Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78924 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Rome was the only woman who had my entire focus. “Your assumption was right.”
“I’m glad she finally kneeled. I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“Oh, she does.” I couldn’t believe I left the house with her still on my bed, her ass beet-red. “I’m here to resume my duties as the head honcho of this place. Anything specific I need to take care of?”
He shrugged. “Everything. I haven’t been doing shit.”
“I should have known better.” I clapped him on the shoulder then walked to the stairs. I intended to get out of here as quickly as possible when I had my woman waiting for me at home. I didn’t want to sit in that leather chair when I could be naked in bed, my arms wrapped around the sexiest woman on the planet.
I made it to the second landing when Isabella emerged out of the shadows like a spider from the corner. “There you are.” Her hands were on her hips, and she was dressed entirely in black—except the shoes. Her heels were bright red, just like her lipstick.
“Good evening, Isabella.”
She blocked my way down the hallway to the office door, doing her best to put on a good attitude. The hurt was in her eyes—no matter how much she tried to hide it. “You gave her my ring?”
I assumed she would start off the conversation differently. This woman never failed to surprise me. “It was never yours. You just wore it for a period of time.”
“No, it was mine.”
“I took it back, in case you’ve forgotten.”
She looked like she was seriously considering slapping me across the face. “You think that whore can handle you? She’s gonna snap like a twig, and you know it.”
I resisted the urge to grab her by the neck. “Call her that again, and see what happens.” I took a step forward, crowding her in the most threatening way possible. I wouldn’t raise a hand to a woman, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t give her a good scare.
Isabella knew I wasn’t messing around. “She’s gonna break, Calloway. We both know it.”
“She’s doing a damn fine job. We’re very happy.” I stepped around her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
She snatched me by the arm with her petite hands. “Calloway—”
“Don’t touch me.” I moved out of her grasp, officially ticked off. “I’m not yours to touch.”
She dropped her hand and didn’t move any closer. “I don’t understand. She didn’t give you what you wanted, so you came back to me.” The earlier hostility quickly faded away, replaced by her raw vulnerability. “And she didn’t care that you betrayed her?”
“She was hurt—deeply. But she understood why I did it.”
“And now you’re throwing me away all over again?”
My anger disappeared when I felt the hurt emanating from her. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with her again in the first place. This was my fault. Isabella was getting better, and I dragged her back down. “I explained the circumstances very clearly. I never misled you about my intentions. But I am sorry for hurting you. You’re a beautiful woman, and you can do much better than me.”
“You’re the only one I want, Calloway.” Tears formed in her eyes. “Then you gave her my ring. I wore that for a whole year—day and night. And then you just hand it off to someone else…it’s like our time together never happened.”
I bowed my head, feeling like a jerk. “All I can do is tell you I’m sorry. But that’s it.”
“Sorry, what?” she hissed. “For treating me like shit?”
“In a nutshell, yeah.”
She poked her finger in my chest, hitting right between the pecs. “You’ll get what’s coming to you, asshole. I can promise you that.” With tears streaming down her face, along with a nightmare expression, she stormed off.
My pride wanted to tell her off for touching me again, but the logical part of me said I should let it go. Isabella was a loose cannon, and she wasn’t thinking clearly right now. It was best to let her storm off with the last word. Maybe it would inflate her ego and make her feel a little better.
I walked into the office and locked the door behind me, making sure there wouldn’t be any surprises. Even though Jackson had been occupying the office for months, it felt exactly the same. The desk was organized the same, and the leather chair was adjusted to my preference. It was dark, the art lights along the ceiling set to the lowest brightness.
It was perfect.
I sat in the chair and felt my back relax against the leather. Like no time had passed at all, I felt like a king in my own universe. My black ring felt heavy on my right ring finger, symbolizing my complete commitment to one woman.
Everything felt the same, but it felt different as well.