AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you think you’re a prisoner or something?” I asked.
“Am I?” she asked right back, giving me a long look. “I already missed one class. As happy as I am to be your assistant and as fascinating as it was to see the inner workings of a campaign office, the course credit for this internship and all this experience won’t be worth much if I flunk out for never showing up to class.”
She was right. I couldn’t keep her all to myself, and I didn’t want to if it meant she’d be miserable. I loved seeing her so animated, soaking everything in. That was the Jenna who had caught my attention.
I took her hand and brought it to my lips, capturing her gaze and not letting her look away. I kissed her knuckles, watching her cheeks slowly flood with color. She set my blood on fire, exactly the way she was. I didn’t want to change a thing about her.
“Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for a driver to take you wherever you need to go,” I told her.
She rolled her lush lower lip between her teeth. “Tomorrow?”
Before she could tell me she had an afternoon class and break my resolve, I turned her hand and kissed her palm, watching her eyelids grow heavy with the same desire that was making it hard to stay in my chair. She was so close, so beautiful, and mine.
“Tomorrow,” I repeated. “Today is just for us. I have other plans for today.”
Chapter 16 - Jenna
My hand tingled where his lips had touched, and I couldn’t look away from his captivating eyes. He was like a cobra, entrancing me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I had to fight the urge to lean closer, my body slowly turning to jello with every passing second so that I didn’t tug my hand away or drop my gaze. I didn’t want to do either of those things and held my breath. What was he going to suggest?
As if Lev suggested things. He was about to make a command, and his touch was making me so weak. Would I be able to fight? Did I want to keep fighting?
Just the fact I wasn’t going to have to give up school because of my rash decision to marry him had me so thrilled I would have agreed to anything. Now I could have my cake and eat it, too. Keep up with my old life so I could easily slip back into it after I thoroughly destroyed his.
Right? I still wanted to destroy him, didn’t I? Because the way I was leaning closer and closer so that I was almost sprawled across the deli table belied my plan for revenge.
No, it was still there, deep down and hidden by the spark of desire he lit in me. Maybe, just maybe, I could take advantage of the perks of being married to such a magnetic man. It was all part of the game. At least, that’s what I told myself while I practically drooled under his intense stare.
Lev swept his deep blue eyes down my body, and my free hand rose to press against my chest, as if I could contain my heartbeat. Goosebumps erupted on my arm as he slid his fingers from my hand, and his eyes traveled back up to meet mine.
“You need more clothes. I’m taking you shopping,” he declared.
Shaking myself, I smoothed my hands over my jacket. I had on the suit I wore to interview with his lobbying firm. It was my only nice business outfit and probably looked a little rough from all the wear. My cheeks heated up, and I prepared to defend the outfit, fervently denying I needed anything.
He stopped me with a brisk shake of his head. “You look amazing, as always. But there’s no reason to keep wearing the same thing, especially with all the meetings you’ll be attending as my assistant.”
There was no arguing with his firm tone. His mind was made up. I slumped back in my chair, almost laughing at my life. I got into this damn marriage so I could stop accepting things from a mafia lord, and here I was, once again having to accept things from another one.
“Fine, I agree, but only if we can go to the boutique where my friend works. So she can get the commission.”
“We can go wherever you like,” he said magnanimously since he’d already won.
Brooke was excited to see me at the shop, but kept it under wraps as much as she could since I was with my boss. We kept up that little ruse remarkably well, with Lev hanging back and barely nodding every time I held up a selection. There was no way Brooke suspected anything, or so I thought.
The moment we were alone in the dressing rooms, she tossed my clothes onto a bench and grabbed my arm. “Are you sure he’s just your boss?” she asked in a stage whisper, a smile about to tear her face in two.
“What? Of course,” I said, willing my cheeks not to turn bright red. “Why would you even say something like that?” I forced a sour face, as if the thought of touching Lev made me sick.
Thankfully, she shrugged it off, catching me up on what she’d been doing the last few days. It felt like a month since I’d seen her, and it boggled my mind that I’d only been Lev’s wife for such a short time. As Jenna prattled on about her classes, I felt that familiar stab of guilt again.
I hated lying to her, but now that I knew the truth, there was no way I was staying married to Lev. Despite his animal magnetism that kept shaking my resolve, I was getting myself out.
I’d seen him in action during our sparring match, and there was no way I could ever hope to overpower him, but I could bide my time. Play along, pretend to be the dutiful wife, and uncover everything I needed to get him locked up for life so I could get back to mine. Maybe even be a hero, which would be great for optics, one of the things Councilman Hardy’s campaign manager had explained was incredibly important.
Brooke left me to try on my pile of outfits, and I quickly went through them all, tossing the ones that fit in a keep pile. It didn’t matter to me much what they looked like or how much they cost since Lev was footing the bill, and the more, the better since Brooke would get a hefty commission from his generosity.
One of the dresses was particularly pretty, though, and I couldn’t help sighing as I held it up. It was green silk with a subtle shimmer of beading at the low neckline, and hung in elegant lines on the hanger. Lev had assured me we’d also be going to evening functions, and something like that was as necessary as the pencil skirts, blazers, and simple blouses.
It fit like a dream, and I wanted to step outside and twirl in front of the three-way mirrors, but I couldn’t get the zipper all the way up. I called for Brooke, but there was no answer. She wasprobably busy with another customer, but Lev was a busy man, too.
