“Oh, no...n…no.” She shakes her head before turning to Justin. “Justin, I’m so sorry. Let’s raincheck lunch, though?”
Yeah, okay. We’ll see about that.
I half expect him to combat her excuse by inviting her to join him in court, in which case I would have to get whatever bullshit hearing he has moved to another day, or have him removed from said case altogether. And that would be a fuck ton of paperwork. I’m grateful when he nods and makes his exit with a promise that they would rain check tomorrow.
Think again.
My eyes snap to hers as soon as we are alone. “Don’t have lunch with him.”
Her timid gaze meets mine and her lips part slightly. “What?”
“Lunch. With him. Or any other man. No lunches, no dinners, no coffees. None of that shit.”
“Why?”
Is she fucking with me? “What do you mean, why?” I’m used to women understanding that I’m a jealous caveman. That I don’t want other guys getting the wrong idea about a woman that belongs to me.
“It’s a simple question.” She shrugs. “I don’t have anyone else to have lunch with. Why can’t I have lunch with him?” She blinks her eyes a few times and every time her thick lashes fan out over her flawless skin my cock swells in my pants.
“Because I said so, Serena.” Smooth, West. What are we kids? Might as well tell everyone on the floor, that Serena is your toy to play with and no one else can touch her.
“Are you…jealous?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widen like she wasn’t expecting me to say that. “I don’t like him, though. You shouldn’t be jealous.”
Holy fuck is she naive. I am so out of my league here. “Not the point. I don’t want him getting the wrong idea.”
“Which is what?”
I huff, growing irritated with this conversation. “That you’re available.”
“I am available.”
“The hell you are,” I snap. I take a step closer to her, but she holds her ground, not taking a step back even as I invade her personal space. “Do you remember last night?”
She nods her head, her eyes wide, unblinking and innocent as her ponytail bobs up and down. “I wasn’t sure you did.”
“As you pointed out, I wasn’t all that drunk.”
“Did you call me on purpose?”
I shake my head. “No. That really was an accident.”
She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, her eyes studying me and for some reason, it makes me nervous, so I take a step back. I’m not used to women staring me square in the eye. I’m used to them averting their gaze. I’m used to our eye contact being on my terms, when I command them to look at me. “Okay fine, no meals with other men. Does that mean you’ll do the same?”
“The same what?”
“No meals with other women? No Olivia?” She raises an eyebrow at me and it makes me wonder just what Olivia has disclosed to her.
“My relationship with Olivia is over,” I tell her honestly.
“But there was a relationship.”
I clear my throat. I don’t want to get into the logistics about Olivia or any other women. “An arrangement.”
“Is that what you want with me? An arrangement?”