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But I wasn't going to let myself feel for him anymore. I couldn't. Last night had made it very clear to me—I had real feelings for my client, and no matter how much money he gave me, I couldn't afford them. I ha
d to say good-bye to him today, at least in my heart. Otherwise, saying good-bye to him months from now would probably kill me.
I tried to sleep, but I kept thinking about him. I thought about the way his eyes had sparkled at our wedding, how he had carried me over the threshold, the first time we'd made love, and my world had been rocked forever.
I remembered the way he'd held me after I had a panic attack over that stupid barracuda. It was as though I was his most precious jewel, his favorite blanket, and the next technology app that was going to storm the market, all rolled into one. He wouldn't let me go. I'd felt something from him then… something real.
But I'd been fooling myself. Even if I had felt something from him, it was better this way. Nothing was ever going to happen between us in the long run. I was a hooker, and he was a billionaire technology magnate. He had hired me to solve a problem, because that was how he dealt with his problems, by paying them to go away.
Just like he'd done with my sister.
I would go back and perform my fake wifely duties in just a little while. For the moment, I let myself clutch my sides and cry.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lucas
My phone was ringing. Still in a foul mood and facing a nasty hangover, I took it from my nightstand and threw it across the room. Fuck off.
But then I sat up straight, because it could be her.
I found my phone and glared at it. The missed call was from Rupert Granger. I stalked out to the empty, quiet kitchen, made myself a coffee, and called him back. "Serena already called me," I said as a greeting.
"Jesus, she's fast," he said. "I wanted you to know that I'll be reviewing her attorney's research with my legal team. If I get the go-ahead from them, I'll be releasing the funds by the end of the week."
I felt hollowed out by the news. "That's fast."
"I know. I'll be happy to put my administrative duties to rest. Your sister's been driving me crazy about this."
I grabbed some Advil to go with my coffee. "She does that. A lot."
"I'll be in touch."
As soon as we hung up, my phone buzzed again. It was Elizabeth. I had no desire to talk to her, but I was immediately worried that something had happened to my father.
"Is everything okay?"
"Of course," she said smoothly. She sounded way too friendly for eight o'clock in the morning.
"Then why are you calling me?"
"Serena called last night. She told us about the trust. I wanted to call and say congratulations." Her tone was friendlier than it had been in years.
"Is my father there?"
"No. He's already at the club." Her voice was husky. "Are you in the office?"
"Not yet."
"How're things going with Blake?" she asked.
"Great," I lied. "Why the fuck are you asking?"
"Because I was just thinking… wouldn't it be fun if we had a little, you know… reunion?" Her tone was hot.
Of all the goddamned nerve. "Seriously?"
"Seriously." She sounded so turned on. I could just picture her running her hands over her breasts. "It would be naughty. You're married now; I'm married—to your father. You're a newly minted multi-billionaire…"
