“You look well rested,” my father remarked the moment I entered the formal dining room. He sat at the head of the table. I took the seat to my father’s right. Jared took the left, and Abigail sat next to her son.

We hadn’t used this in years, and I was quite ecstatic we were using it again. It was a beautiful room. It would be a waste if we didn’t use it as often.

“Thank you. I slept really well.” Brightly beaming at my father, I greeted Abigail and her son. I could feel Jared’s gaze on me, carefully measuring as though studying my calm demeanor.

But it was all a façade. Come on, who would forget about his two-hour session with Rose? What was he, a jackhammer energizer bunny? Bitterness filled me, and I loathed feeling like such a jealous nutcase.

Needing to distract myself, I greeted our butler with a warm smile. “I’ll skip the main entrée and dessert, Thomas. Thank you.”

“Still not hungry?” Jared curiously voiced out from across the table. “You skipped lunch, too.”

Before I could respond to him, his mother, Abigail, did the honors.

“She’s a new bride. Maybe she desires to look the very best for you, son.”

I almost choked on my wine. For the first time today, I had a genuine smile on my face. Abigail, bless her, was the sweetest. “You’re right. Your son is quite the catch. I want to please him as often as possible.”

Jared looked flustered.

I coyly fanned my lashes at him, entertained. “I’m so lucky to have such a perfect husband. Don’t you think so, my love?”

My father laughed. “She’s going to give you a run for your money, Jared. Don’t underestimate those sweet smiles. Her mother was the same. It used to drive me crazy.”

“I look forward to it,” he uttered while his eyes never left my face. It held something…menacing.

Nevertheless, Jared would stay in his lane as well as I. Separate lives but under the same roof. Was that even possible? I reeled at the thought of him seeking his girlfriend. He would never want me. He never had, and he never would. Married or not, that much hadn’t changed. The truth was a hard pill to swallow.

While they enjoyed the rest of the courses, I casually sipped on my wine, joining in the conversation when necessary. Silently dejected, I gathered enough courage to carry on discussions without showing how distraught I was. However, Jared’s scrutinizing gaze still unsettled me from time to time.

My eyes flickered towards the mantelpiece in search of the clock, which indicated it was time to change. So, without fuss, I calmly excused myself, bidding them all a great evening.

I didn’t let out a shaky breath until I reached the safe confines of my bedroom. Upon reaching my vast walk-in closet, my nerves began to settle down as I sorted out what look would be best for tonight.

I chose to wear a delicate fine thong before sliding my feet into my favorite three-inch black stilettos. I then strode towards the black dresses section, browsing through each designer piece. Should I do long or short? Since it was still summer, might as well go for short because once it started getting chilly, I wouldn’t be able to don these sexy dresses any longer. The semi-sheer black slip mini dress caught my eye. It was a form-fitting one. The back had two thin lace straps that ran all the way down to almost at the base of my neck.

Strolling over to the lengthy mirror, I did a sweeping once-over with the dress over my bare figure. It’d look absolutely gorgeous on my five-foot-ten frame, I conceded with a pleased grin. After today’s madness, I badly needed an ego-boost, and this dress would surely help me achieve that.

“Going somewhere?”

I whipped my head around, only to find Jared leaning against the closet’s doorframe. Pensive as he severely scrutinized the piece of cloth in my possession.

With nothing but a slinky thong and stilettos on, I wasn’t even an ounce uncomfortable baring my almost naked state. In fact, I proudly arched my back, emphasizing my jutting breasts in total defiance. Jared had been blatant about not being attracted to me whatsoever. Witnessing my starkness shouldn’t faze him. I felt as though I had to prove a point—that his non-attraction to me hadn’t dented my confidence.

“Yeah, I have this thing…” I trailed off, not sure where Wyatt was taking me tonight.

“With whom?” he pressed. The weight of his stare troubled me. His displeasure was palpable. The deep frown etched on his face stated as much. Instead of focusing on his foul mood, I noted how his unbuttoned dress shirt gave me a glimpse of his sculpted physique. My mouth watered at the sight of his chest.

