“While I appreciate the sentiment, unfortunately, our role requires the utmost professionalism from its employees to maintain an impeccable reputation with the public. As such, I’ve decided it will be best for now to go our separate ways. Your father is a man I highly respect. You’d do well to consult him on this matter.”
“Right,” I whisper. The irony isn’t lost on me.
“Human resources will be in touch with the requisite paperwork.” There’s a pause, and she sighs. “It’s a pity. I thought you were going to be a fantastic asset.”
She hangs up before I can respond.
“Did you really slap Aiden O’Connor at your wedding reception?” one of my classmates demands a few minutes after I hang up from my call with Judge Landry. “That’s him, right? Lucky. I gotta tell you, smacking him around would have been the last thing on my mind if he were my husband.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I say, as I glance up to one of the girls who’d been smirking and giggling throughout the lecture, to find her pointing at the door—where O’Connor waits with a shoulder against the doorframe.
Seeing him again has my cheeks flaming. Because of what I’d done… and my call with Judge Landry. If I’d been thinking clearly and not on edge from my short, unproductive conversation with Devin, I wouldn’t have let my guard down in the first place.
Since the reception, I haven’t seen O’Connor for more than a few minutes in passing, by design. I couldn’t imagine looking at him, knowing the things he’d said to me had a thread of truth.
“Well?” Vanessa pushes. She’s not the first to stop me this week, wondering what happened to cause the pictures that had been splashed everywhere. “I’ve been dying to ask you about the videos.”
Ignoring her, I push my way past and resign myself to interacting with him. It should surprise me to find him here, but I’m not. He’s been trying to get me alone since the reception.
He looks out of place among the leggings and oversized T-shirts, and business-casual attire in his crisp suit. It should be against the law for a man to look this good.
The rest of the class filters by him, and he turns sideways to squeeze his way inside, his eyes on me the entire time. If he notices my classmates giving him curious glances, he doesn’t pay them any mind. Vanessa tries to catch his eye, but finally gives up when she realizes he won’t look away from me. By the time I get to him, the girls who’d been gawking at me all week long are blessedly gone.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, glancing around him to confirm the hallway beyond is empty.
O’Connor rocks back on his heels. “What? I can’t want to see my wife?”
“Yeah, right.” I shift from foot to foot as I hold my bag in front of me like a shield. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve been trying to speak with you all week, but you’ve been hiding since the reception, so you left me nochoice but to corner you here. I don’t mind, though. You know I like the chase.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Is there something wrong with you? If you need someone to annoy you, I have two I can recommend. They love nothing more than to follow people around.”
“But the only one I want to annoy me is you. Besides, we have unfinished business.”
“What unfinished business?” Naturally, my thoughts flash back to the night of the reception. The tension that had flared to life between us. That’s not what he’s talking about… right?
“I’d love to know where your thoughts went just now. The way you’re staring at me is interesting. But we don’t have time. If we don’t leave now, we’re going to be late.”
Without giving me an answer, he guides me out of the classroom with a proprietary hand on my lower back and keeps it there as we navigate through campus. My mouth opens and closes, unsure whether I want to see him follow through or lodge a more vehement protest. The indecision lasts me most of the walk to his car and the drive across town.
On the sidewalk, he lifts an arm to guide me to a brick building with ivy growing up one side and a fancy sign trimmed in gold that reads Global Wealth Management in a discreet, understated way that I know, from experience, means expensive. Why would he bring me here after what happened at the reception? Any other man would be serving me with divorce papers, not giving me access to his fortune.
O’Connor leads me inside, and the beautiful assistant at the entrance offers a cheerful grin when she sees him. “Mr. O’Connor. Right on time. I’m Anne, and I’ll show you where you’re going. Mr. Bennett is waiting for you in the conference room. I’ll take you right back.”
“Now? You want to do this now?” I hiss at his back.
“No time like the present.”
“What kind of game are you playing? Have you seen what they’re saying about us? Why would you still want to?—”
He looks over his shoulder with a killer smile. “Anne, if you’ll give us a minute, please.”
The assistant brushes her hand over hair the color of aged copper and glances curiously from O’Connor to me and back again. My brows furrow, and I do the same, to find O’Connor smiling at me like he has a secret. A thrill of anticipation rolls through me like I’ve touched a live wire.
“Of course, Mr. O’Connor. Mr. Bennett is waiting for you here when you’re ready.”
“I’m leaving.” Letting him bring me here was a mistake. If I hadn’t been so distracted by the call from Judge Landry, I never would have let him. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
