90 Sophieâs pov Iâm gritting my teeth and clenching my fist. Iâm so frus- trated and angry.
The interviewer, a woman with pretty blonde hair and big blue eyes had been nothing but flirty with Aiden the entire time.
And it doesnât help that Aidenâs grin is radiant. I even feel jealous and want to be in her position right now.
I know I shouldnât be but I am. Iâm angry and frustrated and wish for this interview to hurry up and finish.
My prayers are answered soon after and both Aiden and I found ourselves back inside the dressing room in a couple of minutes.
âYouâre p**sed.â Aiden cracked the silence with his amused words when I closed the door.
I grit my teeth. So he did notice my glares across the room after all.
âIâm not.â I denied.
Aiden snorts and Iâm tempted to hurl my bag at his back.
C*cky piece of s*it.
He turns around, one of his brows raised. âYou have that cute frown on your face, Sophie. Itâs not that hard for one to notice that youâre not pleased. Save yourself the trouble of denying it.â
My brows pinch.
Cute.
When he says cute words like that itâs hard to not want to bury him six feet under.
Iâm about to answer him but thereâs a knock on the door.
Aiden looks just as confused as I am.
The interview was done so there was no need for him any- more. Yet, who was at the door?
He hadnât even have to say come in, whoever was at the door barged in without a care in the world.
I stiffen when itâs that same blonde interviewer woman. Sheâs smiling widely, seductively but when her eyes fell on me, her face turned bitter.
I nearly rolled my eyes.
She must think I give a d*mn about how she looks at me.
Her gaze swept over to Aiden who stood there confused and a little startled.
She beamed, her eyes dancing with happiness and her lips splitting into a seductive grin. âMr. Xavier. Iâm happy to have caught you still here. I want to have a word with you in private.â
She looked at me with a slight glare that I did roll my eyes Of course she wants to âhave a wordâ with him in private.
Iâm sure this is how this is normally played out.
I look over at Aiden who grows stiff.
Iâm confused by his reaction. Isnât this what he wanted?
With those charming smiles he sent her way, I wouldâve thought he was counting down the seconds until she came here.
But his next words both confused and startled me. âI donât do private chats with someone I donât know Miss. Wan- ton. Weâre strangers, I donât hold private conversations with that sort.â He says stiffly.
The woman flinched slightly, her eyes dimming with em- b***ent. But like any fox with determination, she giggles. âBut you canât consider us strangers Mr. Xavier after that in- terview.â
Aiden looks annoyed which was entertaining and a bit confusing. I would have thought heâd love this attention.
Or maybe heâs just acting this way since I am in the same room?
âWhatever you have to say, you can say in front of her.â He nudged his chin towards me.
The womanâs face twisted with displeasure.
I really could care less about her attitude or how she cur- rently feels right now, but I would be embarrassed if I were in her shoes. That alone nearly made me have sympathy for her.
Sighing heavily after a few tense silent moments, she murmurs. âFine.â
Aiden lifted a single brow, looking rather impatient as he crossed his arm over his chest and looked at her in expecta-
tion.
The woman was taller than me and just an inch shorter than Aiden. She owed most of her height to the high heels she wore right now.
So when she walked further into the room and stood in front of Aiden, she purposely blocked me from seeing his face clearly.
I didnât want to seem desperate so I stayed glued to where I was. But I was sure she could feel that glare I was cur- rently shooting at her back.
âMr. Xavier,â She purred her hands lifting.
What is she doing?
Iâm tempted to move to the side to have a look but I donât want to seem like Iâm desperate or jealous.
But then suddenly I hear buttons falling on the floor and my eyes widen.
Did she just?
This time I did move to the side so I can see what she had just done.
Iâm ready to barf.
Did she have no respect for herself?
The woman managed to rip open her white blouse and had the buttons flying to the floor.
âTake me Mr. Xavier. Iâve heard so many good things. about how good you f*ck. Itâs fine if we have speculators. Your assistant wonât mind a few moans would she?â She winks, pushing her hand into her bra and pulling it down to show her nipples.
I gag.
Was she really going this far to get Aiden to f*ck her?
Rage and jealousy burn through me.
