Filthy Rich, Wild with Lust

Chapter 56

“Hmm.” I try to sweeten the deal. “A week in the sun and the ocean with me in a string bikini, my big buff boyfriend rubbing suntan oil all over my body. Making love on the beach under the moonlight.”

“Sounds terrible.” A trace of a smile crosses his face, and I know our fight is over.

I smile and kiss him. “So can we?” I really want to reset away from here and all our crappy memories.

“When do you want to go?” he asks.

“Next week?”

“Next week?” he gasps. “I can’t pack up and go away in a week.”

“Why not? Aren’t you the boss?” I smile hopefully. “If I can organize someone to cover my shifts next week and Chloe can look after Barry and check on your dad, can we go?”

He exhales heavily.

“Chloe is a nurse. She can check on your dad every day. She will call us immediately if you are needed here, and we can come straight home.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“So... I’m taking that as a yes. I’m an optimist, you know.”

He rolls his eyes. “Goodbye, Juliet.”

I grab the lapels of his suit and pull him to me. “Goodbye, my grumpy, hot boyfriend.”

He screws up his face in disgust. “I don’t like that term.”

“Grumpy?”

“Boyfriend.”

I giggle. “Hurry up and marry me, then, so you can be my mister.”

His face falls.

“Joking!” I laugh at his horror. “Relax, it was a joke.”

“Not a funny one, Juliet.”

“Yeesh...”

He walks to the door and looks back at Barry and me. “You need to wash the coffee cups before you leave.”

I widen my eyes and point to the door. “Go to work.”

I sit in the café with my heart in my throat. I feel like s**t. This is not Joel’s fault. This is a circumstance of very bad timing. Joel comes into view, and he waves and smiles when he sees me. “Hi.” He bends and kisses my cheek.

I’m an asshole.

“Hello.” He smiles as he falls into the chair opposite me.

“I already ordered us coffee.” I shrug. “Hope that’s okay.”

“Sure, coffee before lunch. I’m down.”

I stare at him. There’s no easy way to say this. “I’m sorry for Saturday, Joel,” I say softly.

“Me too.”

I try to explain. “It was the worst timing.”

“It wasn’t bad timing,” he huffs. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”

“What?”

“He’s had you on ice the entire f*****g time he’s lived next door, Juliet, and as soon as you meet someone else, he comes in like a spoiled child wanting his toy back.”

“Oh,” I reply, surprised by his venom. I wasn’t expecting this reaction.

“So... let me guess,” he says sarcastically. “You organize a date with me, and suddenly he realizes that you are the one for him, and he’s miraculously over his commitment issues, and now thinks he’s in love with you... but he didn’t say it straight out; it was in a roundabout way.”

I frown.

“How am I going with my prediction?”

Surprisingly f*****g accurate.

“You don’t need to be like this.”

“But I do, because you’re being an i***t and letting him play you like a fiddle.”

I exhale heavily. “I’m in love with him, Joel.”

“Because you have good s*x?”

I stare at him as I roll my lips. I’m not even replying to that.

“There’s a lot more to a relationship than s*x, Juliet, and if you want a life with someone like that, go ahead.”

I’ve heard enough of this s**t.

I throw my napkin onto the table. “Thanks, I will.” I stand. “Goodbye, Joel.” I walk out of the restaurant.

I hope Henley really knows how to decorate f*****g houses.

The elevator rises as excitement bubbles in my stomach. I’m on my way up to Henley’s office to have lunch with him. My coffee date with Joel didn’t go as planned, but after calming down a little, I do understand Joel’s disapproval.

I chose Henley, and no matter how sweetly I wrap the delivery, the message is still the same.

The elevator doors open to a large reception area, and I walk in. It’s all modern timber with beautiful apricot marble floors. A huge gold sign is on the back wall.

HENLEY JAMES

ENGINEERING

Oh... bougie as f**k.

A lot fancier than I expected.

“Can I help you?” a woman’s voice asks.

I look over and see a gorgeous brunette sitting at a desk: long dark hair and perfect bone structure. “Um, yes. I’m here to see Henley.”

“Are you?” She fakes a smile and looks me up and down. “And what’s your name?”

What’s with the condescending tone, b***h?

