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“You don’t know my name, do you? So perhaps you should tell me who you are, because I know Gabriela knows it,” he states, and I gulp down a breath, cursing my sister for all of this nonsense.
Chapter 2
Jeremy
Idelight in watching the thoughts and expressions rush through my little liar’s eyes. I didn’t push her to attempt to use my name to get her to prove that she doesn’t know it, to prove she’s not Gabriela. No, I knew she wasn’t Gabriela the second I laid eyes on her. True, she looks identical to the woman that infuriated me yesterday when I was attempting to finalize a deal with Tyler to help him expand his brand. He has one restaurant in town that does well, but it’s not in the best location. I use it to meet with clients I don’t want in my home, as I rarely go into the office any longer.
His food makes up for the location in my opinion, but I know he wants to attract a more affluent clientele. Most won’t set foot on his side of town, which means he needs a new location for a new restaurant. I offered to invest, and we’ve been meeting to go over options. I know I’ll recoup my investment with the right spot and his menu, but I wanted to have a say in the location to know he’ll do it right, not just fast.
The snarky comments from Gabriela hit a nerve thanks to an ex-fiancée and I lashed out. I wasn’t in the mood to apologize to Tyler, so when he promised he’d have Gabriela come by and do it, assured me he’d fire her before allowing her to say somethingso erroneous about or to me again, I accepted it to save face. I intended to get an apology from her, then inform her that her assumptions were grossly incorrect, that far from having to pay the women to be dining with me, in fact, they were paying me for my time as they’re all clients.
I simply don’t draw attention to it as they’ve hired me to be their attorney, represent them in divorce proceedings. Hence for many, not having them come to my home because far from not wanting my personal attention, several have made it quite clear they’d gladly accept more personal services from me than merely my representation in the courtroom.
The moment I laid eyes on this woman, I knew she wasn’t Gabriela because my body awoke in an instant. That has never happened with Gabriela. I’ve never even thought of Gabriela except for when I saw her at the restaurant. This identical beauty though…I’m certain I’ll be thinking of her constantly now, and that she’ll be screaming my name quite soon. Committing it to memory for the rest of her life—which I intend to be spent with me.
After I punish her for lying to me.
“Cat got your sweet tongue now, my little liar?” I tease, lifting my knuckle to stroke down her cheek. Her eyes glaze a bit, turning them into liquid caramel, and a hint of color hits her cheeks, as she breathes in sharply.
“Mr. Prince…”
“Jeremy,” I state, stopping her once more. “The name is Jeremy, and if you were Gabriela and not her…twin,” I guess watching her swallow hard confirming it, “you would know that. So tell me, what’s your name, and why are you pretending to be your sister?”
“I…” Her eyes close for a moment and a growl slips up my throat, wanting them back on me. “Alright, my name is Daniela, yes, Gabi’s my twin.”
“Daniela,” I state, savoring the sound of it on my tongue. It’s as sweet as I’m certain my girl is going to be, I already know her heart is sweet as can be if she’s here in her sister’s place.
“Dani,” she says but I shake my head no, liking her full name much better. “Everyone calls me Dani. It’s easier to pronounce correctly.”
“It’s not nearly sweet enough for you, and I can tell by your scent alone how sweet you’ll taste,” I muse, watching her pulse flutter wildly in her throat as she gasps in a quick breath. “I’ll be tasting everything soon enough, my little liar. Right now, you need to tell me why you walked your sweet little self into my den and not your sister—whom I have absolutelynointerest in for the record.”
That draws another little gasp from my girl, and I lower my face towards hers a hint, smiling at the thoughts that rush through her gaze. Her red tinted lips tempt me, but I hold back, barely, waiting for her answer.
“Gabi…knew she’d never manage an apology and she loves her job. It’s the first one she’s ever kept for more than a few months, and she knew she’d never get another like it if she was blacklisted. I agreed because it’s what I do—I take care of her, have since our parents died because she doesn’t have a clue how to live in the real world. She was still living with them when they died five years ago. I was here in college, living on campus, but after they died, I found us an apartment, made sure what we had left of their estate would cover the rent and food. When I graduated a year later, got a job, I got us a better apartment, but I’ve spent the last four years making sure everything was covered still whenever she would just up and quit a job,” my girl says, and I gently stroke her cheek with my knuckle again, amazed at just how sweet she is. She’s all mine now and I don’t intend to let her go—ever.
She’s nothing like my ex-fiancée. Cara was like a lot of the women I end up representing—money hungry leeches that want everything they can get their hands on, with the least amount of work. When it comes to my job, I don’t care who I screw over, even idiots that didn’t financially secure their fortunes before marrying the fakes. In my personal life, well, after I saw the truth about Cara, I swore off dating and women altogether. Promised myself if I ever did end up getting married, it’d either be with an ironclad prenup to produce a child or two, or if I was lucky enough to find some sweet, someone real. I simply didn’t expect to ever find the second, but Daniela…fuck she’s amazing.
I could tell the apology was just words, not something that she seemed to really be invested in, and it told me even more that it wasn’t Gabriela here pleading for her job. Everything she just told me though, not one single lie was in there.
I didn’t expect more than a simple I’m sorry from Gabriela to be honest, a reluctant one at that. I was holding onto the assumption that the apology would turn into another snarky comment from her really. Every time I’ve seen her, she’s always had some sort of retort, some smart response, especially to some of the men that asked her out while their dates were away from the table, or they were.
It’s no surprise my girl is here though, not with what she’s done for her sister already, especially when she was grieving their parents as well. From now on, my sweet little liar is the one that’s going to be taken care of—by me.
“How much begging did it take you to agree?” I ask, sliding my hand back behind her head, holding her neck to keep her where I want her.
“She had my favorite takeout and wine and begged for a good ten minutes. She said you were a big playboy asshole and that’s one thing we don’t like with guys—although I’m wonderingabout the playboy thing now,” Daniela says putting a smile on my lips.
“Just the playboy part, not the asshole?” I tease.
“I might have seen hints of it here and there since I got in here.”
“You’ll likely see plenty more of them in our lifetime, my little liar. It goes with the territory of the job,” I add sending her brow upward a hint and I smile further at her curiosity. “I’m a divorce attorney.”
“You were having meals with clients,” she guesses, and I nod, enjoying the hint of a smile that hits her lips. “Gabi said you were a prick to several of the women, and that there seemed to be a never-ending supply of them.”
“You win one big case and they all flock to you, wanting a big payday. If the client can afford me, I generally haven’t cared who they are. The ones I take to the restaurant are ones I don’t want in my home again, usually because they’ve been handsy. I don’t sleep with clients, and I certainly don’t date women like them,” I assure her, gliding my thumb along her neck, making her shiver. “Your sister should buy you a months’ worth of your favorites for coming in her place, but I think I’ve gotten the better end of this deal, so I might have to thank her for sending you to me.”
“You’re not mad?” Daniela says, her eyes wider giving me more of the gorgeous caramel depths.
