His Hired Mistress: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (9 page)

Before she closed the door behind him, he turned at the threshold, “I have one more thing to say. Can you at least look at me?“

She looked into his chestnut eyes and fought back her own tears. Why did he have to be so dramatic about all of it? Why did he have to evoke so much emotion inside of her? She wasn’t an emotional person. She didn’t have this kind of ridiculous man drama! Yet, here he was, making her feel like she was trapped inside of a terrible soap opera.

“I would do myself a disservice and you if I didn’t tell you exactly how I felt about you before things ended. I love you, Jamie.“

Jamie’s heart sank. It was just her luck! Why her? Why did she have to go through these kinds of things? The truth of his words shone in his eyes, it was too much to bear. She closed the door.

Chapter7

6 months later…

Jamie sat in her office, feeling amazing. She’d just gotten off a conference call with her now favorite client, Geno. He was doing so well! He’d truly gotten his life on track and he learned how to play the game. He was now a star that the public respected and he didn’t have to sell out to be successful. Jamie found that when she let the young, pretty-boy rapper be himself within reason, he was a lot happier.

Celebrities get so annoyed with swallowing shit day in and day out that eventually they spontaneously combust. That was the case with Geno. He was young and trying to find himself. One day he got so frustrated with his audience that he had a full on Kanye moment. Jamie had to explain to him that he wasn’t Kanye West. He was more Drake. There was a way for him to speak his personal truth without being a complete douchebag. He didn’t have Kanye money yet so he needed to take it easy with the insults.

She hated to see Geno coming at first but now he felt like a little brother. He wasn’t on her personal caseload, she let her office in LA handle him, but now she checked in with him at least once a week for about five minutes. She enjoyed their short conversations—he always made her laugh. She was going to go out to LA to have lunch with him within the next week or two and was surprised that she was looking forward to it. That little bastard pulled on her heart strings and made her love him. Who would have thought?

She pulled started up her iPad and checked the headlines for Nathan. It was a compulsion that she couldn’t get enough of. Although she hadn’t spoken to him since the day he left her loft six months before, she had to keep checking in on him. He was doing very well. He successfully launched two more companies. However, he didn’t choose either of the suggestions that she gave to him. He went to one of her rivals. He did business with Michael Patterson. When she found out initially, she was mad enough that she could spit.

Sure, his brand was shot into the stratosphere, but it was only because Michael used the groundwork that she’d laid. Not only that, he used the marketing plan that she created. If she were a lesser human being, she would have punched Nathan in the face for doing such a move. She had a hunch that it was his wife’s idea, so it was difficult to place the blame at Nathan’s feet. How could she get mad at Stephanie for lashing out that way? Didn’t she have a right to be royally pissed? Hell, Jamie was lucky that Stephanie didn’t go public with the knowledge.

It had been six long months since she talked to Nathan and she missed him almost every day. It was funny how quickly someone could become a huge part of your life. However, the hurt and pain eased a little every day. She was on the road to recovery and it felt great.

“Jamie, you have a visitor,“ her intercom said.

“Who is it? I don’t have any appointments for the next two hours.“

“It’s Christian Davidson,“ her assistant said.

Jamie’s eyes almost bugged out of her head: what the hell was he doing at her office? It had been years since she’d spoken to him. What hole did he crawl out of?

“Send him in,“ Jamie said in an annoyed tone.

Jamie stood up and smoothed down her purple pencil skirt and she ensured that not a hair was out of place. She needed to look completely in control if she was going to face him down.

She walked from around her desk just in time. Christian strolled into her office with a smug expression that she wanted to smack off of his face. How was he in her office at all?

“Hello, Jamie,“ he smiled. The dimples in his chocolate skin were deep and pronounced. He was about fifteen pounds heavier than the last time she saw him, but it was all muscle. She guessed that a few years in prison would do that to a man.

“Hi Christian, what are you doing here? How did you get out? When did you get out?“ she asked.

He shrugged, “I didn’t break out if that’s what you’re asking. It’s good to see you as well. Can I have a hug?“ he asked as he stepped towards her.

