Page 25 of The CEO's Revenge

She took a deep breath, making her chest heave. “Go to hell. Actually, why don’t you take your filthy money and give it to the slut you were with on my birthday when you left me waiting in that restaurant? I’m sure she can remind you what it feels like to be with a woman enough for you to go out and get four years-worth of pussy. Or maybe just start with the legs and chest you have sitting in your office out there. I’m pretty sure she would oblige.”

I scowled. “What the fuck are you talking about? You did it at the fair as well. You keep going on and on about me cheating on you and I never did. Or does it just irk you that I finally saw through your charade and your gold-digger colors showed.”

She gasped in shock. “Gold digger? Are you callingmea gold-digger?”

“The truth hurts, does it? When I got involved with you, people warned me you were too young.”

“We’re only two years apart,” she bit out furiously.

“Yes, but I was already a millionaire and you barely knew what four figures looked like, much less seven.” As I spoke, I remembered it was Robert who first cracked the joke about her being a gold digger. I’d not believed him then. I’d even taken offense and told him off, but what was one to believe when she left me to rot and picked up with the next shiny thing. Robert himself.

Robert and her deserved each other. Raw bile rose into my throat at the thought of them together.

Fuck him.

And her.

My voice was downright evil now. Even I could hear the degradation and sin in it. “We can do dinner first if you like, then go back to yours or mine, I don’t mind which. We’ll spend one night together where I get to fuck you as many times as I want in any orifice I want. You will not say no to anything I ask. Once I’ve had enough of your body, I’ll write you a check for the amount you want. After that we’ll part ways… forever.”

Every word felt bitter, but I had to see the charade through.

What was truly shocking was the suffocating feeling in my chest. I didn’t want her to accept. I was hoping and praying she would say no! If she said yes, it would confirm once and for all she was indeed what I’d accused her of being: a gold digger, and it mattered greatly to me that she prove me wrong.

This was my last hope in this cruel, dangerous world.

I wanted to be wrong. God, how I wanted to be wrong.

I leaned forward and steepled my fingers underneath my chin. “Well?”

10

SAVANNAH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4A5XuMz_Tw

-Killing Me Softly-

Istared at Max in disbelief. What kind of monster was I dealing with? His words cut me to the core. How could he sink so low as to think I would trade my body for his money? Our eyes clashed. I held his gaze as I reached for my bag and stood.

He watched me expressionlessly.

I reached across his desk and retrieved the file I had brought. I rammed it into my bag, zipped it, and shouldered it before looking at him. He was watching me through lidded eyes. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I would not sink to his level and engage in a shouting match or filth slinging. I spoke softly and carefully.

“I have never, in my life, taken anything that was not rightfully mine, nor have I ever used feminine wiles to get what I want so I don’t intend to start now. That is not how I was raised. You of all people should know that, or have you forgotten? Or maybe you think I went to one of those fancy plastic surgeons who repaired my hymen when I started dating you and I was just spreading my legs for anyone who came my way. You were my first. All my life, I have worked hard for everything I have. I have never accepted charity for myself. I have always thought of others and their needs. But as much as we need this lab and the equipment, I am not going to allow you to belittle and shame me in order to get it. On our own we raised over two hundred thousand dollars. Many people didn’t even believe we would even get twenty thousand. But we did.”

I paused to take a breath, I couldn’t stop my chest from heaving with the painful emotions running through my veins like poison.

He looked at me coldly. “Well, since you’re so good at raising money, I suggest you raise the shortfall if you don’t want to accept my offer.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, Max. We never asked you for this.Youoffered. And now you’re behaving as if we, or better yet, I, owe you something.”

“You sought me out and emailed me.”

“You could have just attended without spending a cent. As a matter of fact, if it bothers you that much to deal with me, you could have even ignored the email and pretended you didn’t see it. I didn’t ask you for anything. You chose to attend. You chose to seek me out, or have you forgotten how you pretty much stalked me all afternoon? You chose to open your mouth and make a huge speech about picking up the slack. Or was that for Robert’s benefit to make him see how you throw your money around? Was it for bragging rights? And now that it’s time to pay up, you want to back out of your commitment? What about your reputation? What do you think people will say when they hear the great Max Blackstone stiffed a couple of middle schoolers out of a computer lab?”

He threw his head back and laughed. “My reputation is the least of my worries. I’m an ex-con.”

“Oh stuff it, Max. You make it sound like you were locked away for forty years or something.”

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