JACQUELINE

“It was surprising to me too,” I say, running my hand over my skirt and sliding onto the sofa. “I’m still not convinced that it’s not some kind of trick. Some stupid game that it will blow up in my face. It’s hard for me to believe that he’s giving up on that woman so easily.”

Stephan locks my eyes for a moment before he turns around and starts pouring gin into a couple of glasses.

“Things will change, Jacqueline. That’s what you wanted all along, but I don’t want him near you,” he says bluntly, his back turned to me as he fixes drinks for both of us.

“You shouldn’t worry about that,” I say, flashing a charming smile as he spins around. “It’s nothing of that sort. Trust me,” I say, flipping my hair over my shoulder. “I have no desire to get in bed with him, either,” I mutter as I cross my legs and shift my position, pointing my knees toward him.

My little tricks seem to distract him for a moment.

He takes a few steps in my direction and hands me my drink.

Our eyes lock again as he raises his gaze from my legs. I smile, hoping to shatter his tension completely, but his jaw remains clenched, his eyes bearing a steely glint.

Holding my gaze, he props himself against the table.

“He knows about me,” he mutters before he takes a sip of gin.

I study his eyes for a moment.

“That shouldn’t surprise you,” I toss at him casually.

“How does he know?” he asks.

I shrug.

I never thought about it, to be honest, but I don’t think it’s that hard to figure it out. He knows me well, and he probably fills the blanks whenever needed, but I can’t tell that to Stephan.

“I have no idea.”

“Have you told him?”

Cocking an eyebrow, he tears his drink away from his lips and looks at me suspiciously.

My hand flicks up.

“No, no. How can you even think about something like that? Why would I tell him?”

It’s his turn to shrug.

He breaks his gaze away from mine and sets his glass on the table.

His arms fold across his chest.

“I don’t know. To make him jealous, perhaps?”

A rush of blood warms up my cheeks.

I’m sure my smile gives me away. I quickly shift my gaze away from his and take a sip of gin.

The silence tells me that he expects an explanation.

“I’ve never made a secret of the fact that you are my closest male friend, but I’ve never stated that you are more than that,” I finally say.

“I don’t think it was that hard to put two and two together. Painting your nudes didn’t help either.”

I gesture again.

“Whatever. I don’t care what he thinks. Even if he suspected it for some time, he knew that you and Carmen were together. Why is it so important to you what he thinks?” I blurt out, annoyed.

“Because it’s the answer to your question. If he wants to get back at you because he’s jealous, then this is nothing more than a maneuver.”

I jerk upright.

“Listen to me. It doesn’t matter. He always wants to get back at me. That’s a given. But it has nothing to do with love or jealousy or the feelings that we have for each other. We are not in love, Stephan. We haven’t been for a while. It may be a trap––I’m not excluding that possibility, but it has nothing to do with you or Carmen or me. Besides, he’s probably more interested in that woman, than me.”

“Don’t you find it odd that all of a sudden he breaks up with her?”

I tear my gaze away from his, afraid that I might tip him off.

“You don’t know him,” I say in a rush, leaning forward and picking the glass from the table.

I soak my lips in the drink before I sweep them with the tip of my tongue, trying to buy some time.

The glass goes back onto the table.

“He’s always been like that. One minute, you think he’s in love with you. Next, he turns a cold heart to you. That’s why things never worked out between us,” I say, averting my eyes.

Staring blankly at my skirt, I remove minute lint from the fabric, my mind feverishly looking for ways to shift the conversation.

“And yet he wants you to break up with me,” he says.

I raise my eyes, my breath stuck in my throat.

“It’s not going to happen, Stephan. Relax,” I say with a strained voice. “He can say whatever he wants to. Things will not change between us. I’m not really getting back with him. The only reason we’ve had that conversation was to stop him from seeing that woman. And also to remind him that he needs to respect his father’s will.”

His eyebrows flick up, his face washed with disbelief.

I feel as if I just stepped on a landmine.

“Why are you so affected by that woman if you don’t care about him?” he asks, not buying my explanation.

I take a long breath, my eyes holding his gaze with great effort.

It’s so obvious that I’m walking such a thin line. I’m seconds away from a disaster if the wrong words fall from my mouth.

“I don’t trust his judgment, Stephan,” I say firmly, trying to remove any shred of suspicion. “These things can easily spin out of control.”

“Are you afraid that he would ask for a divorce?” he asks, puzzled.

I slowly tip my chin down.

