Page 23 of The CEO Alpha’s Substitute Mate

I can’t help but feel anxious. The house is twenty minutes back the other way, with another seventy in front of us before the city.

Callum doesn’t look up from his tablet this time and says, “He’s a sharp boy. I’ve seen his grades. He’ll be fine there.”

I open my mouth to argue with that but wisely choose not to escalate the matter when he shoots me a look. I’ve already escaped one attempt on my life today. I probably should not try to make it a recurring incident.

“I’ll be dropping you to your dance class today, and I’ll pick you up as well.” He swipes something off the screen. “In a few days, I’ll assign you a driver.”

“Okay.”

He reaches into his jacket without looking at me and holds something out across the seat. It’s a card, matte black, with no bank name on it that I can find. My name sits embossed along the bottom in small letters.

“What’s this?”

“That’s for your expenses. Your monthly allowance. There’s twenty in it.”

I turn it over. “Twenty dollars?”

“Not twenty dollars.”

“Then what?”

He gives me a long look. “Twenty thousand. The same amount will be deposited every month.”

The card drops out of my fingers onto the seat between us. My mouth goes dry while I look at it. “What am I supposed to do with twenty thousand dollars?”

“I don’t know.” He turns a page on the tablet. “Whatever women do. I’m sure you have needs and things to get.”

“Needs.” I pick it up between two fingers and push it back toward him across the leather. “Why don’t you take this and just put it in a college fund for Luca? Besides, you’ve already paid off our debt. I don’t need—”

He looks up, and the rest of sentence dies on my lips. I think this is the first time I’ve seen Callum look so insulted. “A college fund? Luca doesn’t need a college fund. I can put him through college easily.”

“Oh, right.” I nod slowly. “Billionaire. What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking as somebody who has never had money thinks.”

“That’s because I’ve never had money.” My hand is still out with the card in it. “Twenty thousand is too much. My monthly income is barely two thousand dollars.”

“Then quit your job.”

I glare at him. “Dancing is the only thing I’m good at. I’ve never been good at anything else.”

He shrugs one shoulder. “Pick up a new hobby, learn. Start a business, invest this money. I don’t care. It’s yours. Burn it, as far as I’m concerned.”

Then he takes my hand, puts the card into my palm, and folds my fingers over it one at a time. His hand stays around mine for a few seconds longer. His hand is callused and so large that mine looks almost childlike in comparison. My heart trembles, the warmth of his palm piercing my skin. My skin tingles, and I yank my hand back, not wanting to overthink my reaction to his touch.

He lets go, and I put the card in my bag, no longer in the mood to argue. I can feel the ghost of his touch on my hand, and I wet my lips, hating myself for being attracted to this domineering man. Turning to the window, I count backward from ten until my heart slows down.

As the scenery flies past me, I think back to the card in my bag. What am I supposed to do with so much money? It’s obvious that Luca doesn’t need anything financial from me. His father is going to want to cover it. That leaves me. I could save it for the future. I could open my own dance studio. The thought comes and goes, fleeting and impossible even with so much money to my name. By the time we pull up in front of my work, I’ve come to no conclusion.

“I’ll be done with my class at around twelve,” I tell him with my hand on the door. “I’ll get a cab—”

“I’ll pick you up” comes Callum’s response.

The idea of him coming to pick me up is too daunting. “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than chauffeuring me around,” I begin, but he doesn’t let me finish.

“If you take a cab, I will not allow you to work.”

“Allow me?” I splutter indignantly. “You cannot tell me—”