“I’m Juliet, Henley’s girlfriend, and you are?” I fire back.

She looks at me, deadpan. “Strange, I’ve never heard of you before.”

“Your name?” I repeat.

“Jenny,” she replies flatly.

Jenny... I remember f*****g Jenny; she was the witch who blew me off all those years ago. So she’s still around, eh? Nobody told me she also happened to be a bombshell. “Hello, Jenny.” I smile through gritted teeth.

“Hello.”

“Where is Henley?” I assert. Don’t give me your crap, Jenny. I will end you.

“He’s in his office.”

“Which is where?” I begin to get annoyed with this woman and her outright rudeness.

“Take a seat, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

I roll my lips and take a seat on the couch. I text Henley.

Who the f**k is this receptionist?

A door instantly opens, and Henley comes into view. “Hello.” He smiles. He throws Jenny a quick glance and gestures into his office, and I stand and make my way over.

Jenny pretends to look at her computer, not even looking up.

I walk into the office and turn toward Henley, and he closes the door behind us.

“How did it go?” he asks.

“It was a five-minute conversation. I left before his coffee even arrived.” I cross my arms in front of myself. “The deed is done.”

Satisfaction flashes across his face before he takes me into his arms. “Good.” He kisses me softly.

“Forgot to tell me a small detail that your hot receptionist is in lust with you?”

He chuckles. “She’s just a bit—”

I cut him off. “Rude.”

“Protective.”

I roll my eyes, and his hands drop to my behind, and he bumps our hips together. “What do you want for lunch?”

“You... on Jenny’s desk sounds good,” I huff. Why the hell is his receptionist so hot?

“That could work.” He smiles.

I roll my eyes. Seriously, I need to get ahold of this jealousy thing. Why do I think every woman alive is after Henley James?

Because they are.

“I called Chloe, and she can help us out next week.”

He looks down at me.

“Can we go?”

“Juliet.”

I bounce on the spot. “Tell me we can go.”

“All right.” He widens his eyes as if I am a huge inconvenience. “We can go.”

I smile broadly.

“On one condition,” he says.

“What’s that?”

“You let me organize it.”

“Why, because you’re a control freak?”

“Precisely.” He gives me a slow sexy smile, and I feel it to my toes.

“Okay.” I pull him close and kiss him. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”

His hands go to my behind. “You already do.”

Knock, knock sounds at the door. Henley steps back from me. “Come in,” he calls.

A man opens the door. “Hen.” He looks up and sees me. “Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“No, no, please come in.” Henley smiles. “This is Juliet. Juliet, this is Ronan.”

“Hi, Ronan.” I shake his hand.

“Hello, Juliet. Lovely to meet you.” His eyes flick to Henley. “I’m having some trouble getting into the new program.”

“Did you put in the password?”

“Yeah, but it’s asking me for some code or something that is going to be sent to your phone.”

“Ah, okay.” He grabs his phone. “I’ll come and sort it out with you. Back in a moment, Juliet.” He sits me in his chair behind his big fancy desk before leaving with Ronan.

I sit and look around his big office and smile. Wow... he really is successful.

I mean, I knew it, but until I saw how swanky his offices are and all his staff buzzing around, it hadn’t really sunk in.

I run my hands over the glass-topped desk and glance down to the drawers. I wonder what he keeps in there. I pull the top one open and instantly see something I don’t want to.

His burner phone.

Ugh, I hate this f*****g phone. I pick it up and look at it. How many women are just waiting in here for him to call them?

“What are you doing?” a voice snaps.

I glance up to see Jenny standing at the door. “Oh...”

Fuck.

“Don’t go through his things,” she snaps before marching over and snatching the phone from my hand.

“I beg your pardon?” I frown, shocked.

“Do not come into Henley’s office and touch his private things,” she repeats. “I will not have it.”

What the f**k?

“Jenny, I’m his girlfriend. We have no secrets.”

She smiles sarcastically. “Of course you don’t.”

Fuck off... Jenny.

“I don’t appreciate your tone,” I say.

“You don’t have to.” With another fake smile, she walks out with his burner phone in her hot little hand.

I officially hate Jenny... ugh, I’m infuriated. I can hear my angry heartbeat pumping blood through my body.