet."

Olive's back straightened, her chin lifted, and she hooked her arm inside mine. The shyness from the red carpet had completely vanished, and she stepped inside with a confidence that made me do a double take.

She caught me staring. "What?"

I lifted my eyebrows. "Mallory Jensen?"

"What?" She shrugged. "You said it's the kind of party where I could be whoever I wanted."

I guess I did say that. I just didn't expect her to take it so...literal. But maybe that was just her nerves. Except as she followed Jessie through the foyer and into the living room, she weaved through the crowd with ease and grace, her head held high.

This was a good thing. I wanted her to enjoy herself, and after an hour, it was clear she was doing exactly that. Not only did she not hang by my side, waiting for me to make the next move, but she also handled herself like a woman who'd been to a hundred gatherings like this, jumping into conversations most people avoided. Her opinions on political matters were not only based in fact, but she listened to alternative viewpoints without judgment, asking all the right questions.

Jessie was getting such a kick out of it that he was guiding her from group to group. This was better than I could have imagined...so why did I feel so...off?

I excused myself to go to the bar, and as I waited for the server to get me my whiskey, Jessie stumbled over, his gait unsteady.

"Havin' fun buddy?"

Jessie grinned, leaning against the bar as he glanced across the room where Olive was telling an elaborate story to an enraptured group. "That girl is something else. Did you know she goes cave diving in her free time?"

I doubt that. "Is that right?"

Jessie shook his head in amusement. "I mean...Where the fuck did you find her?

I grabbed my whiskey and sighed. "Believe it or not, she was my college girlfriend."

Jessie slapped the bar. "No shit!"

"Yeah, I ran into her after our lunch, super randomly."

"Why'd you break up with her?"

I sighed. "She broke up with me actually."

"Shut up."

"Yeah." I shook my head and reluctantly looked at Jessie. He was eating up every word. "In a letter, no less."

"Damn. That makes me like her even more."

"Of course it does.”

Jessie leaned in. "And now what?"

"I don't know. We had a drink, I invited her, and here she is."

Jessie looked expectantly. "So it's a thing? Like are you dating?"

I should have just said yes. It would have gotten him off my back, and Jessie clearly already liked her, but I couldn't shake an uncertain feeling inside me. "We'll see. It's new."

"Well, bud, I'll tell you one thing...the other gals you brought around...they were great to look at, but listening to them talk made me want to stick an ice pick in my ear." He squeezed my shoulder. "Mallory—she's the full package. Don't fuck it up. Oh, and don't go anywhere. I'm making a speech soon."

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