I looked over at Aiden. Heâs standing there with an irritat- ed glare on his face, shooting daggers at the woman.
His lips curled into a bitter sneer. âCover up and get out.â
Thereâs nothing better than seeing her face drop and the shade of embarrassment coloring on her cheeks.
âBut Mr. Xavier. Everyone said you like your women des- perate and wanton. I came over to show you how desperate I am.â She pinched her nipples, not even caring that I was in the room.
I cover my mouth, disgusted by her actions.
I would never have thought this well poised woman would stoop this low to get a man to sleep with her.
âYou heard wrong now get out. Youâre embarrassing yourself in front of my fiance.â Aiden sneered angrily at the woman whose eyes widen upon hearing his words.
Mine did too. But not because his yell was loud, but be- cause he called me his fiance.
He said it with so much honesty that anyone would think it was true.
The woman takes a stumbling step back as she quickly fixed her breasts back into her bra.
âYour fiance? I didnât know you had a fiance.â She squeaked, avoiding looking over at me.
âYes my fiance. Weâre keeping it on the down low for now. Thatâs why you had yet to know about it. Now I suggest you remove yourself from the room to save any dignity you have left.â He says with seriousness as he looked at the woman dis- tastefully.
Oh Aiden, why are you digging us into a bigger hole?
H Sophieâs pov The woman turns around, her face so red and her eyes so misty. She seems to be on a mission to avoid my gaze as she tries and fails to cover her overspilling breasts and rushes out of the room without another word.
When sheâs gone, I turn to Aiden, my eyes wide in surprise and discomfort at what just happened mere seconds ago.
âYouâre mad,â I shook my head in disbelief.
Aiden loosens his tie and spared me a glance. He doesnât even look the least bit affected by what just happened. Was that a normal thing to happen to him?
If so then I wasnât surprised.
âHow so?â He asked with an amused arched in his brow.
I shake my head and stomp over to him. âWhy would you tell her that I am your fiance Aiden? Can you not see how youâve royally screwed us!?â
I jabbed at his chest.
He was absolutely crazy. Why would he mess around with that word so easily?
âThat woman would not have left if I hadnât said that to her. She was desperate enough to stay.â He defended as he pulled the tie off his neck and threw it on the dresser.
000%
He walks to the clothes rack with different suits Olivia managed to get there less than ten minutes before his inter- view.
âYou couldâve said anything else Aiden, anything else but you chose to say that Iâm your fiance?â I glared at his back. while he was unbuttoning his shirt to change.
âIt was the first thing that came to mind.â He shrugged nonchalantly and removed the shirt from his body.
I tore my eyes away, biting into my lips as I grumble. âYou not seeing how messed up this is, is alarming.â
I felt his eyes on me, on the side of my face. âYouâve seen my body naked before Sophie, why act shy now?â
I felt a blush crawl up my neck and settle on my cheeks. âBecause itâs inappropriate to stare at your boss while heâs changing Aiden,â I grumble while crossing my arms and pinching my skin.
Aiden snorted.
I turn around, fully blocking any view of him.
I hear his footfalls and seconds later feel his chest press- ing into my back.
I stiffen.
âAm I only your boss mama bear?â He says lowly, his lips. brushing the back of my ear.
I shivered and moved away from him quickly as I felt the unmistakable feeling of my p**sy clenching. He was arousing me with just simple words. I should be ashamed of myself.
âAnd apparently my fiance too.â I snapped sarcastically, pushing up my anger to drown out my arousal.
I whirled around, flushing when Iâm met with his bare chest.
âAre you that p**sed about this Sophie?â Aiden groaned in frustration which successfully pulled me out of my gapping.
I shook my head. âWhat?â I asked confused.
What were we talking about again?
Aidenâs lips curved up in a smile and said. âYou donât only have to stare mama bear, you can touch too.â
My eyes narrowed and then I huffed. It seems that my anger can never stay long enough when Iâm dealing with him. I always go back to fawning.
âYouâre so annoying,â I grumble and turned around.
âWhere are you going?â Aiden called out in amusement.
I opened the door while snapping. âAway from you. Iâll meet you outside.â
I donât care that heâs my boss. If he fires me then even better.
