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Amanda forces a laugh. “I don’t believe you. Look at her. She looks like she just came from your bed. Whatever. Tell your slut that she needs to leave. I came over here to talk to you.”
Jake’s face freezes in rage. “Get. Into. The. Bedroom. Now!” he grinds out through gritted teeth.
Amanda, unperturbed by his anger, sings out, “Sure thing, babe.” She flips her hair and swings her hips as she saunters to Jake’s room. Before going in, she turns back to me and looks me up and down with a disgusted look on her face. “You’re not his type, you know. But you might actually be somewhat pretty if you did something with that hair and maybe wore a little makeup.”
With that parting shot, Amanda shuts the door.
I only stand there and stare at the closed door. I couldn’t even defend myself because everything she said was true. What kind of woman sleeps with another woman’s fiancée? I’m horrified to think about what almost happened on the balcony. No, correction, whatdidhappen on the balcony. We may not have actually had sex, but it was close enough. How could I have been so stupid?
Jake doesn’t follow Amanda into the room. Instead, he looks at me in silence. Strangely enough, there is no guilt in his expression. Apparently, he feels zero remorse for cheating on his fiancée. I’m so disgusted that I can barely face him. I can barely face myself for allowing it to happen.
“I’m so sorry this happened. Amanda had no right to say those things to you.”
I don’t even want to look at his lying, cheating face. Yeah, I bet he’s sorry. Sorry he got caught. At least I know what type of person he is now.
“Don’t worry about it, Jake. I’m just your assistant. You need to go take care of your fiancée. I think she’s really upset at you,” I bite out snidely.
“Lana, it’s not what you think. We aren’t engaged. Let’s go into your room, and we can talk about this. I don’t want to talk out here.”
“You have got to be kidding,” I say incredulously. “We aren’t going into my room, and we aren’t going to talk about this. Ever. I don’t care if she is your fiancée, sister, or second cousin twice removed. It makes no difference to me.”
“So, you’re willing to let this come between us without giving me an opportunity to explain?”
“That’s correct. And there is no us. There will never be an us.”
Jake swears angrily under his breath, but I don’t care. Does he really think I’m stupid enough to listen to his lies? I need to get out of this room and away from him.
“Fine. If that’s what you want,” he says, his jaw clenched tight.
“It’s exactly what I want. Oh, but I do have a question for you.”
Jake looks at me warily, almost as though he is afraid of what I will ask. “Of course. What do you want to know?”
“What’s the real reason that Liz quit? Did you try to sleep with her, too?”
He looks as though I just slapped him. “Liz is a friend. I would never sleep with her. I have never slept with anyone that works for me,” he denies.
“Well, just so you know, unlike Liz, I’m not quitting. If you want to get rid of me, you’ll have to fire me.”
“I’m not going to fire you. But maybe I need to remind you that I’m not the one who started this.You’re the one who kissedme. So, make me into the bad guy, but you were a very willing and consensual participant.”
“You’re right. I started it, and now I’m finishing it. Good night, Jake.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up my hand in warning. With a final look of reproach, I walk briskly to my room and close the door behind me with a loud bang.
Jake’s right. I’m the one who started this. I kissed him, not the other way around. It’s not fair to blame him when it was me who started it. It doesn’t matter if she is a girlfriend or a fiancée. Making out with another woman’s man is not okay. The thought of what could have happened on that balcony leaves me feeling queasy.
At least I did one thing right. I stopped it before it went too far. Imagine if we had gone through with what we started.
Chapter Nine
Jake
It’s been two weeks since Lana and I had our argument in the hotel. To say that our relationship is strained is an incredible understatement. She won’t look at me and barely talks to me. When she does speak to me, it’s usually a one-word response.
Two weeks ago, I would have bet that my astute, always-efficient assistant was all ice. Now that I’ve gotten to know her better, that ice has thawed. She may be professional and cool on the outside, but on the inside, she is all heat and passion.
Unfortunately, the attraction I feel for her isn’t going away. Even when she looks at me with barely concealed hatred, all I can think about is pulling her to me and kissing her senselessly. I keep thinking that she will eventually thaw out, but I’m beginning to think it will never happen. After the stunt that Amanda pulled, I understand why she is angry.
Just thinking about Amanda at the hotel puts me in a bad mood again. It’s hard to believe that I dated her for three years and never knew thisside of her, the certifiably crazy side. I’ve never heard her be so mean, malicious even. She kept saying she was the victim, and I was unfaithful. Her acting like we didn’t just break up weeks ago was bizarre. She seemed off, and I’m glad I had security escort her from my suite. Dax tried to warn me about her, but I never listened to him. What did my brother see in her that I missed?
