揂re you having second thoughts about marrying her? She seems awfully needy.?
I almost smile at that, picturing how Scarlett might react to being called needy. This line of questioning is giving me the impression Asher might not have been entirely off base the three times he抯 told me Isabel has non-professional feelings for me. I抦 sure rumors of nepotism fly about when I抦 not around, but I take my role here seriously. I don抰 mix business with anything else. I抳e never dated an employee or fooled around in my office. 揑s there a point coming? About my personal life??Warnings litter those two questions.
Warnings Isabel doesn抰 heed. 揑抦 worried about this woman抯 impact on the future of this company.?
Now I know she抯 jealous. 揌er impact on the future of this company will be strengthening the Kensington name by adding billions to my assets and giving me children to leave everything to.?
揃ut you don抰 want to marry her, do you??
I don抰 do things I don抰 want to do. There are downsides to being born into the sort of wealth most people can抰 comprehend. But autonomy has never been an issue. Especially when it comes to big, life-changing choices. If I didn抰 want to marry Scarlett, I would have found a way out of it years ago.
揝he抯 stunning and has a shit-ton of money. I could do worse.?I抦 not sure why I抦 continuing to indulge this conversation. No one else has shown up early for the meeting, I guess. And I like working with Isabel. I抦 eager to rid her of any notion there抯 a chance of anything ever happening between us. 揥e抮e colleagues, Isabel. If I wanted your input on my life outside this office, I抎 ask for it.?
Her cheeks turn pink at the chastisement. 揙f course. Just looking out for you.?
We both know that wasn抰 all she was doing, but other people are finally arriving for the meeting, so I turn my attention back to my notes. I抦 not absorbing anything I抦 reading. Not paying any attention to Isabel sitting across from me. Nor any of the greetings aimed my way.
She抯 stunning and has a shit-ton of money.
That抯 how I described Scarlett just now. Both true. The second fact is the main reason I抦 marrying her. The first is a nice, albeit somewhat inconvenient, bonus. But pretty and rich are no longer the first two adjectives I抎 use to describe Scarlett Ellsworth. After two conversations, I抎 describe her as ambitious.
Fearless.
Vivacious.
That抯 what I need to look out for.
CHAPTER THREE
SCARLETT
It would be very easy to break this glass, I decide. To watch the fragments shatter and the golden liquid spread. I roll the thin stem of the champagne flute between my pointer finger and thumb, trying to decide if the temporary thrill will be worth the inevitable mess.
I decide not to and take a sip of fizzy alcohol.
The bubbles burn a trail down my esophagus and simmer in my empty stomach. I hate caviar, and it抯 all that抯 been served so far tonight. Part of the endless posturing. I would kill for some fries. To be anywhere else.
Moonlight glimmers off the surface of the pool, bathing the perfectly even stones and pristine landscaping that surround it in a luminous glow.
I suck in a deep lungful of air as I continue staring at the dark surface of the water before me. Oxygen circulates in my bloodstream. Carbon dioxide tries to escape. I don抰 let it. Even once the uncomfortable sensation turns painful. Finally, I exhale.
Sweet relief flows through me. I feel alive. Refreshed. Cleansed.
揅ontemplating a swim??
I don抰 react to the sound of his voice, even as awareness sparks across my skin. I do bristle at the taunting comment. As far as I can tell, Crew has two settings: privileged asshole or obnoxious asshole.
揇o I look dressed for a swim??I tug at the shimmering silk gown I抦 wearing for emphasis. It抯 gold. My mother picked it out and had it sent over to my penthouse to wear tonight. Probably as a reminder to the Kensingtons I抦 a trophy梐 prize.
揧ou could skinny dip.?
I snort. 揑 bet you抎 like that.?
揧eah,?Crew replies, stopping beside me. 揑 would, actually.?His voice has turned deep and husky, and it wreaks havoc on my insides.
Crew grew up surrounded by the same beauty I did. I抳e seen women flit to him like moths to a flame for years. There抯 no way he抯 not getting laid on a regular basis. I didn抰 expect he would act like I抦 anything different條ike I抦 special. He抯 probably not, and I抦 misreading his tone because I抦 tired and hungry and more susceptible to feigned honesty than usual. Because I am attracted to him.
揧ou have to buy the cow first, honey.?I continue our nickname game with an indifferent tip of my glass. It doesn抰 matter what he says. What he thinks. What he suggests.