Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 164263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 821(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 821(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
I stare after him as my blood boils.
Of course he’s going to be angry with me, well, if that’s the best defense he’s got then I’ve already won.
I loiter in my office for a while as I try to calm down, that didn’t go to plan. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Edward Prescott, it’s that if I want my way it’s all in the delivery of what I say. If I demand it, it’s a straight-up hard no. If I’m sweet and vulnerable, he’ll give me whatever I want.
I swear to god he’s got oppositional defiance…hmm, maybe I should get him tested for that? It would sure make my life easier if this could be fixed with a pill.
I pack up my things and Jonty and I walk out together. “Thanks for today,” I tell him.
“Have a great night,” he says as I lock the door.
“You too.” I force a smile and turn to see Edward talking to the guards by the car, his hands are in his pockets and he’s listening to Stefan as he talks intently, are they filling him in on today’s activities?
Oh, to be a fly on the fucking wall….
He sees me and smiles. “There she is.” He walks over and kisses my cheek. “Let’s go and have some dinner.”
“Okay.” I clench my lips together to stop myself from saying something snarky. He takes my hand in his and we walk down the street toward the restaurant strip. “Italian?” he asks.
“Whatever.”
He raises his eyebrow again, unimpressed with my tone.
“I swear to god. Don’t push your luck tonight, Edward, you are on thin ice.”
He rolls his eyes and drags me into a restaurant. “Bonjour, est-ce que vous auriez une table pour deux ?” he says. (Translation: Hello, do you have a table for two, please?)
“Oui, par ici s’il vous plaît.” (Translation: Yes, this way please.)
We are seated at a small table toward the back. “Puis-je vous apporter quelque chose à boire ?” she asks. (Translation: Can I get you something to drink?)
“Une bouteille de votre meilleur rouge, s’il vous plaît.” he replies. (Translation: A bottle of your best red, please.)
She leaves us alone and he takes my hand over the table and lifts it and kisses my fingertips while I stare at him deadpan.
“Explain to me why you’re angry,” he says softly.
“You know damn well why I’m angry.”
“Tell me it from your side. How you see it.”
“Okay, so….” I try to collect my thoughts. “Today we were in Monaco and I was in a café and a beautiful woman tried to talk to me but was intercepted by your men.”
“I see.” His eyes hold mine.
“And they tried to tell me that they stopped her because they thought she was dangerous, which is just a straight-out lie, and I want to know who she is.”
“Okay.” He nods.
The server returns with a bottle of wine and as she goes through the whole opening-the-cork thing, he starts talking to her in French again and whatever the hell they are talking about seems to be taking forever.
I just want to slam my hand on the table and scream not now, fucker.
Eventually she leaves us alone and his eyes come back to me. “Where were we?”
I roll my eyes; I can feel an inferno building and I’m about to blow. “Who. Is. She?”
“So….” He rubs the backs of his fingers through his stubble as if doing an internal risk assessment. “Her name is Isadora.”
“Why did they stop her talking to me?”
“Because she is unhinged.” He sips his wine and sloshes it around his mouth as he waits for my reply. “She obviously saw my men were with you and then put two and two together to work out that you are important to me.”
“How do you know her?”
“She is a woman from my past.”
“A woman you have slept with?”
He takes another big gulp and I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen him this uncomfortable. “Yes.”
I stare at him as I try to think on my feet. “When was the last time you slept with her?”
He swallows and then takes another gulp of wine. “It is in the past, Alora. It is best left there. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me, Edward.” My eyes search his. “You’re right, it is in the past, it doesn’t matter. Whatever you tell me is not going to affect us and our relationship. But if this woman ever approaches me at an event, and going by her actions today, she probably will, I want to be prepared and I need to know what the hell she’s going to say to me.”
He rolls his lips as his eyes hold mine. “This isn’t going to affect us?”
“You have my word.”
He nods and takes another gulp of wine.
“How long ago did you sleep with her?”