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“Nothing directly, but through his spokesperson, he’s claimed to have no relationship with you. Is that true?”
“I’m sure that’s how he sees it,” she said with a note of bitterness.
“We should discuss that further, but first, I’ll leave you to enjoy your shower. When you’re ready, come have something to eat.”
Nicoletta had learned at an early age how to tell when a man wanted something from her. She couldn’t read this one, and that, along with her unprecedented attraction to him, had her questioning her own judgment. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, leaving her with a charming smile that sparked another unprecedented feeling of pure desire.
What was it about him that made her blood run hot? She was fifty-four years old and had never experienced such a pure, natural attraction to a man as she did to him the first time they’d met. It had been immediate and primal, the kind of thing she’d read about and seen in movies but never experienced for herself.
She went into the bathroom that was right out of a dream, with a steam shower and high-end fixtures.
Someone had stocked it with shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion from one of the best spas in town. Had that been done for her or another guest? And why did it matter, anyway? She wouldn’t be here for long.
She luxuriated in the best shower of her entire life, scrubbing the filth of jail from her hair and skin. Never again would she take being clean for granted. She’d rather die than ever go back to that hellhole. If this Collins Worthy fellow could keep her from that fate, she’d tell him anything he wanted to know.
But would she give him anything he wanted?
He swore that wasn’t why he’d brought her to his home but come on. She’d lived long enough to understand men and their ulterior motives.
As she smoothed on sage-scented lotion, she finally felt like herself again. A woman like her didn’t belong in jail. She belonged among the crème de la crème of society, not the dregs. Perhaps if she played her cards right with this Worthy fellow, he could help her get back to where she belonged.
Nicoletta was tired of the rat race, the struggle to survive and thrive in a world in which the game was rigged against women like her. Though she’d shamelessly used men to suit her own purposes since she’d first understood her own power, in the end, they always won. They held the ultimate power. It was exhausting swimming upstream against the patriarchy and always coming out on the losing end of the race.
She studied her reflection in the mirror, noting the appearance of a few fine lines around her eyes and mouth that hadn’t been there before her incarceration. If a few days without her special face cream could lead to that, then it was only a matter of time before she lost the stunning beauty that was her hallmark.
Time was running out, and if she didn’t want to end up alone and broke, she needed to act quickly. Fate had brought the handsome, debonair Collins Worthy into her life for a reason. As she ran a brush through her thick dark hair, which stayed that way thanks to monthly visits to a pricey salon, she realized she was fresh out of options.
With the scrutiny that would come from her arrest, her business was finished, and with it, the lucrative income she’d recently enjoyed. If she could somehow fend off the charges and stay out of prison, she had to come up with a new way to survive. For her entire adult life, she’d resisted relying upon a man.
The very thought of it revolted her.
Though she’d spent only a few minutes in his presence thus far, she already suspected she could swallow her revulsion with Collins in a way she couldn’t have with any other man. There was something different about this one, and he could turn out to be her ticket to the future she deserved.
She was about to reach for the hair dryer that had been left on the counter, but stopped herself. Let him see her for who she really was—unvarnished, unpolished, unadorned. He would either want that version of her, or he wouldn’t.
What if he didn’t? she wondered with an unusual lack of confidence.
“He will,” she said to her reflection. “They all do.”
And that was the fundamental truth of the matter. Yes, there might be something different about this one, but at the end of the day, they were all the same, ruled by their cocks and their insatiable lust for sex. If she was good at anything, it was that, and if he took her for a ride, she’d have him right where she could best manipulate him to do her bidding—in court and out.
She smiled at her reflection. “You’ve got him on the hook, girl. Now go get him.”
Chapter Eight
Worthy’s assistant had somehow provided clothing in all her sizes, including the high-cut briefs she favored and the double-D-cup bra. How had they known? She chose a pair of leggings and a soft long-sleeved top in a shade of light green that would make her eyes pop. How often had she been told they were among her best features? Her legs, tits and ass were also on that list, and she used each of them to maximum effect.
Leaving the guest suite, she walked to the main area of the apartment, her feet snug and toasty in a brand-new pair of Ugg slippers. They’d thought of everything she might need.
Nicoletta was stunned to find Collins standing watch over a pan of eggs he’d obviously made himself. He’d removed his suit jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of a crisp white dress shirt.
“Hope you like scrambled. That’s my specialty when it comes to eggs.” He flashed that disarming grin. “Well, that’s not true. I don’t have a specialty, per se. More like a go-to.”
He was rambling like a nervous boy making breakfast for a woman for the first time, when that couldn’t possibly be true.
“Scrambled is perfect.” Her mouth watered at the scent of decent food after days of that crap they called food in jail.
