Page 35 of Bargaining

“I was dancing with Reuben since he’s the only one here who asked me to dance,” she said.

I took a deep breath. Regaining my composure was all that mattered. That’s what I’d learned in New York. The world could be falling apart and, as long as you didn’t let it show, everything would be fine. Philip Thorner didn’t get to make me feel like this anymore. I’d have him dancing to my tune soon enough. No one got to make me feel out of control.

“I’m not messing around here, Charlotte. It’s time to go.”

We stared at each other, each assessing the other’s annoyance. Her frown deepened before she unfolded her arms. She gave Reuben a nod. “It was nice to meet you, Reuben. Thank you for the dance.”

She gave me an unimpressed look before she sauntered ahead of me through the crowd.

Chapter 16

Charlotte

“I’m paying you for your loyalty. If you plaster yourself all over another man in public again, the deal is off.”

Cole hadn’t spoken a word to me on the limo ride back to his place. He’d just sat there seething and communicating in increments of increasing jaw torsion. Then he chose this as his opening gambit?Plastering myself?

“People are right about you. You’re an arsehole online and IRL.” I dropped my clutch bag on the side table and ripped off the Saint Laurent heels my poor feet had been stuffed into. “What is your problem? A man asked me to dance. So what?”

His lips thinned in displeasure. “None of that was about you.”

I hopped around on the cold marble, alternately rubbing each aching foot. “No, because heaven forbid a man might want to dance with me!”

Cole held perfectly still in the large marble foyer. He measured me with a calculating stare. Despite his inscrutable expression and polished veneer, something dangerous rolled beneath his cold poise. This wasn’t the Cole I knew. Years had passed between us, but I’d never seen him this upset. He’d always been so reservedand self-possessed. Cole was like if “unbothered” had a next level. He didn’t lose his temper or lash out. Something was rattling him. Something really big.What has this life done to you to get you so twisted up like this?

“You could have danced with anyone there but him.”

“He’s your brother. What do you think is going to happen?”

“That man is not my brother. He was doing it on purpose to make me jealous, and you walked right into it.”

This thing between us was supposed to be civil and emotionless. I’d been trying to blend in. I’d been doing what he’d asked me to do. Anger surged through me, but I didn’t even try to be a good girl and suppress it. It felt good. Wild and powerful.

He came close, looking down at me intently with his glacial glare. “Do you like him?”

“What?”

“Do you find Reuben attractive?”

I threw my arms wide, exasperated. “So what if I do? These things don’t happen to me. I never have handsome men asking me to dance at fancy balls.”

“Handsome? That clown? Did he offer you something? To spy for him?”

“Of course not. Do you realize how paranoid you sound?”

“What did you talk about?”

You. All we talked about was you.I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing. His head was already too big. “It’s none of your business. I could have fucked him in an alley around the back of the building and it would still be none of your business.”

His eyebrows hitched, and he stepped back as though I’d slapped him. Had I shocked him? The good girl he’d left behind in Ecclesdale had rarely sworn. But then, she’d never had to deal with the things I had over the past couple of years. I’d watched myfather’s slow decline and been powerless to stop it. A grown man having a tantrum because of petty jealousy wasn’t about to faze me.

His voice was composed but it held a lethal edge. “Don’t mistake my generosity for weakness, Charlotte. I’m paying you an inordinate amount for a service. Please take some time to review the contract. I expect your loyalty in public, at least.”

Generosity?Like I wasn’t doing him a favor too, signing up for this farce. This marriage was his idea, not mine. I could still walk away. “That’s right. You’re paying for a service. You don’t own me. The contract doesn’t control my thoughts or my desires. Maybe I just wanted to feel something different for a change.”

Something light and exciting.“Maybe I wanted him to take me home tonight. I’m not the sweet, innocent girl you left behind. I’m not a nun, Cole. Yes, I found him attractive. Most would. He’s objectively handsome. So what?”

Everybody around me had spent their twenties screwing around and making mistakes. I hadn’t. He couldn’t blame me for getting swept up in a moment.