What did they call shameless women who kept pursuing even though the men had rejected them? A hopeless case. This was me…all these years…I held onto false hopes. Desperation made one a fool.

Everything in life was about choice. Right or wrong, it was a choice. If you were overweight, daydreaming about being skinny, but you choose not to do something about it? That was a choice. If you decided to cheat on your significant other, that was not temptation addling your mind. You made that choice. If you hurt someone because they hurt you, that was a choice. Life was an obstacle. Good or bad, we got to choose which path to take. There wouldn’t be changes if the choices you made were the same ones that got you there in the first place. You could only be defeated if you remained insouciant. Like a sick never-ending cycle that slowly drained you dry until all hope had left you. But instead of cowering, it was my choice not to hunt down a tub of coffee ice cream, plop onto the couch, and watch reruns of Sex and The City while I balled tears, seeing Carrie’s never-ending heartbreak over Mister Big. So tonight, I chose me. It was always going to be me from now on until the very end. If being selfish would get me to where I needed to be, then so be it.

The only thing hindering such esteemed progression was Jared, who chose to linger in the background. Appearing not ready to leave until he had all the information he needed.

Dragging my eyes away from his inquisitive cerulean blues, I mindlessly caressed the soft texture of the silk in my hand with my thumb. “I’m going out with Blair’s brother, Wyatt.” I’m sure he knew who Wyatt was. There was no need for explanation. So, why did it seem as though he still wasn’t ready to drop the subject yet?

Jared shifted his feet, hands in his pocket, unreadable as ever. “You’re going to see him dressed in that?”

Not all men found me revolting. Was that news to him? It sure seemed so. “Yes. Definitely dressed in this.” Wyatt was a major flirt and a little pervy when drunk. However, I found that I wasn’t bothered by it. I had grown up with the man. He wouldn’t do anything inappropriate…unless I let him. “Why do you ask? Do you find it ugly or something? I kind of like it…”

“The notorious Wyatt Rinaldi won’t be looking anywhere else but your cleavage.”

“Huh.” The idea didn’t bother me. We were going to dinner, not a strip club. Jared was being unreasonable. He was twenty-seven years old and acted like he was in his fifties. God, remind me again why I’m obsessed with him? Apart from my physical attraction to him, we didn’t really have anything in common. Again, why him? Maybe I’d isolated myself too much. Declined almost every date and invitations come my way from men closer to my age. Also, it didn’t help that I had this uncanny knack for comparing each man to Jared as if he was some demigod of some sort. He closely resembled one, but the man didn’t need to know that. His ego was inflated as it was.

“You’re still planning to wear that offensive dress?”

Offensive? To whom? He made it sound as though I’d announced I was to become a hooker for the night. “I am. Why do you keep nagging like an old lady? Getting gawked at shouldn’t stop me from wearing something I like. If I did that, I’d end up wearing sweats.”

“You like drawing attention from men who look at you as if you’re the type to have sex in a bathroom stall?”

I innocently blinked at him. “I don’t mind it at all—the attention or the bathroom stall sex.” Sexually, I was still inexperienced. Jack Yates wasn’t gifted in the sack, nor did his four-incher shed any enlightenment on the matter. Maybe it was the shock of having to experience Jared then Jack, but the comparison was nonexistent.

After the chaos with Jack, I’d prefer to be single for a long time. I wouldn’t shy away from dating anymore, but it’d take quite a man to convince me that he was worth my time and effort.

I shrugged before giving him my back. Carefully, I leisurely slid the soft silky material over my body. My breasts were in such good shape that I rarely needed a bra. It hugged my figure like a glove. Glancing down at my cleavage, I saw my nipples were safe from anyone’s viewing pleasure.

“Did you need something, Jared?” I asked.

He looked like a formidable statue lazily leaning against the doorframe as though seeing me dress entertained him. “Everyone with eyes knows you have a marvelous figure. I don’t see the need to flaunt it, Gisele.”

