Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102479 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Okay, so this is how we’re going to play it—last night never happened. My hand shook as I raised it to meet his, and I had to clear my throat to get words out. “Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Langston.”
His eyes gleamed. “Jagger, please.”
My stepsister’s brows pinched ever so slightly. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed he hadn’t told her to call him by his first name.
I managed to push out another smile and nod, but my insides were doing somersaults. My body had the same intense awareness of being near him as it did last night at the bar. It was a lot to handle—especially standing in front of my family. I glanced around for a reason to excuse myself—something, anything. Not finding one, I figured leaving the room completely was even better. I looked at Chloe. “Would you be able to point me to the ladies’ room, please?”
She motioned behind me. “Straight out the doors and to your right.”
“Excuse me,” I said to no one in particular, but I definitely avoided eye contact with Edmund’s boss.
In the bathroom, I splashed some water on my face and looked in the mirror. How the hell is this happening? There were something like eight-million people in New York City. And yet I’d signed up for an app—a random app that I had no business signing up for—and got matched with my stepfather’s boss? My heart raced as I realized Jagger Langston was more than that. He was also the CEO of the company where I was about to spend the summer as an intern…
Oh God.
I actually felt queasy.
A loud chime from my phone startled me, though I was holding it in my own damn hand.
Miles: Are you okay? Do you want me to come to the ladies’ room? Better yet, I can send Mr. Langston, and he can bend you over the sink…
This is no time for jokes, Miles! Before I could respond, a second text came in.
Miles: I can feign sickness and tell Mia you’re going to take me back to the apartment.
While the offer was absolutely tempting, I was going to have to suck it up and deal with this disaster. I could handle it. I could handle anything—I was here handling my stepsister marrying my ex, wasn’t I? Well…sort of. Though on the bright side, that calamity no longer felt like a big deal compared to this new hot mess. I typed back to Miles.
Sutton: No, but thank you. I’m just going to take another minute to get my head screwed on straight and then I’ll be back.
Miles: OK. Text me if you need me.
I shut my eyes, took a few deep, cleansing breaths, and gave myself a last-minute pep talk. You can do this. Hell, he’s probably gone already. After all, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company wasn’t about to hang out at the rehearsal dinner for the daughter of one of his employees on a Friday night. I was certain he had a million other things to do.
Like meet women on that app.
And have sex.
Hot, sweaty, kinky sex.
A pang of unexpected jealousy hit me. Ugh… My heart started racing again, only this time for a different reason. I needed to get a grip. So I forced my eyes shut a second time and took a few more cleansing breaths while I talked myself into believing he was gone already.
Only, when I swung open the door of the ladies’ room, Jagger Langston was absolutely not gone. In fact, he was standing in the hall, waiting for me.
“May I have a word, please?” he asked.
I thumbed behind me. “Is going back into the ladies’ room and crawling out the window no longer an option?”
His lip twitched as he reached for my elbow. “Definitely not.”
Jagger guided me down a dimly lit hall in the opposite direction of the rehearsal dinner. He opened a door marked emergency exit, and we were suddenly outside, in a small courtyard. God, why didn’t I crawl through the bathroom window when I had a chance?
“I take it from the look on your face when I walked in that you had no idea who I was when we met last night?”
“No! Of course not! It’s bad enough that I signed up for some weird app. I had no clue you were also Edmund’s boss.”
His gaze slid over my face. “You shouldn’t knock someone’s sexual proclivities until you’ve tried them.”
I shook my head, attempting to backtrack. “I didn’t mean weird. I meant… I don’t know—not a normal app.”
Jagger arched a brow. His voice held a hint of amusement. “Not normal? Is that supposed to be better?”
I was screwing this all up. But how the hell was I supposed to think with this man so close? He had such a powerful presence that it made me feel unsettled…unmoored. I have no idea what possessed me, but I blurted out, “Does my stepfather know?”