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I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. “I was having a meeting with my employee.”
Justine doesn’t look pleased. “You’re done, right? She can leave? Because I’ve got something to talk to you about.”
Juliette moves like she’s about to walk out and I grit my teeth. “Sit down.”
My eyes meet Justine’s. “You can say whatever it is you want to say in front of us. Considering whatever relationship you and I have is strictly business. Plus, I trust Juliette.”
She looks like she’s about to argue that fact but I make sure to steel my expression. It would serve her well not to push me right now. She finally sighs before moving closer. She walks around my desk and perches on the edge right beside my chair. I don’t miss the amused look on Juliette’s face. At least she’s not mad. I turn my attention back to the blonde woman perched beside me.
“Lexy, darling. Can’t we move on from what happened in the past? You can’t stay mad at me forever,” she says, pouting.
Ridiculous. How did I ever date this woman?
“What do you want, Justine?” I ask, irritation coloring my voice.
She huffs. “I’m assuming you got the invitation to Senator Cam’s son’s wedding. That’s the wedding I’ve been planning here.”
“I did receive the invitation. And I know you’re in charge of it. Your name was printed in gold on the invite, almost as large as the bride and grooms’ names,” I say dryly.
Juliette snorts, then quickly coughs to cover it up. Justine ignores her.
“Right, I was wondering if you would want to be my date to the wedding. I’m assuming you don’t have anyone to escort you and I promise I’ll make it worth your while,” she says suggestively, reaching out to fix my tie.
My gaze drifts to Juliette and now she’s glaring at me. She could give me a little more credit. I move out of Justine’s grasp.
“No,” I say simply.
“What?” she balks.
I sigh like she’s the fucking nuisance that she is. “No, Justine. I will not be going to the wedding as your date. I wasn’t going to attend in the first place. And even if I was, I wouldn’t be caught dead on your arm.”
She gets to her feet in a rush.
“Fuck you, 'Xander. Who do you think you are? Now that you’ve made a lot of money, you think you’re better than me? You’ll always be the same poor college student that could barely afford three square meals in a day.”
My eyes narrow and I open my mouth to reply but Juliette beats me to it.
“The zeros in his bank account beg to differ. And I think you should stop, Justine. It’s honestly embarrassing.”
Justine looks like she’s about to retort but I get to my feet and give her a look that says she had better choose her next words carefully. She finally does something smart for once and chooses to walk out of the office. I let out a breath once she’s gone.
Juliette’s still seated in her chair, her gaze fixed on me.
“What did she do to you?” she asks quietly.
I sigh before recounting the story. “I met Justine when I was pretty young. She was one of those women that challenged you and always kept you on your toes and twenty-one-year-old me fell in love with her. We dated for two years. But Justine came from a rich family and, as you know, my family was struggling at the time. Nothing I did was ever enough and I could never provide her with what she wanted. In the end, she broke up with me.”
The memory is still fresh in my mind like it was yesterday. Not a lot of things have stuck with me as I’ve grown older, but that breakup had. She used words similar to the ones she just used and it was harsh. I was in love with her and she treated me like dirt.
Juliette’s eyes shine with understanding as she stares at me.
“I was pretty torn up over our breakup for a while. I’m not really sure what I saw in her, if I’m being honest. Then, when I built my first hotel and realized that I had finally succeeded, I went to get my first tattoo. I rise and I emerge. It was a promise to myself, I would never let anyone treat me the way Justine treated me ever again.”
“That’s so inspiring,” Juliette breathes.
My gaze flits to her lips and I swallow as desire courses through me. I smile, closing my office door. In the next breath, I’m pulling Juliette out of the chair and pushing her against the wall. My hands land on either side of her head as I pen her in, staring down at her with desire coursing through me.
“Hi,” she says shakily, darting around like she wants to escape.