Instinctively she took a few steps back, “No. Why are you here?“

He narrowed his bright eyes at her, “I wanted to see you.“

“Are you going to answer my questions?“ she asked.

“Well, if you wouldn’t have cut me and my family off, then you would know about what happened. It’s a shame that I had to come here in the first place to tell you.“

Jamie pushed the guilt that crept inside of her chest back down. The decision she made years ago had nothing to do with now; she had made the choice to end their engagement and cease contact with him and she stood by it now. After he was out of her life, she was able to focus so much better and could actually build her brand.

Was she supposed to be one of those stupid women that visited her fiancé in prison every week? Hell no. Her grand-daddy taught her better than that. Just because he was in a cell didn’t mean that she had to be in a cell with him. There were so many things that she needed to accomplish and it was practically impossible when she thought about him all day every day. So to cope, she locked him out of her head and her heart.

“I don’t know what to say to that,“ Jamie admitted. “However, I’m sure that you’re here for a very specific reason. I would like to know what that is.“

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to come here because I didn’t think that you wanted to see me. I figured that you would be married with at least a kid by now. When I found out that you were unattached, I had to come check you out. Congratulations on all of the success by the way.“

“Thanks,“ Jamie said awkwardly.

“I just wanted to tell you that new evidence came to light pertaining to my case. I had a retrial and after that I was released.“

“Oh, wow. I’m glad to hear it,“ Jamie said.

“See, I’m not the monster you thought I was. I didn’t commit fraud, although my company tried to throw me under the bus. It was a cover up and I was the fall guy.“

Jamie did her best not to let the knowledge overwhelm her. He had his path and she had hers. The point where they intersected was over. “Congratulations on your new-found freedom. I’m sure you and your family are overjoyed.“

He nodded. “It’s an adjustment. I’ve missed being on the outside so much. Years of my life were ripped away from me just because I was working for the wrong place. I’m not going to miss out on anything else. So you can go ahead and say it.“ He looked at Jamie expectantly.

“Say what?“ Jamie asked.

“Shouldn’t you be apologizing?“

“Oh! Of course, I’m sorry for doubting you.“

He looked a little disappointed with the apology that she offered him, but it was the best that he was getting. “Thank you, I won’t hold it against you. At the time you did what you felt was right. I’ve missed you terribly.“

Jamie tried not to wince. He wanted something from her that she didn’t have to give. She wasn’t in the mood to have a heart-to-heart with a man that she stopped loving. She stopped loving him when she closed her heart off from him. It was like a switch inside of her had been flipped and she moved on.

He shook his head and laughed lightly, “Some things never change.“

“What does that mean?“

“It means that you’re still as stubborn as the day I met you. You never let anyone see you sweat or know what’s on your mind, but that’s what makes you so special. How about you let me take you out to dinner?“

Jamie shook her head, “No, that’s not necessary. I’m glad that you’re out of prison but there’s no need to rehash the past. I wish you nothing but the best as you move forward with your life.“

“Come on, it’s the least that you could do for me after abandoning me. It would do me a lot of good. I just want to catch up with you to see how you’ve been doing. Even though you cut me off, I never stopped thinking about you. I promise that there won’t be any funny business. Let’s just catch up as friends.“

Jamie gave a labored sigh, “Okay. One dinner. We catch up and then we part ways.“

“Great. Let’s exchange numbers and talk about the details. I know that you’re a very busy woman.“

***

Jamie truly just wanted to get the dinner over with, which is why she was sitting at dinner the same night with Christian. She figured, the sooner she went to dinner with him, the sooner he would be out of her life.

That was exactly why she was so surprised at how great of a time that they were having. He still could make her laugh just as much as he used to. When she spoke about her career, his eyes didn’t glaze over. He truly listened and he poked at her jokingly. She hadn’t laughed that much in such a long time.