“Lectures from you? Really, Jared?” I already had a father. He didn’t need to act the part. He was one to talk when he had paraded women who dressed in less clothing than this slip dress I was wearing. As a result, he could kindly shove his opinions back to where it came from. If he aimed to irritate me so my night would be ruined, he could think again.

When I strutted towards him so I could pass, the man had the nerve to remain unmoving. “Move!” I harshly grated when he continued to block my way. “I have to fix my hair.” He was over six-foot-four, and even at my tall height, I still had to lift my chin to meet his gaze. The moment our eyes connected, the intensity I found there left me breathless. Stormy, like the color of a murky ocean when a hurricane was on the horizon. Or the color of the sky before a snowstorm. Dark. Embattled. And chilling.

“Don’t go…this might cause your father to doubt us,” he delivered in a monotonous tone, but the mayhem in his eyes persisted.

Jared really had spectacular eyes. I could lose myself in them. Instead of battling the storm, I’d ride each stroke of emotions until I’d drowned myself all the way to the very depths of his soul. Embedding myself in the vast soul-sucking pools of his psyche. I yearned for the unattainable. I’d longed for him to light the fire within me, stroking the passion that would define me. And it seemed I was destined to crave something that wasn’t mine. It would ruin me. All the warnings were there. All I had to do was look him in the eye and I’d find my doom.

My heart was unsettled, torn between the reality and the dream. But it wasn’t a matter of choice; it was a matter of perspective. I mattered. My feelings mattered. I could no longer ignore the hurt and the savageness his callous actions caused me. At the end of the day, I only had myself. If I didn’t put myself into perspective, who would?

“The staff knows my hectic social calendar. As for my father, he won’t care. He never did. I’ve been the boss of my own life since fifteen. I go as I please. Besides, everyone in the household knows what we have is an arranged one. They won’t expect us to get all chummy immediately.” I haughtily pointed out before I caught sight of his neck. “You’re a little flushed. Are you drunk?”

“A little.” He snickered before his face grew serious. Intense powerful orbs began to penetrate my resolve, my senses, as he pulled me in, possessing my ability to function. It was as if he commanded my body to breathe for him, to live for him. My eyes longingly dropped to his lips. They stayed there, hovering, hoping, wondering what it was like to feel his lips against mine. I felt feverish. The temperature immediately skyrocketed in the closet. It stifled us, engulfing our bodies in its blistering heat. And I was…parched.

His palm cradled my cheek. It felt warm and wonderful against my skin as he slowly lifted my face to his. “Stay…it’s our wedding night…we can hang out, watch movies, and maybe we can try to get to know each other better. Just…stay.”

Our fake wedding night, I wanted to correct him but decided not to waste my breath. In the blink of an eye, the haze he had cast over me instantly vanished. Common sense kicked in full throttle.

Two hours. Two mind-blowing hours, he rutted and nutted inside his bed of roses. He came back, and I had to marry him an hour later, even after knowing that. Sure, it was part of our agreement, but it was also poorly done on his part. And yet here he was, having the gall to ask me to stay. He had his share of fun. So why couldn’t I do the same? “Maybe next time, Jared.” My refusal to give in to his wishes hankered for his ire, but I was past the point of giving a damn. “Will you please move? I don’t like being late!”

He let out a breath before reluctantly giving way.

I pushed past him as if I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. His unpredictable demeanor unnerved me. Therefore, I ignored his hateful glare and strutted towards the vanity area and began to do a quick retouch of my makeup. Jared was drunk, and I presumed, pestering me probably amused him quite a bit. I skimmed through my long golden mane. I had the whole sensual beach hair vibe going—wavy, chaotic, and sexy—and I decided it was best to keep it this way. I simply teased the ends and the roots of my hair to add a little volume before reapplying two coats of coral lipstick. Lastly, I took off the eternity wedding band.

