Page 67 of Claim

“Justine, I’m fine. Mr. Pierce wants to speak to me about something. I’ll see you for our meeting later this coming week.”

Concern crossed over this Justine’s features, but he consented and then moved away.

Sophia’s attention shifted to me. “That’s very caveman of you.”

“You have no idea.” I stepped toward her. “Who was that?”

“Why do you care?”

“You know I damn well care. Now answer the question.”

“My agent.”

Agent? Who the fuck had an agent that looked like a billionaire cover model?

Sophia, that was who.

I narrowed my gaze. “Are all agents that familiar with their clients? If I hadn’t known firsthand otherwise, I’d say the two of you were lovers.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Let’s put it this way. I showed remarkable restraint.”

A flash of something, possibly uneasiness or vulnerability, passed in her black eyes. “Didn’t we agree not to see each other in or out of the club again?”

I ignored her question. There was no going back now.

“You’re mine, Sophia. I don’t share.”

“Are you staking your claim, Mr. Pierce?”

“And if I said I am?”

“Do you plan to make the point clear in the same fashion as before?” She stepped closer to me, setting a hand on my tuxedo jacket.

She smelled so damn good.

Was she accepting what I’d said?

I wrapped an arm around Sophia’s hip and guided her toward the dance floor.

“Not here. Your family wouldn’t appreciate a display in that manner. For now, this will have to do.”

Turning her to face me, I offered her my hand.

“Think very carefully about what you’re doing. Dancing with me here will mean something. This isn’t the club, and this isn’t a scene where once it’s over, you walk away.” She swallowed as if she were finding the courage to finish her words.

Before she could speak, I said, “There is a reason why I kept pushing you away, why I refused to pursue this outside the club.”

“And that is?”

“You meant something to me from that first night. It touched me on a level I couldn’t explain. It scared me. What I felt wasn’t rational.”

“Don’t say things like that. It confuses me. You said point blank what we had stayed within the club’s walls.”

“I was protecting you. What happened at the fashion show pushed the lines. Pursuing our dynamic outside of the club comes with a lot more consequences.”

A crease formed between her brows as if she were about to argue, but instead, she moved closer to me and lifted her hand, pausing right before she slid her palm over mine. “With me, you’ll get high-profile incidents, galas, nosy reporters, and maybe a scandal or two. That isolated life you enjoy so much won’t exist anymore.”

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