Page 30 of Billionaire Corruption

“You have to see my side too. I mean, the way things are going at the moment. I know I may seem paranoid, but it’s hard to know who to trust.”

She stopped walking. “You don’t trust me?”

“No, that’s not what I said. I was surprised to hear about you and Irina meeting, that’s all.”

“Well, don’t worry about it, I don’t think it will happen again.”

“Why not?”

She gave me a dirty look. “Look, l came out tonight to tell you I don’t think we should see each other again. It’s too complicated.”

She didn’t look me in the eye when she said this, and her voice sounded a bit strained.

“Okay,” I said, waiting to hear if she had anything else to add. It seemed like she had more to say. But she dropped her chin, almost stubbornly, folding her arms and refusing to say anything else.

I stepped closer.

“I thought we were having a good time,” I said in a low voice.

I mean, I knew she was right, essentially. Sooner or later I probably would have ended it with her anyway. There was no way this thing between us could have lasted. But I was usually the one who broke things off, I was usually the one calling the shots.

Somehow, the tables had been turned and Grace was in control now. It was a very unusual position for me.

“I don’t think there can be any other way,” she said, her voice shaking. I noticed her eyes filling with tears and took her into my arms, but she broke free and stepped back.

“No!” she said firmly, shaking her head.

“I know for you pretty much anything goes, but I’m not like that. People matter, rules are important, and I don’t just have a good time with people without thinking ahead, of the consequences and the implications.”

I opened my mouth to say something, and she cut me off.

“Here is how I see it; someone is going to get hurt here and it is going to be me. Someone will probably lose their job and if it is me, it will be a huge struggle to find another one, seeing as how my reputation will be worth nothing. You, on the other hand, even if you do lose your job, will have no trouble find another one. You’ll go for a drink with an old college buddy and just like that, tada! There will be a new job opportunity just popping up!”

I found myself unable to disagree with her.

“The odds are stacked in your favor; they always will be. So, I have to be smart and take myself out of the equation as quickly as possible.”

I was still thinking about her words when she walked away, quickly, crossing the street, and disappearing into the shadow.

I wanted to go after her, but I had to think of what to say first. I was used to charming my way through most difficult situations, especially with women. With Grace, it had not been necessary so far. But we had gone beyond our experience in the elevator, and we had started something else. Our physical attraction had not burned itself out, at all. If anything, it had increased my desire for her.

The problem was our professional situation, the fact that she was part of the accounting team investigating Ladden Ltd. Surely, that was all it was? If I could convince her to quit her job, then we could see each other without any issue.

I walked back to my car, aware of how cold the night was.

I had left my coat in the bar, rushing after Grace like that. I went back in to look for it and the guy behind the bar held it out to me.

“You forgot this,” he said.

I thanked him and thought how often we thought the worst of people, assuming something we’d left behind would be stolen. Grace too, was thinking the worst about us, how it would affect her and her job. The fact that she thought I would hurt her was a good sign though, it meant she had feelings for me.

I liked that. A lot.

I thought of her body and the way she had responded to my touch. I recalled the taste of her and the smell on her skin, something exotic and spicy. She was full of unexpected pleasures, I thought, heading out to my car.

I had no intention of letting Grace go.

Chapter 13

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