Wyatt was nosy and rather annoying, but he also was an intuitive man. He’d immediately know something was up if he spotted the ring. I saw no point of it, not when it was all a farce. I doubted the jewelry would grace my finger ever again.

His overpowering energy choked the life out of me. I didn’t even have to look up to realize Jared was leaning against the doorframe. Again. Watching me closely. “If you’re that bored, why don’t you go see your girlfriend? I’m sure you could spare another two hours to fuck her stupid.”

Can’t reel in the bitterness, can you? I was such an idiot.

“You sound jealous.”

“You wish!” I spat back before I threw him a venomous look. “If I need sex, it sure as hell won’t be from you!” Call it hitting below the belt; I didn’t give a damn anymore. “You’re a complete and utter bore. Geeks simply don’t do it for me; you’re not an exception, Jared. So, go back to Rose or to the next gold-digger who’s easily impressed when you flash your wealth. I don’t care.”

He saw red.

In a few menacing strides, he reached me. His nostrils flared as he loomed over me. “You ought to be spanked for insulting me! Yet it was only this morning that you’d have been more than ecstatic if I fucked you.” He aggressively pushed against me until the curve of my ass hit the vanity frame. The crashing sound of cosmetic cases echoed in the background while I tentatively eyed him. There was no hint of blue in his eyes. They were almost black, and they were seething with unbridled rage. “You were wet for me, moaning my name while you furiously rubbed that little pussy against my cock like a bitch in heat! You were desperate for me to cure that ache in your cunt. You repeatedly begged, imploring me to fuck you, Gisele, and I could have.” He arrogantly declared. “But I chose not to.”

My insults got to him, and he spat it right back just as viciously. It resulted in a violent mood, and I wasn’t sure what my next move entailed. The man effectively caged me with his body so I had nowhere to go. His unforgiving glare flayed whatever certainty I had left.

I swallowed, hard.

My panting hitched. My heart skittered inside my chest. Stomach churned and turned. Darting my tongue out, I licked my bottom lip before I bravely lifted my eyes, imploring. “I was caught off guard. There won’t be a reoccurrence of that, I promise.” My breasts felt full and confined against the tight bodice as my breathing kept accelerating.

“You want me,” he stated succinctly.

“No,” I rapidly denied.

My immediate denial stroked the devil in him to come out and play. “What will make you stay home, hm?” he crudely lodged himself in between my thighs and shoved his hard-on against my covered mound. “Cock? Is this what you want?” he furiously ground his member again, evoking a sharp cry from me.

My body was a quivering mess, betraying me ever so cruelly. Even after all the insults he had hurled at me, my body responded to him as if he was its master. It was beyond humiliating to be resorted to this—a heaping, panting, mess of a woman whose urges couldn’t be controlled. And I loathed every second of it.

“Stop it,” I hissed through my teeth. “Don’t do this to me…You’ve insulted me enough.” The urge to cry was potent, but my pride wasn’t going to indulge him with tears. He didn’t deserve them. “I get it, Jared. There’s no need to taunt me. Please.” My meek voice didn’t sway his punishing stance. In fact, it fueled him further.

He punished me again. His cock felt sublime through his trousers. His magnificent size pressed against my heat, unconsciously spreading my legs wider to accommodate him. It parted my folds, and I could feel its passion stressing the tiny scrap of lace that barely protected me. Delicious tingles circuited all over my body. My teeth sunk into my lip, stifling the wretched moan coming out of me.

“You feel that?” he roughly thrust to drive his massive point. “I’ve been hard because of you, but I can’t have you. Rose is the only thing that stops me from taking advantage of this tight body.”

His darkened eyes probed into my soul, and I held on for my dear life. Jared exuded danger as if he was on the brink of deciding if he desired to savor Heaven or Hell.

“Don’t think you don’t affect me. You do. Very much.” My lips parted. His thumb grazed my bottom lip before he pressed his pad over it, toying with temptation as his eyes zeroed in on my lips. They filled with wonderment. As if he, too, marveled at how it’d feel to have my lips press against his. “I want you. It pains me to admit it, but I do. But it’s just sex. Nothing flowery or romantic about it. Just a hard, good, raw fucking. So don’t want me, Gisele. You’ll only end up hurt when you see me go to the next woman after having a taste of you.

