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“Sit down, you’ll need it.” She slips behind the desk and takes a seat while I follow suit. I look into her pretty hazel eyes and sigh. “I’m not sure you’ll believe me anyway.”
“Try me,” she pushes her shoulders back and her eyebrows lift.
“Okay. Troy Parker happened,” I put it out there bluntly. It’s the best way.
“Oh,” And that’s the only response I expect from her.
Kellie knows all about Troy. She knows about when we were younger and what he did, but the main thing, she knows how I felt about him, so this is going to shock the shit out of her.
I launch into the rundown of my day yesterday. Right from the moment I left here and down to the minute I went to bed drunk. My coffee cup is empty by the time I’ve finished and I’m ready for more. Luckily, we keep fresh coffee out in the gallery for customers, so I fill my cup. I add one of those little sachets of sugar, the sugar kick may do my hangover good. The bell sounds above the door at the other side of the gallery. It’s early for customers but I throw the wooden stirrer and sugar packet in the bin next to the table anyway and go back to Kellie, putting my cup on the desk. “So, what’s happening? Are you going to live with him?”She asks, invested in my fucked-up life as her hands round her cup.
Leaning my hands on the desk, I move in closer so she can hear me whisper. I don’t want a customer to hear me talking about my private life.As I hear the firm footsteps approaching us. I go to make it quick, but her wide eyes looking past me have me curious and I pause my words when I hear his voice.
“I hope she answers you quicker than she answers me,”
What the hell is he doing here?Kellie’s mouth pulls into a thin line, she tries to smile but I can tell she doesn’t know what to do for the best. Flicking her gaze between me and Troy before standing up and thrusting her hand towards him.
“Hi, I’m Kellie. Emily’s best friend. It’s good to meet you finally. I’ve heard a lot about you.” I close my eyes; he can’t see me because I still have my back to him. I don’t want to look at him yet.
Kellie walks around the desk. “Traitor,” I whisper again as she passes me.
He takes her hand, “Pleased to meet you, Kellie. I have to say I haven’t heard anything about you, but I’m sure Emily will fill me in. After all, there’s plenty of time to get to know Emily’s friends.”
Whirling around to face him, my mouth twists up and I narrow my eyes.
She quickly glances between us. “Okaaaay,” I guess she could feel the rising tension. “I think I heard someone round the other side, I’ll just go check.” She scurries off, her heels clicking on the tiled floor as my hands fall to my hips. “What do you want, Troy?”
He walks around me, plonks his arse down behind the desk and crosses his legs.“What do you think you’re doing?” I look him up and down but he just grins at me.
“I’ve told you what I want, but when you didn’t answer me, I thought I’d come to you.” I probably would’ve smacked him if it wasn’t for the fact that my stomach feels like it’s swarming with butterflies.
CHAPTERTWELVE
TROY
She has that glint in her eye, it sparkles like a diamond does when the light hits it. I love her spark and if I knew nothing else about her and had only just met her, then just that would have made me interested in her, but I do know her and I know she’s only ignoring me to piss me off. To get me fired up; it’s the way she works. Only she's not that eighteen-year-old kid anymore. I’m a thirty-five-year-old man who knows what he wants. I have money, I have a legitimate business that does very well, and I have cars. The only thing I don’t have is someone to share it with. Of course, I could find anyone to share my bed, but I don't want just anyone, I want her and if this is the way I’m going to get her to agree, then so be it.
Cocking her hip out to the side she taps the toe of her shoe on the marble floor when she finds me admiring her. Fuck, I love her attitude. I skim her form as she stands there in her knee length, navy blue dress, it fits perfectly round the curve of her breasts and cinches in at her small waist. I can’t wait to wake up to her every morning.
“When you’ve quite finished,” I have a strong urge to pull her between my legs and feel her body under my hands. I tilt my head and shrug. “I believe I have every right to look at you the way that I am. You know, due to our arrangement,”
“Which hasn’t started yet.” She cuts me off. “Which, by the way, if you’re not here for a reason, I’d prefer if you left, I do have a business to run.” I can’t help but grin, but the more I smile the more worked up she gets. “Troy!”
“Fine,” I stand moving slowly towards her, I’m so close I can feel the heat emanating from her sexy little body. “I have a meeting this afternoon, so I probably won’t be there when you get back to the house.”
“And why do I need to know that?”
I cup her chin in my hand and gently tip her head back. “Because you’ll need this to get in.” I pull a key out of my pocket and hold it up. “I’ve given the housekeeper the night off.”
She takes it from me as her brows meet in the middle. “And why would you do that?” Her whispered question catches in her throat slightly.
“Because I want you all to myself,” I lean in to kiss her cheek moving my mouth to her lips but hold back from kissing her. “If you’d read your message last night, you’d have known that.”I know she wants me, but she doesn’t want to show it. “I’ll see you later, back at home.” If I’ve noticed one thing about Emily, it’s that she seems to like when I control the situation. “Say bye to Kellie for me.” Rounding the desk, I walk slowly admiring the paintings on the wall. “Hmm, you know maybe I'll take a look around first?”
“Troy…” The way she says my name is like a warning. I throw my hand up grinning and head for the door. The bell sounds overhead as I step out onto the pavement and get into my Range Rover. I sit there for a little while. I already have everything ready at home for her. I’ve found some of her things that she’d left behind when she left for uni. Treasured items that meant a lot to her. Mitch was so angry when she left, he told the housekeeper to sling everything, I couldn’t do that. She had so many memories wrapped up in those belongings, and I knew that one day she’d want them.
There isn't any rush to go to this meeting anyway. I don’t particularly care if the guy's business is on the verge of collapse, I want to go back to the estate and be there when Emily gets there. I know I won’t be though; the guy is boring as hell. As I leave, I take one last look through the Gallery window, I want nothing more than to go back inside and throw her over my shoulder to claim her, but I can’t. I need to get going. I start the engine and swiftly pull away from the curb, heading to my meeting.
As I pull up at my meeting, I turn off the engine, taking my briefcase from the passenger seat and get out of the car. Mitch used to have a driver to take us to meetings. I don’t like the formality of it all, I much prefer to drive myself around if I’m honest. I love my cars. I love the feel of the power beneath my feet.
