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“So what kind of business is this obviously filthy-rich person selling?” Mar asked in a quiet voice as they waited.

Luke looked down at her in surprise. “I didn’t tell you?” They’d talked about so many different aspects of business, but as he thought through their conversations, it had never come up who he was meeting with or what company she was selling.

“Luke Jewel,” a throaty voice said from the doorway to the office.

Luke turned to greet Selena Sapphire. She strode into the office, tall, poised, and beautiful. She was probably in her early seventies, but she’d retained a classic beauty. She’d obviously had some work done but had allowed her face to age more than most in her demographic. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and on her forehead made her feel more real and didn’t distract from her beauty. He was sure Hollywood in general didn’t feel the same about her, since most women there weren’t able to move their facial muscles in their quest to avoid the wrinkles.

Mar gasped and went almost rigid by his side. Luke glanced down at her, to check if she was all right, but her gaze was focused on Selena. He looked back to Selena and saw she was waiting with her hand out and her eyebrows lifted.

“Thank you for coming to meet with me,” she said.

“Of course.” Luke shook her hand and then turned to Mar. “This is my …” He paused, realizing he could brag about the amazing businesswoman she was, but he wanted to use the title she’d assumed last night. “Girlfriend, Marietta Valez.”

They shook hands briefly. Mar stared up at her with wide eyes. “You’re Selena Sapphire.” The mixture of awe and anger in her voice had Luke on edge.

Selena smiled. “Yes, I am. Nice to meet you.”

“You also,” Mar said quietly, but something in Mar’s countenance showed she didn’t know quite how to respond.

Luke’s jaw felt tight. He realized now that he should’ve told her that they were coming to a celebrity’s home. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Mar.

“Please sit.” Selena gestured to the chairs across from her desk. “I really appreciate you coming all this way and being interested in my business. I’ve got a FaceTime meeting with my agent in half an hour. Do you mind if I get right down to numbers and your offer?”

“Sounds great.”

Luke focused on Selena, more than ready to cruise through this meeting, see if they could come to terms, and get back to more time with Mar. Still, a niggling worry festered: Mar said nothing as the meeting progressed, and she seemed to grow more distant, stiff, and cold by his side. If only he knew what was going on. Should he not have introduced her as his girlfriend? Did she have a conflict in the past with Selena? If so, it was one-sided, as Selena didn’t seem affected besides occasionally casting a concerned glance Mar’s way, as if she also sensed something was off.

They finally concluded with numbers they both felt good about; thankfully, Selena agreed that he could keep her name and face on the brand. Selena walked them to the door.

“My lawyer will draw up the contracts, and I’ll be in touch in a few days,” Luke said as they shook hands.

“Thank you.” Selena gave him a smooth, practiced smile. “I feel my business will be in good hands.”

“I appreciate that,” Luke said.

The butler swung the door wide, and Luke put his hand on Mar’s back to escort her out.

“Nice to meet you, Marietta,” Selena said, but she didn’t move to shake her hand again.

“You also,” Mar said.

They walked out into the sunshine. Luke got her door and walked around to his. His mind was whirling with the opportunity this business was. It was running smoothly, the CEO had a good reputation, and the entire business could easily be moved to one of his assistants’ dockets. The numbers were solid, and the price was right.

As he climbed into the driver’s seat, he felt a chill wash over him. He turned to Mar with what he hoped was a charming smile. Something was off with her. Hopefully, they could get to the bottom of it quickly and return to officially dating and kissing. “Dinner?”

Her arms were folded across her chest, and she was staring straight ahead. “I’m not really hungry. Can we just head back to the house?”

“Oh.” Luke blinked at her, unsure what to say or do. He’d messed up—that much was obvious—but how? His brain spun as he started the car and drove out of Selena’s property and onto the road. The interior of the vehicle was chilly and far too quiet as they drove. He clicked the temperature up a few degrees but it didn’t seem to help. What did he say? What did he ask? What had he done wrong?

Finally, he asked the dumbest question a man could ever ask. “Is something wrong?”

Mar let out a little harrumph that said yes, he’d definitely done something wrong. She hated Selena? She didn’t want to be part of his business meeting? He hadn’t introduced her properly? What was it?

“If you don’t know what you did wrong …” Her voice trailed off, and she tucked in even tighter with her arms clasping each other across her chest and her legs crossed. “It doesn’t matter.” Turning, she looked obstinately out the window and away from him.

Luke’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. They drove through the same beautiful scenery they’d taken to get here, but it was all lost on both of them. “Maybe if you could tell me what I did wrong, I could fix it.” His voice was tight, and he felt his own anger rising. Why was she being so unreasonable that she couldn’t even explain what had happened in the past hour to tick her off so completely?

Mar didn’t look at him or respond. Part of Luke wanted to beg her to talk to him about it; part of him wanted to let her go sulk and convince himself that this was simply another reason why he didn’t want a girlfriend. Yet this was Mar. He’d been falling for her. Was this on him?


Tags: Cami Checketts Jewel Family Billionaire Romance