“Sharing your bed is a fucking nightmare, and I’m sure it’ll only get worse as the time passes. But it’s fine. I’m doing this for you. You deserve better. You deserve someone to cherish and love you. Ingrain my words into your head because I’m not going to repeat them. Whatever ideas you have, whatever designs, dreams—it won’t happen. I’m going to kill every single one of them.” His eyes were deadly. Lethal. Impenitent. “I’m not the man to make your dreams come true.

“I’m never going to be that man. You ought to know that. So don’t want me. There’s only one way that could go, and breaking you is the last thing I want. But be warned, I can break you. If it comes down to it, I won’t hesitate to do so.” Then he instantly disengaged his body from me, as if touching me burned him, as if my nearness contaminated him.

For a moment, our eyes met. Then I watched him dart out of the room as if he had discovered I was riddled with diseases.

I remained frozen against the vanity. Not an ounce of sound came out of me. The confrontation left me reeling while his words repeatedly echoed in my mind.

I want you. Rose is the only thing that stops me from taking advantage of this tight body. But it’s just sex. You deserve better. I am not that man. I’m never going to be that man. But I will break you. If it comes down to it, I won’t hesitate to do so. All this time, I had assumed his indifference meant he wasn’t even remotely attracted to me. Jared, it seemed, was exceptionally gifted in concealing his thoughts. It was troubling. If a man could hide such things, what else could he be hiding?

Rose is the only thing that stops me from taking advantage of this tight body. Rose was his body buffer, the only thing curtailing his desires. But he was damn right; I deserved better. I deserved a man who would be proud to have me. And not a man who felt shame in admitting that he did.

But I can break you. If it comes down to it, I won’t hesitate to do so. Heartless—Jared St. James was a cruel, heartless bastard. He was straightforward, never mincing his words to shelter me from his callousness. His direct approach might be different, but it was the most honest, truthful thing I’d ever come across. And in some ways, I respected him more for it.

As a result, I gave myself five minutes to compose myself. And once the minutes passed, I immediately shrugged as if to dispel the bad thoughts in my mind. Then I left, too.

If Jared was home, I wouldn’t know, and I didn’t care. I simply carried on, walking out of the house, heading straight into the garage, and driving out of there in my white Range Rover.

The Rinaldi’s was only ten houses down, so I didn’t have far to go. Before I pulled into their circular driveway, Wyatt was already waiting for me, casually leaning against his car, arms folded over his chest, sporting an amused grin on his face.

If he weren’t Blair’s brother, he mightn’t be so bad. Wyatt was charming like all Rinaldi men. Dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin, and blessed with a great physique. Yes, he could be gorgeous if I really looked at him. But I chose not to for all sorts of reasons.

Upon parking, Wyatt didn’t have the patience to wait until I let myself out of the car. The man opened the door before I even got the chance to kill the engine.

“Well, well, well, you look ravishing as always.”

“Don’t flirt with me, Wyatt.” I scowled, weary of his typical playful attitude. “I’ve had enough to deal with, and quite frankly, I don’t have the energy to banter with you. Not tonight, anyway.”

“I’ll behave,” he chortled. “You get a free pass, but only for tonight,” he stated as he held out his hand, as if offering a truce.

A small smile curled about my lips before placing my hand in his. Wyatt could be irresistibly charming when he chose to be a decent human being. Most of the time, it was difficult to decipher him. He laughed quite often, even if it wasn’t appropriate. He hid behind his smiles, his jokes, his sarcasm. And I realized that maybe no one really knew who the real man was behind all those strategic smiles. We were all actors, after all, in a play called life. Each one bearing one mask after the other. A disguise to hide our most intimate of secrets. Some people simply knew how to act better than others.

Jared was indisputably a master of his craft.