Page 26 of The Deal with the Playboy

This is weird, too weird for me.

“So you really are going to wait on me hand and foot?”

“That is what I’m paid to do.”

“I need to run some errands,” I tell him.

Once we’re in the car, my heart jumps in my chest as I dial my mother’s number. It rings two times before it goes to voicemail. Frustration grows in my chest like a weed as I send out a text to Sophia.

Me: Can you have Mom meet me for lunch? I found a suitor.

Sophia reads my message and she calls me straight away. She sequels so loud in my ear when I hit Answer, I have to hold my phone away from my face.

“Who is he?” I can hear the smile in her tone.

“Jasper Barrett. The multibillionaire. He offered me a better deal. We’re getting married,” I answer.

Silence stretches between us. Not the response I was hoping for.

“Are you there?” I ask.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do? We don’t believe in divorce and I don’t want you to stay with someone who could be worse than Link.”

She’s voicing my own worst fears, but I have to make her see that Jasper is not like Link.

I shake my head as if she can see me. “Jasper isn’t like Link. He’s best friends with Lake’s husband and she approves of him.”

“If you say so.” Her tone sounds as if she doesn’t believe me.

Whatever. This is a sweet deal for me, and although I was having regrets before, I’m not now. Yes, I want children in the future, but I’d rather have Jasper tell me up front that he doesn’t want kids so we can work to move past it. Who knows? He might change his mind in the future.

“Mother will accept me this way, plus he has a membership to the American Billionaire Club. He can help your dad with his winery.” That’s something I need to speak to him tonight about over dinner. I never told him why I need my mother’s approval—at least, I don’t remember mentioning it.

“She will love him. Just be careful with him, though. I don’t want to go to jail for murder.”

I smile at this. “You know I watch enough crime shows to kill someone and get away with it. It’s a marriage of convenience.”

“Your hearts won’t be involved. Just your bodies.” I can hear her smirk over the phone.

I never talk about my sex life with my baby sister, even though she has a kid and is married. It feels weird. “Shut up,” I say.

She laughs. “I sent Mother a text saying to meet us at the cafe she loves. She replied saying she’ll be there at noon, sharp.”

“Thanks,” I say before I press End Call.

Jasper

Iwalk into the office connected to mine, glancing at my current executive assistant, Diana. She has her tits spilling out of her cream blouse, and her floral skirt is too damn short. She wears those types of clothes every damn day, trying to tempt me. When her eyes meet mine, she blushes and purposely leans over the desk, displaying her lacey bra. I revert my eyes. If I weren’t engaged to Poppy, I still wouldn’t sleep with her. She’s been coming on to me since she started working here five months ago. I miss my last EA; she kept things professional between us.

I’m glad I’m finally getting rid of Diana, I should have fired her a long time ago but I didn’t because she knows how to do her job well. Though she’s annoying. She tries to have conversations with me about her life, constantly showing me pictures of her family and friends, inviting me out on dates. I had dinner with her one time because work was so hectic. The next day, pictures of us were plastered across social media. I paid my publicist, Ellis, to remove them.

Diana holds out a batch of cookies and when I lightly push them away, her face falls. She places the cookies back on the desk, facing me.

“Pack your shit. You’re fired,” I snap.

Well, that felt good. I breathe in and exhale slowly.

Her eyes gloss over and widen in horror, then she folds her arms across her chest. “What? Why am I being fired?”

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