Page 67 of The Daddy’s Girl

Time to put on a smile.

With a charming but apologetic grin, I walk toward the siblings. “I hope you two will forgive me. I didn’t realize Amelia would be so swamped with work. I don’t think she’ll be able to join us tonight.”

Jacob instantly deflates. “Oh really?”

“Well, that’s disappointing.” Olivia looks at her brother. “I should probably go with you back to the apartment then.”

Judging by the hopefulness in her tone, she’s secretly wishing her brother would let her stay with me, but that is the last thing I want at this point. I need her to leave. Then I need to get back to my place and try to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do next.

I’ve crossed a line you can’t uncross.

And I can’t just move on with another woman after that.

“I’m exhausted anyway,” Jacob mumbles. “I think I’ll just…grab a cab back.”

“I’ll come with,” Olivia replies.

“No, you stay,” he argues, and I hide my wince.

“Look, there she is,” Olivia chirps excitedly.

Glancing up, I see Amelia coming down the stairs. She looks nervous and agitated as she scans the bar for Jacob. When she spots us, I turn my gaze away to avoid looking into her eyes.

I’ll never look at her the same after feeling her body like I have now.

“Hey,” she mumbles softly. Looking at Jacob, she touches his arm. “Sorry I can’t hang tonight, but maybe we can just have a word outside?”

As the two of them walk toward the door, Amelia avoids my eyes. Jacob turns back toward his sister with a downcast expression. “You stay. Seriously.”

Merde.

“Come with me,” I say to her politely. Instead of taking her down to the sex club, where it’s dark and sexy and just too much for tonight, I lead her to a comfortable sofa in the back of the upstairs bar. It’s purple crushed velvet and currently unoccupied so I guide her to sit as I take the seat next to her.

It’s the perfect place to let her down. Not something I ever have to do.

I try to maintain small talk. I even try to flirt, smiling and holding her eye contact like I normally do, but nothing feels right anymore. I am not the same man I was before I went up to that office.

The flirtatious, excited look on Olivia’s face tells me she thinks this night is going somewhere it most definitely is not. She pats the empty space between us. “Come closer.”

I grin uncomfortably as I inch closer to her.

Why am I so terrible at this? My entire life has been spent inviting people into my bed, not pushing them away from it. And Olivia is so beautiful it feels like a crime to deny her.

The whole reason I invited her here was to seduce her. My plan involved taking Olivia to a room in this club and letting her touch distract me from the one person I can’t have. But that all feels so futile now.

Now that I’ve kissed Amelia. Again.

Olivia draws her finger down my arm and leans closer. “So when do we get to see the lower level? I want to see your favorite place in this club.”

My laugh is soft and slow. “Every part of this club is my favorite.”

She smiles as her eyes meet mine. “Then show me every part. I can be very accommodating.”

“Olivia,” I mumble, capturing her hand as it starts to trail down my chest. “You are an incredibly beautiful woman.”

Before I can continue, she leans so close her lips brush mine. It takes me by surprise, and I pull backward, searching for words to cover my strange reaction.

Just then, a pair of familiar eyes steals my focus. I watch Amelia walking across the room without Jacob, and she sees me sitting with Olivia. Shooting me a look of jealous disgust, she marches angrily up the stairs.