Page 76 of The Billionaire Invitation

“Oh no. You’re not getting away from me that easy.”

Wasn’t she though? Wasn’t she getting away from him very easily? In a week’s time he would walk away no problem. Of all the things he’d said, she hadn’t heard a single mention of them keeping in touch.

For Dante, it was the ultimate have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too scenario. For her, it was another heartbreak to navigate on top of an already wobbly stack of to-dos.

Chloe poked her head through the door and offered a plate. On it was a fork and a slice of cake—half chocolate, half strawberry. Split in two, like Honesty’s heart.

“Jaylyn said this is the cake that you picked out,” she told Honesty. “This is the last slice, and she didn’t want you to miss out. Hope you two are okay out here. Sorry to interrupt!” She handed off the plate and dashed back into the party.

“Chloe is happy for us,” Dante said.

Chloe was as deluded as Honesty had been.

Dante scooped up a bite of the cake and shoveled it into his mouth. The wind ruffled his hair. He offered her the plate. “Do you want a bite? It’s really good.”

“I couldn’t eat another thing.” Especially after finding out that the man she was in love with was sticking around for business reasons.

Maybe she was the one who was the idiot.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“You are not weak. You’re practical,” Gabby was arguing in the office the next morning.

“I’m hopeless. And too busy. Can you clone yourself? Please?” Honesty tried to smile, but her lips refused to move in an upward direction.

She’d gone back to the hotel room with Dante. And while she’d assured herself that a night of incredible sex wouldn’t lead to him saying those three magical words and changing his plans, that’s what she’d been hoping for.

Had he rolled over, pressed her breasts against his bare chest, and recited a sonnet? Not exactly.

“I’m going to miss this most of all.”

That’s what he’d said. Out of everything they’d shared, he’d miss having sex with her most of all.

She hadn’t told Gabby that part, only expressed that she should be creating distance between herself and Dante before he left. Then she’d tacked on “in case I start developing feelings for him.”

So, she’d told a white lie that she hadn’t fallen for him “yet.” Surely that was a forgivable offense.

She’d managed to pull Chloe aside at the restaurant and had sworn her to secrecy. Chloe had promised not to tell anyone—even Jaylyn—about Honesty’s feelings for Dante. Honesty had then reiterated what she’d said earlier—that he could do whatever he pleased and she’d be okay.

So far, so not-good.

“Who wouldn’t want a few more sexual romps with him before he leaves town?” Gabby stacked the papers in her hands, her eyes going wide. “I mean, not me. Just generally speaking.”

“I know what you meant.” Gabby was a good friend. But if Honesty hoped to survive this sequel she’d nicknamed Dante Leaving, Part Deux, then she needed to focus on work and not her own feeble heart and questionable decision-making skills.

“Live it up, girl. I just don’t want to see you in a situation like the one with Boyd.”

Boyd, her most recent ex-boyfriend, had existed on the fringes of her life for the better part of two years. “I don’t know if it’s fair to call what Boyd and I had a relationship.”

“That’s why I used the term situation.” Gabby dropped her papers and hopped up on the corner of her desk. She patted the empty spot next to her.

Honesty sat facing the glass front door. The sunny day and the city’s ever-present breeze were reminders of the company—the life—she’d built. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, but made a mental note to water the potted plants on the stoop. An entrepreneur’s work was never done.

“I was the one scheduling your dinners around his deadlines,” Gabby said. “And then rescheduling them, remember?”

Oh, Honesty remembered. She and Boyd hadn’t been much more than availability and good intentions.

“He never met your parents. Or Christian.”