“See, that’s your problem,“ Christian laughed. “You have to stop being so picky all the time. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be married with children by now.“

“I’m not picky, I just have a hard time finding someone that gets my lifestyle.“

“I always understood your lifestyle. Granted, you weren’t as popular then as you are now, but you’re still the same. I know how to give you your space,“ he said before he bit into a taco.

“True, and that’s why I was going to marry you. I never felt pressured to put my laptop or phone down when we were together. You got me and I appreciated that. That’s really important to me, you know.“

He smiled, “You know, I haven’t changed much either. I would like to think that I still get you.“

Jamie stared at the man that she thought she once loved. He was the man that she agreed to married when she was in her early twenties. She would go so far as to say that he was her first true love. She was going to marry him even though she was scared out of her mind at the idea.

The trial and his imprisonment gave her an out. It was an out that she was honestly eager to take. They loved each other, but she wasn’t sure if it was enough. She wasn’t clear on if she loved him in the way that could hold a marriage together forever. Once she found out that he committed fraud, she tried to stay loyal to him but it was too stressful. She hated writing letters two and three times a week. She hated putting money on his books and she hated the begging-ass phone calls that she always received from him.

Her grand-daddy didn’t raise her to be with a criminal. That was the kind of ratchet mess that she wanted to stay away from. Visiting him in prison was a horrible experience and she hated every minute of it. Honestly, he disgusted her during that time in their life. She’d spent so many hours working her ass off and he was out stealing money. At least that’s what she thought at the time. Sure, it could be said that she should have given him a chance, but she didn’t want to waste her life waiting on a man that wasn’t going to get out of jail for fifteen years. She didn’t sign up for that kind of life. When he suggested that they go through with the marriage while he was imprisoned, she knew that was her cue to cut him off and move on with her life.

“I’m surprised you haven’t changed to be quite honest, especially considering where you’ve been. However, I’ve changed a great deal. I don’t know if we’re compatible anymore. We’re not young and dumb anymore. Some things just aren’t meant to go back to,“ she expressed.

“Well, I tried,“ he sighed with a smile. “So how about we try this whole friend thing? I know it’s something you don’t want to consider, but it would mean a lot to me. It’s clear that you’ve moved on, but emotionally, I haven’t. If I can’t be with you, maybe we can just be friends.“

“I don’t know about that,“ she said as she gave him the side eye.

“Aww shit, there goes that look,“ he grinned.

“What look?“

“Sometimes I’m not sure what that look means. Sometimes it meant that you wanted to punch me and sometimes it meant that you wanted to do some other thangs with me,“ he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The goofy grin on his still boyish and perfectly smooth face made her laugh. When he bit his lip it brought back memories that went straight to her pleasure center. She remembered how gifted he was down below. She used to call him tripod because he was packing some serious heat. He sure knew what to do with it too.

“And there it is,“ he said.

Jamie snapped out of it, “There is what?“

“Now you’re thinking of taking me down,“ he laughed. “See, there’s something still between us.“

She threw the black linen napkin at him and laughed, “Shut up. I’m not thinking of anything like that. I was just thinking about how much fun we used to have.“

He had her; she could feel the chemistry that they once had brewing between them once more. However, that didn’t mean anything. Just because she liked to screw him didn’t mean that she wanted to be with him. Her body was responding naturally. Although, she had to admit that she was curious. It had been over six months since she had sex and he had to be a complete animal at this point. Hmm, just how far would he go in the bedroom now?

Jamie’s phone began to buzz lightly, which meant that a few of her alerts from social media were starting. What began as a few buzzes then started to occur back-to-back.

“What the hell is going on?“ she wondered as she pulled out her phone, “Sorry, I have to see what’s happening.“

“Hey, you know I’m not tripping over it,“ Christian said as he adjusted the black leather band on his watch.

Jamie looked at her phone and her eyes grew wide when she saw the Twitter notifications. It was a about Nathan. She searched for a link to give her some clarity about what everyone was talking about. Apparently, he was about to be outed in some sort of scandal. Her heart felt like it was about to pound through her chest. Did people know about them? Did Stephanie finally decide to play the card that she’d been holding for the last six months? Why now?