Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Don’t make this more awkward than it needs to be,” I warn. “Once the thirty days are over, we’re listing Denia’s penthouse for sale and going our separate ways again.”
A full laugh escapes my best friend. “If you believe that, you’re delusional. Sinclair is back in your life. I think it’s for good this time.”
“You’re wrong.” I watch the movement of his eyes as they shift from left to right.
Sinclair and her friend must be on the move.
“Shit,” I mutter when Kalon pushes to stand, buttoning his suit jacket. “Sit the fuck down.”
He ignores me in favor of greeting the woman I didn’t expect to see tonight. “Hey, Sinclair. It’s good to see you.”
Great. Just fucking great.
“I thought that was you, Kalon,” Sinclair says from behind me. “This is my friend. Arietta Voss, this is Kalon Beaumont, and…” Her voice trails before she fills in the blank that she let hang in silence for a beat too long. “Jameson Sheppard. That’s you, isn’t it?”
I turn and glance back at her and her friend. “It’s me.”
Arietta elbows her way past Sinclair to take a spot next to our table. She extends a hand toward me. “It’s nice to meet you, Jameson. I’ve heard things about you.”
The way she enunciates the word ‘things’ piques my interest. I have no fucking clue if Sinclair has told anyone about what happened between us two years ago. If I were a betting man, I’d gamble my money on a hard no. Sinclair keeps her emotions close to the vest, but Arietta is looking at me like she knows something.
“What things?” Kalon asks as he watches me shake Arietta’s hand.
Arietta glances at him. “We’ve met.”
Kalon takes a half step closer to her. “Jesus, you’re right. You’re Dominick’s assistant, right? You work at Modica Wealth Management.”
Arietta’s left hand darts into the air. “I’m his fiancée now. We’re getting married.”
“That’s great news.” Kalon’s face beams with a smile. “I’ll have to send Dominick a congratulatory note.”
Arietta smiles. “He’d like that.”
“I’ll drop it off at the office this week,” he offers. “I’d like to buy you and your fiancé lunch to celebrate.”
“I’m in law school now,” she says softly. “But Dominick would appreciate that. He loves spending time with his clients.”
Client?
The pieces fit together. Kalon told me a few years ago that some guy named Dominick was handling his fortune, but I wasn’t paying enough attention at the time to absorb any of the details. I didn’t realize this Dominick guy was part of the Calvetti family.
It’s a small world.
“Our table is waiting.” Sinclair points to a table several feet away where one of the hostesses is standing with two menus in her hands. “It was good to see you, Kalon.”
Ouch.
She breezes past her friend to head toward their table.
“It was nice to meet both of you.” Arietta’s gaze volleys between Kalon and me before landing squarely on my face. “I’ll be seeing you again, Jameson. I plan on visiting Sinclair often while you two are living together.”
Why do I feel like the petite blonde with the sweet smile just threatened me?
“I’ll see you soon,” I tell her. “Enjoy your dinner, Arietta.”
“We will,” she says assuredly. “Sinclair has my number on speed dial, just so you know.”
She takes off, marching toward where Sinclair is already sitting.
“Arietta won’t let you pull any shit, James.” Kalon laughs. “You better treat Sinclair right, or her friend will be out for blood.”
I catch Sinclair’s gaze for a split second and grab that brief opportunity to toss her a grin.
The scowl she sends my way warms my heart because I caught her looking in my direction.
I take that as a win.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sinclair
“Turn that frown upside down,” Arietta singsongs from across the table. “If you didn’t like him, you wouldn’t look like that.”
I stare at her face. “I wouldn’t look like what?”
“Like you can’t decide if you want to strangle Jameson or have sex with him.”
Despite the anger I feel at the moment, I laugh. “Arietta!”
“You once told me there’s a thin line between love and hate.” She pushes her eyeglasses up the bridge of her nose. “I know you didn’t coin the phrase, but you said it to me more than once when I worked for Dominick. It was before we got together.”
“Before he gave you the big D?” I ask with a straight face.
Her gaze drops. “Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about Jameson’s big D, not my future husband’s very big D.”
Smiling, I shake my head. “I have no idea if Jameson has a big dick.”
Arietta sighs. “He does. He gives off that energy. His friend does too.”
I steal another glance over her shoulder. “You think?”
She smiles. “You’re interested in what Jameson has to offer, aren’t you?”
“Hell, no,” I say a bit too loudly.
“That’s a firm yes, then.”
“Arietta.” Her name snaps off my tongue. “Jameson and I were friends. We’re enemies now. I have never seen his cock, or thought about it.”