I slammed the door behind me, huffed and walked away.
Everyoneâs eyes slowly sweep over to me as I walked by.
Some are in groups, whispering amongst themselves as they pinned me with confused and questioning gazes.
They reminded me of teenage girls who had nothing bet- ter to do than gossip.
I held my bag closer and ruffled my hair nervously.
Did that woman tell everyone what Aiden said?
Or maybe they heard him. He was pretty loud when he shouted at her....
I walked quicker.
This was so embarrassing.
âOmph.â I pushed out of my mouth when I stumbled on my feet and landed on my knees.
It scraped and I hissed.
âAre you okay Miss?â A husky voice says above me sud- denly which startled me a bit.
I whip my head up, my eyes widening.
Grey eyes, strong jaw and thin lips.
This man was handsome and with the suit that donned his body made me know he was wealthy.
He was no regular person like me.
His eyes crinkled at the corners as he outstretched his hand. âYou must be careful when youâre walking.â He grinned charmingly.
I smiled in embarrassment and took his hand. He helps me up and his eyes shifting in concern. âAre you okay Miss?â
53 22%
I smiled awkwardly and with a nod and an embarrassed laugh, I answered. âYes. Itâs nothing.â
His eyes fall to my knees. âYouâre bleeding. Do you need help-
I shook my head and awkwardly pull my hand out of his grasp that he held on for longer than necessary. âNo. Itâs real- ly not a big deal.â
He opened his mouth to speak but someone interrupted him. âMr. Muralo your interview will start soon. Please let me show you to the private dressing room for you to get ready.â
Mr. Murolo? He must be important if heâs being inter- viewed today. This interview is specifically for businessmen and was supposed to focus on how they managed to push up the market.
â|-
He looks at me and stops when I shake my head and tell him to go on ahead.
I smiled when he gave me one last concerned look.
He seems friendly enough.
Keeping my head down in humiliation, I continued on my way until I got outside and found myself beside the Suv.
âDid Mr. Xavier stay back?â Mitch asked when I entered the back.
He must be confused that Aiden wasnât beside me.
I shook my head. âHe was getting dressed. I needed to get out of there, was way too stuffy. Hey, do you have some tis- sue?â I asked.
Yes, stuffy with the heat of desire.
Mitch nods and opened the compartment and then sent me the roll of tissue.
caught it and then tore a piece.
I canât believe he would just let out that Iâm his fiance so casually as if this wasnât a big deal.
Pressing the tissue onto the cut on my knee, I hissed.
Mitch looks at me in the rearview mirror. âAre you okay Miss?â
I nodded quickly and with a grimace I said. âYes I am fine. Just a small scratch.â
He looks worried but nods.
Focusing back on the task at hand, I pressed the tissue more on the scratch only to jump a little in startlement when the door suddenly opens.
I looked over at Aiden, his face is tight with irritation or is it anger? Perhaps both.
My brows knot.
Whatâs with him?
âLetâs have lunch.â He grumbles, gets in and slams the door so hard I flinched.
I knew better than to get on his nerves when he was that irritated.
At least Iâm relieved I wasnât the cause of his anger this time. If I was, then why would he want to have lunch with me?
When Mitch drives away onto the main road, Aidenâs eyes suddenly fall to my knees.
His eyes stare hard on my fingers clutching the tissue to my knees.
His brows knot into a frown.
âWhatâs wrong with your knee?â He questioned.
âNothing, just a scratch. Seriously Iâm okay.â I assured him. when his eyes deepened with raw concern.
Suddenly his hand is on the hand I had on my knee and he pries it away to get a better look at my knee.
âItâs still bleeding.â He grumbles, almost as if mad that I got a scratch.
âItâs fine.â I murmured.
He shook his head and in a rapid move had my leg on his lap. He didnât even care that I had heels on and could poten- tially ruin his expensive pants.
âAiden!â I gasped.
âShut up.â He grumbles, tearing a piece of tissue and swatting my hand away from my knee.
âMitch take us to the nearest store to get some bandaids and rubbing alcohol,â Aiden demanded.
âYes sir,â Mitch said and swang on another road.
