Page 87 of Dirty Boss

I shifted my gaze from the wall to Vaughn’s face and smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

He let out a sigh, like he was relieved to hear my answer. His fingers traced my hairline and the shell of my ear, and then he leaned in to kiss me. It was a chaste kiss, nothing like the frantic lovemaking we’d just experienced, but it still sent a tumble of heat through me. Heat—and comfort. He held me a while longer, and I felt as safe and comfortable as I ever had.

I felt like maybe my fairytale might be happening, after all.

And later, when I listened to Charlotte tell me about the goings-on at school, I couldn’t help but think she’d make a good big sister.

I had officially lost my mind.

THIRTY-TWO

VAUGHN

The dayof the gala dawned with bad news. The subcontractor who had walked off the Midtown job was countersuing us, and the latest email from the legal team informed me that they might actually have a case. I was looking at a major loss—and I knew that Arlo Noble would find out about it sooner or later. His team had trawled through our books; they weren’t going to miss this.

But I still had a shot. Noble’s charity event would be my opportunity to speak to him, to impress upon him that my business was sound despite this hiccup. With his investment, we could go far. The pressure was mounting, but I couldn’t let it get to me.

All my doubts had settled after I’d claimed Alba for my own. She was mine, and I could forge onward with my plans. An investor meant access to the true power brokers of the city. It meant securing my future, my daughter’s future. It meant success—success that had eluded my father.

My townhome was quiet without Charlotte, who had gone back to her mother’s the day before. I haunted the rooms, spending most of my day in the home office, sorting through legalese.

Then it was time to get ready and go get my date. Soon, we’d walk into the gala, and I’d leave my mark. I’d have my investor, I’d be a success, and Alba would stay by my side through it all.

Or…

Alba would use me as a stepping stone to go back to the world she knew. I would make a fool of myself. My life would come full circle, and I’d lose the investor, crash my company, and end up as much of a failure as my father had been.

The doubts rattled around my head all afternoon and evening, and only fading away when Alba’s building’s front door opened and I saw her step out onto the street.

She was a vision in lavender. The dress twinkled under the streetlights, dancing around her legs as she approached. She’d draped a shawl over her shoulders, and her hair was curled in big waves that fell, gleaming and golden, behind her shoulders. My mouth went dry as she approached, a soft smile on her glossy lips.

“You look—” I shook my head. “Wow.”

Her smile widened. “Thank you, Vaughn.” She lifted her hands to touch my cheeks, then pressed a kiss on my lips. Her thumb wiped away the gloss that had transferred to me, and then we spun toward the waiting vehicle behind me. My driver stood beside the back door, ready to close it once we entered.

Alba arranged her dress on the seat and clipped herself in, giving me a raised eyebrow look as I watched, as if to tell me that there would be no hanky-panky on the way to this event.

I settled in beside her and took her hand. My palms were clammy, and it wasn’t just because I was beside the most beautiful woman I’d ever met. As the car slid out into traffic, I took a deep breath.

I had the woman of my dreams on my arm. All I needed to do to achieve everything I ever dreamed of was avoid making afool of myself at this gala, bag the big investor, and let riches rain down on me.

But Charlotte’s smile flashed through my mind, and I wondered if I was making a big mistake. She was supposed to be mywhy, my reason for doing all this…but I’d shunted her off to her mother while I worked. Just like I had all through my marriage. Then I glanced over at Alba and watched her transform into that cool, aloof woman who had walked into restaurants with me and taught me how to hold a wine glass.

Fear struck deep in my gut. What was Idoing?

The woman beside me—did I really know her? Was she the ice queen born into privilege, or was she the warm, snarky woman I’d come to know? Would she use me to launch herself back into the society she’d fallen out of?

Maybe she was just like my father—always chasing something better. MaybeIwas just like my father—lying to myself about what really mattered for the sake of a few extra bucks.

The seams of my new shirt itched my sides. My shiny black shoes were stiff and uncomfortable. The white tie at my neck felt like a noose.

“You okay?” Alba asked, squeezing my hand.

I gulped, feeling the pressure of my necktie against the front of my throat. “I’m good,” I said. “Just a little nervous about making a fool of myself.”

It was a half-truth. I was almost sure I’d make a fool of myself somehow. What I was actually worried about was that I’d blindly followed this path, thinking I wanted a cashed-up investor, thinking I wanted to grow the business to new heights, that I was a good father for providing…but I was actually barreling toward destruction. I was acting just like my own father. Ilikedhaving a barber make house calls. I loved my beautiful home. I enjoyed being able to wine and dine a woman like Alba, to buy her a one-of-a-kind dress and pretend I didn’t know how special it was. I relished the ability to snap my fingers and make all her problems go away, even though I pretended not to.

I was as fake as my father had been, and tonight was proof.