Page 64 of Irresistibly Wild

Iclutched my coffee and rehearsed my lines for the umpteenth time.

“We need to talk about Travis, but before that I want you to know that I’ve been lying to you about something,” I whispered. “Well, a couple things actually, and I really need to get them off my chest.”

I hesitated.

This was always the part where I struggled. The part when I was supposed to blurt it all out, to reveal that her brother was the only man I’d ever loved, and that I’d been pretending not to know him all along. Yet, I still couldn’t force myself to say the words.

The thought of her reaction and the potential pain of losing the only female friend I’d ever made hurt too damn much.

Stop rehearsing and rip it off like a Band-Aid when she gets here…

Exhaling, I tapped on my phone screen and focused on my ninety-day contract with Travis instead.

I ran a finger along our signatures, realizing he still hadn’t sent me the non-disclosure agreement.

Not wanting to jeopardize the payment, I called Miss Dawson.

“Well, hello there!” she answered on the first ring. “How can I help you, Mrs. Carter-to-be?”

“I haven’t received the NDA from Mr. Carter yet. Is there a problem?”

“Oh, not at all.” She paused. “He said that given your personal history, he trusts you. He’s made me sign like twenty of them, so he must hold you in really high regard, huh?”

I said nothing.

“While I have you, can you tell me what size you wear in dresses and pantsuits?”

“Depends,” I said. “I fluctuate between a four and a six. Why?”

“Mr. Carter set aside two million for me to buy you a designer-level wardrobe and I have every fashion house on standby.” She yelled my sizes to someone in the background, and I stifled a gasp.

“We’ll do Hermes for at least ten of her new handbags!” She called out before returning her attention to me. “Anyway, if you want, I can insist that Mr. Carter send you an NDA by this evening.”

“That’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Great! Mr. Carter and his team will meet you at Teterboro Airporton Saturday.”

“Got it.” I hung up and signaled for a refill.

Penelope rushed through the doors minutes later.

“This better be life or death.” She plopped down across from me. “Spill the tea.”

“It’s about your brother.”

“Oh. What about him?”

Just say, “I was sleeping with your brother when we were enemies in the past, and then I kind of fell for him, but then—”

“Wait, hold that thought.” She interrupted my thoughts. “I wasn’t sure why you’ve been acting so strange today, but I promise that I didn’t forget.”

She pulled a small red gift box from her pocket and set it on the table. “Here you are. Open it.”

“I’ll have to open it later.”

“No,now. It’s important.”

I tugged at the ribbon and flipped it open. Inside stood a beautiful necklace with a single charm—a runway replica with red diamonds. The words ‘In memory of Reese Brave’ were etched in tiny print.

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