The Wife He Didn't Choose

Chapter 5

JAMES POV

I hate needy women.

I hate clingy women.

I hate broke women.

As a billionaire, I'm used to hearing "I'm pregnant with your baby" at least twice a month. Safe to say I'm immune by now.

But hearing it from someone whose broke ass I literally saved — along with her sister's. If I hadn't stopped by to check on Sophie that day, I probably never would have crossed paths with Rose at all.

And now my moment of pity has curdled into something I genuinely detest.

Thankfully, Sophie's warm, tight cunt has been keeping me very busy.

Unlike the liability living under my roof who does nothing except look pitiful and ask for more favors, Sophie is efficient as well as diligent. Her voluptuous ass barely contained that suit skirt of hers.

She's had my attention for a while. I've always been strictly against mixing business with pleasure, but somewhere along the line the lines blurred and I stopped fighting it.

My mind drifted back to yesterday.

I had just wrapped up a three-hour meeting when Sophie walked in with coffee and a reminder that I had another call in five minutes. I grunted in annoyance. She set the cup down, moved behind me without being asked, and started working her hands into my shoulders. Then she leaned forward to reach my arms, her heavy breasts resting warm against the back of my head.

Every knot of tension dissolved.

I turned around and pulled her between my legs.

Her skirt had ridden up. The stretch of her creamy thigh was right there, pale and inviting.

"We shouldn't do this," she said.

"Why not?" My eyes didn't move from her thigh.

"The rules —"

"Rules are meant to be broken. And who better to break them than the man who made them?"

"If you put it that way." She looked down at her hands, all shy and flushed. We both knew it was an act. Sophie is feisty as hell.

"Turn around. Hitch up your skirt and touch your toes. Keep the noise moderate."

"But your meeting —"

I joined the conference call with one click, killed the camera, and muted the mic.

"Hands on your toes. Ass up."

This time she listened. Her cunt glistened, and the sight of it nearly undid me before I'd even touched her, my c**k was straining hard against my trouser.

"f**k, Sophie." I gripped her waist. "Tell me why you're still with your boyfriend."

"Because you're still married," she said, like it was that simple.

"One year. Five months left."

"I've known Daniel for years. If I'm not sure you'll actually marry me, I can't throw that away."

I stopped talking.

I pushed into her tight folds and the rest of the world went quiet. The conference call murmured on in the background while I focused on nothing but how perfectly she fit around me, warm and slick and better than anything.

I reached down and squeezed her breast, heavy in my palm.

"Faster, James. It's still work hours."

That was all I needed. I straightened, tightened my grip on her waist, and drove into her harder, sweating despite the air conditioning. She bit down to stay quiet while I chased the feeling building at the base of my spine.

I was right at the edge when I heard my name.

"James."

"James."

I blinked as the fantasy collapsed. I was in my home office with a hard c**k I wouldn't dare use on Rose who was standing across from my desk looking hurt and uncertain, bracing herself the way she always does.

I knew if I didn't shut this down fast she'd start crying.

"Rose, get out. I need to work."

"I know the contract didn't include loyalty," she said quietly. "But it's just one year. Couldn't you at least give this a real try before moving on to someone else?"

She was still on this.

And I had just been mentally buried inside Sophie while she stood right there.

God, I hate predictable women.

"James —"

"Out. Your sister gets discharged next month, keep that in mind before you push me. She still has an outstanding balance on her last surgery and I'm not changing my position on the abortion."

I turned to my laptop and typed furiously. Anything to drown her out. She stood still for about a minute, then turned and left, shutting the door quietly behind her.

That's the thing about women like Rose. Too calm. Too forgiving. Too humble, like they're allergic to conflict. Like they've decided that swallowing pain quietly is some kind of virtue.

Nothing like Sophie, who takes charge in every room she enters. Who knows exactly what she wants and isn't shy about reaching for it. Sophie is everything Rose has failed to be, and I cannot wait until this contract expires so I can make her mine properly. No arrangements. No expiry date.

Another knock.

"Come in." Definitely not Rose. She wouldn't come back after the way I just spoke to her. She'd be crying in some corner, but I don't care.

Lily walked in like she owned the place.

"Dad, I'm bored. I want to go to Vicky's."

"You just got back."

"Staying here with Rose is suffocating the life out of me. I'm sure you feel the same way."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said carefully. Lily is a fragile bomb. The wrong word spirals into something I have no energy for right now.

"Sophie said I can call her mummy. That she'll be my mummy soon."

I went still. "Sophie said that?"

"Yes. She said you already promised to leave Rose. That Rose doesn't fit in this family and Sophie is the better option. I love her already, Daddy."

"Rose is still your stepmother. You need to respect her."

"Are you really divorcing her?"

"That's not your business. But yes, we'll part ways soon."

"But Sophie still has her husband. Will she leave him for you?"

I stared at her. How does this child know everything?

"It's a boyfriend. And who's been telling you all this when you should be reading?"

She tilted her head. "Is that why you asked Rose to abort the baby? Because of Sophie?" A pause. "Daddy, I want a sibling. Even if it's from Rose."

"Lily!" The word came out before I could stop it.