Page 44 of The Leader

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She decided to surprise her husband that afternoon by paying him a visit in his tower. Also, this might be the perfect time to live out her office fantasy, featuring a certain real estate mogul. She had changed into a different outfit before coming over.

Walking into the Detta Tower, she watched herself in the window. She had decided on a black pencil skirt with a red silk top and killer heels. It was a good prep for their late afternoon meeting at the bank.

She gave her name at the reception and took a seat in the waiting area. Pulling the “I’m his wife card” seemed silly, and also would ruin her surprise, so she sat. Waiting.

And waiting.

Half an hour in, and she was still waiting. That was when Hector stepped inside and took a seat next to her.

“Why?”

She loved the way he just used one word and expected her to understand all and every meaning behind it.

“I want to surprise him.”

“Figures. Never seen you in something else but jeans before.” His lips almost pulled into a smile. Almost, but not quite.

Apparently, she was more transparent than she’d thought. “Shut up,” she mumbled.

Hector didn’t have her patience. He walked up to the front desk. After a few words and a chin jerk at her, the receptionist turned crimson. She alerted the guard near the elevators that Jazzy could pass through.

Finally.

She got up and, after a silent ‘thank you’ to the big man, stepped into the elevator.

There was only one girl with hot pink lips, who got in after her. She seemed a tad nervous, checking her hair and makeup in the elevator mirror several times.

“Hot lunch date?” Jazzy joked.

“Hope so. Going to see the boss,” the girl entrusted to her. “He’s hot. LikeGQhot but very manly, you know.”

Jazzy nodded. She knew all too well.

“Even his name is hot,” the girl said with a gush. “Giovanni Detta.”

It felt like someone just sucker-punched her. “I think I read somewhere that he’s married,” Jazzy casually said.

The girl re-applied her lipstick. “Oh, apparently he is, but I mean, we’ve never even seen his wife. She’s probably some prissy, boring, high-society cold fish. She must be, or else she would have visited him; staked her claim, right? What woman wouldn’t.”

Instead of smacking the lipstick from Hot Pink’s face, Jazzy smiled. “You’re right. A real woman would piss all over him to show her ownership.” When she got a blank look in return, she explained, “The way animals do.”

“Oh, right.” Hot Pink unbuttoned her top button, showing some cleavage. “Wish me luck.”

Wishing her luck wasn’t what Jazzy had in mind. More like, the plague.

When the elevator came to a halt at their floor, the girl lifted her shoulders, pushed her chest up, and started walking.

Jazzy trailed after Hot Pink, who was making a show of strutting in her high heels. The girl stopped at the coffee machine, clearly contemplating her next move.

That was when Jazzy spotted an unwelcome face she’d last seen at her wedding. What was the woman’s name again? Lisa. It suddenly occurred to her that there were apparentlytwosharks circling her husband.

That was when Jazzy strode past them.

Gio stood before the front desk, giving instructions to a woman in a suit, who was taking notes.

If he was surprised to see her walk into his place of business for the first time, it didn’t show on his face. When she kissed him—tongue and all—in the middle of the corridor, she clearly did surprise him, however. God help him if he pushed her away.

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