Page 70 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

His fingers drifted across my shoulder before swirling in lazy circles over my bare collarbone. “I will make millions of dollars in profit over the course of the next decade of working with Adam Zhang. You should be proud of yourself. Highly paid consultants have accomplished much less.”

“Much less for much more money,” I answered. “Business consultants usually get paid.” I laughed bitterly. I’d made my father far more than I’d cost him throughout my life, even considering college. “Eventually, my father will try to marry me off. When I refuse, he’ll cut me off entirely. Then I won’t be able to fight for Lizzieorfeed her.”

His fingers froze, halting their meandering path up my neck. He removed his arm from around my shoulders and pulled out his phone. Once again, I couldn’t read the expression on his face as his thumbs flew over the screen.

My phone dinged. I gasped in surprise. He’d deposited ten thousand dollars into my new bank account. Utterly speechless, my breath caught in my throat, and hot tears welled in my eyes.

“Kitten,” he rasped, finally breaking the silence. “The only man allowed to degrade you is me. You are worth so much more than you think.”

A tear dripped down my face, and then another until the flood turned into sobs. The car had long since stopped outside my building. I pulled away from Dante, dashing the tears away from my eyes, but he tightened his fingers around my shoulder and held me in place.

“Finish crying, kitten,” he said, holding me still. “Then fix your face.” Drawing in great hiccuping breaths, I pulled myself together. What was it about this man that sent me swinging from one extreme of emotion to another? When I’d repaired my face for the second time that night, he captured my chin with his fingers, dragging my gaze to his.

“Nobody fucks with you but me. Do you understand?”

With a shuddering inhalation, I opened the door to the car. He grasped my wrist, keeping me from leaving. “Slut, do you understand me?” he snapped.

“Understood, sir,” I said unevenly.

“Good.”

28

SOFIA

Nick surprisedme on a Friday evening as I walked out of my apartment. “What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to contain my smile in front of Lizzie’s bodyguard, who stood stoic and silent outside my door.

Was my smile as big as Nick’s? I didn’t care. He was a ray of sunshine in my otherwise frustrating and caged life, a bit of joyful freedom to be who I wanted, to dream of better things for Lizzie and myself. It was so fucking selfish to lead him on when I knew our relationship would never come to anything, but I couldn’t force myself to end it.

He pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. I melted—lilies were my favorite, although I was sure I’d never mentioned it to him. “I stopped by to see if you wanted to grab dinner.”

I closed my eyes, furious that I had to play stupid games to hide our relationship, furious that I couldn’t step into his arms like I wanted, furious at everything that kept me from enjoying his company.

“I can’t. I have plans.”

He looked me up and down in my elegant dress, my heels, and the heavy makeup I wore for Dante so it would track down my face when I cried.

“Plans with whom, Sofia?” he asked in that quiet way that men have when they’re most dangerous.

He wouldn’t hurt me,I told myself.He won’t hurt me.I disregarded the guard and stepped closer to cup his jaw. “Nick, I have never pretended my life was anything but complicated. Please don’t ask me to lie to you.”

He looked down at me, the mossy green of his eyes darkening with hurt and anger. Then he pushed me hard into the wall and kissed me fiercely, his teeth crashing against mine, biting at my lips until they were bruised and swollen.

“Nick,” I whimpered, but he ignored me as he stoked the fires of my need, brutal and rough, pressing his body into mine.Shit, the guard. I pushed at his chest, but Nick only pressed me into the wall, grabbing my wrists and holding them above my head as he kissed me.

“Fuck,” he gasped, “what am I doing?” He yanked his mouth away and pressed his forehead to mine as we both gasped for breath, trying to quiet our galloping heartbeats. “I’m a jealous asshole. I’m sorry.”

What was I supposed to tell him? That he had every right to be jealous?No.Instead, I gently pressed my lips on the corner of his mouth. “Thank you for the flowers, Nick.”

He closed his eyes but didn’t release me from the wall. “Do you want to get breakfast tomorrow morning? With Lizzie?”

My stomach erupted in a flurry of butterflies. “Let’s get lunch somewhere casual.”

He nodded, then kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry I was a dick.”

“Tomorrow, Nick.”

He stepped away from me, and I steeled my heart against the soulful look of longing he sent me as the elevator doors closed.

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