“No... I mean yes,” I say, drawling the word. “Divorce would be a disaster,” I say, spotting an opportunity to get out of this mess unscathed. “But I’m not talking emotions here. It’s all about money, our estates and the lives of the people who would be affected by this. That’s what I swore to protect. That is what his father and mine tasked me with. Sebastien and I have known each other since we were kids. Our parents were friends. His mom died when we were young, but his father remained very close to my family. We always knew that Sebastien and I would get married one day, and one of the reasons for that was the fact that both families wanted to protect their wealth. Sebastien played the field quite a bit before he settled with me, so his father knew a thing or two about him. He didn’t want the Rockford estate to get in the hands of a woman who came from a different walk of life than him or his son. He liked me a lot, perhaps even more than his own son, and that's why he wanted to make sure that our marriage would survive. His father knew that cheating would be the likely circumstance to lead to the dissolution of our marriage, so he did whatever he could to prevent it from happening. He thought that this way he’d protect me and also the money. What he didn’t foresee was the fact that Sebastien would disregard his wisdom. What I didn’t know was the fact that his son was cold as ice and ruthless. I didn’t start this. He did.”

I pause and flick my hand, irritated.

“Anyway... It’s not even worth talking about him. All I know is that dissolving our marriage would create chaos and so much collateral damage. It would be unfair to so many people to be affected by some stupid affair.”

The shadow darkening his eyes suggests that I just ruined the progress that I made.

“It’s different with us, Stephan. You understand the circumstances, and you know how I feel for you, but that woman is something different. I can’t have that kind of complications because of her.”

He seems to look relieved for a moment.

At least, that’s what I want to believe.

“Trust me. I don’t want him in my bed,” I state as I sense him swaying my way.

“What if he has a change of heart?”

“He won’t. And even if he would, the end will be the same. I want him to realize that he has no choice. He can’t leave this marriage without losing his money. And if he wants to leave, he better get used to the idea. Also, I want him to acknowledge that she’s not worth much to him. I want her gone, and that’s the end of it.”

“Why is she so important to you?”

“She’s not. Well, I don’t like her much... “ I say, smiling, “But the feeling is mutual, anyway. The reason I wanted him to break up with her was to make our reconciliation look real. Poor thing,” I say, shifting in my seat. “Turns out he doesn’t give a shit about her.”

I pause and breathe out a chuckle.

“He had me fooled for a moment. I really thought that he has something for her, but all it took was a little nudge, and his real feelings have surfaced.”

I look down for a moment, musing over the situation before I lift my gaze up and look at him.

He studies me in silence, his brow furrowed.

“What if your plan doesn’t pan out?” he asks

I push up to my feet, straighten my back and erase the space between us. His eyes fall on me as I teasingly sway my hips. I stop in front of him and wind my arms around his neck.

My chin tips up as I start to speak.

“You know me, Steph. I always get what I want,” I mutter sultrily against his lips, pressing my body into his.

I feel him hard against my body.

His arms are still folded on his chest.

“You have to trust me,” I say slowly grinding against him, rubbing the ridge of his erection with the softness of my body.

My fingers slowly trace his neck, my breath fanning over his lips.

“One day I will be a free woman. And this... What we have right now... Will be out in the open. But it has to happen my way, not his. That day, we will not have to hide. But before then, we will spend many more moments like these.

Secret moments. Delicious moments.

My hand slowly trails below his waist, rubbing and squeezing his erection through his pants.

“Trust me,” I murmur in his ear.

I pull back a little to get a glimpse of his face. His expression changes, his eyes getting softer as I run my hand up and down on him.

“You make me very happy, Stephan Leon. I will never trade you for my husband.”

His cheeks get flushed as I slide down the zipper, and slip my hand down his pants. He rolls hot against my fingers. Finally, he uncrosses his arms, his hands coming to my hair.

He clutches my neck and brings his mouth closer to me as I slide my fist up and down on him.

“You better be right, Jacqueline...” he says quietly against my lips. “If he as much as lays a finger on you, I’m gonna rip you apart,” he says dead serious, his words sending a spike of panic through me.

I push my angst back a much as I can.

“Mmmm... I like when you talk like that,” I purr, sweeping the wet tip of his cock with my thumb. “We’re so good together. Steph. Why wouldn’t I be right?”

I toss him a small smile before I slide down to my knees. I pull his fly open all the way and curl my hand around his girth. He pushes off the table, his cock bouncing as he straightens.

His hands come to my head when his erection pushes into my mouth. I moan, swept away by pleasure, enthralled by the expression growing on his face.

With cloudy eyes, he follows my moves, his lips parting as he draws quick breaths. I’ve never had a man so subjugated by me.

He might be the best for me.