I shook my head. âYou really didnât have to Aiden. Itâs not a big deal. The scratch isnât even bleeding much-
âYou talk way too much Sophie. presses the tissue to my scratch.
Aiden grumbles and I let out a huff, crossing my arms, annoyed as hell know- ing he wouldnât let up. There was no way Iâd win this so it would be best if I just shut up and let him do what he wanted.
When we pulled up to the grocery store a good ten min- utes or so later, Aiden is the only one who actually goes inside the store.
He ordered me to stay inside the Suv and insisted that I was better off sitting than walking.
He must think that little scratch had made me immobile.
I rolled my eyes and watch him disappear inside the store.
âYour boss is such a p**ck Mitch.â I said, glaring at the store he disappeared inside of.
I wanted some chips but my pride would not allow me to tell him to buy them for me. And seeing as he would perhaps make a fuss if he sees me enter the store, there really was no way I can get my chips in peace.
I can survive without chips.
We were going for lunch anyway...
Well hopefully we still were. I fear heâd think I was too âin- juredâ to have lunch.
Mitch chuckles lightly. âI donât know Miss. Mr. Xavier has never cared for another woman the way he does for you.â
His words had me haling back.
Sophie you better not make Aidenâs chauffeur get you to c**ck those walls around your heart. You better seal them right up.
âI wasnât sure which rubbing alcohol was the best so I took three different brands,â Aiden said as he hopped back into the car.
He closed the door and shift through the stuff he bought. He takes out a small bag of cotton balls and the three rubbing alcohol bottles.
He really did buy three rubbing alcohol bottles....
âThe lady at the counter said this one worked the best. But the man behind me said all worked the same. Didnât know who to trust so bought all three.â He grinned sheepishly when I looked at him in disbelief.
I sighed. He was doing way too much for a tiny scratch. âYou honestly didnât have to buy the alcohol Aiden. A ban- dage wouldâve been just fine.â
Not even a bandage....my scratch was so tiny that having a bandage would be comical. But I donât say that because Iâm sure he would debate with me.
âOh right the bandage,â He grumbles while shifting through the bag once more and pulling out-
âIs that Dora The Explora bandages Aiden?â
He grinned. âThey were the only ones left in the store.â
My eyes narrowed on his face. Somehow I donât believe a single word he just said.
Aiden reaches for my leg again and throws it over his thigh.
I turn bright red, because this time he managed to open my legs so vast that I was sure my panties were on full display for him.
I just hope I didnât have a wet patch down there from ear- lier when I was in his dressing room and he was undressing.....
Aiden poured the alcohol on the cotton ball and then dabbed the wet ball on my scratch.
I hissed. For a small scratch, it hurt like a b*tch when the alcohol touched it.
Shy Aideyes lift to my face, darting everywhere to see if I showed signs of pain. âAre you okay? Does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?â He rushes out, his voice thick with concern.
I wouldâve laughed at his questions if my heart was not currently throbbing at his show of raw concern.
âIâm okay Aiden. It just stung a little.â I said softly and he sighed in relief.
âDonât scare me like that Sophie,â He whispered.
My brows furrowed. Did this little scratch really have him so concerned?
About fifteen minutes later Mitch pulled up beside a very expensive restaurant.
My eyes widen.
âAre we going to have lunch here?â I whispered.
I was not properly dressed for an expensive place like this, especially with a Dora The Explora bandage on my knee. The skirt I wore definitely was not covering that.
Also, this place was always filled with rich socialites and I clearly was not one of them. I would stick out like a sour thumb among these people. Like I was already just by sitting beside Aiden.
Aiden looks at me confused. âYes?â
I winced. âThis restaurant is very expensive Aiden. I donât belong here.â
Aidenâs eyes turned stormy. âYouâre worth more than that restaurant Sophie. Now keep that pretty mouth shut before I shut it myself.â
He opened the door. âWeâll be back in thirty Mitch. If you want you can drive around the block.â Aiden said while get- ting down.
I pushed closer to the door, gnawing on my lips and got. out when Aiden shot me a stare that told me to get the f*ck out or else heâll force me out himself.
Coming to stand beside him, he closed the door while I fixed my blouse and skirt to look more presentable.
I froze when I felt his arm sling around my waist and pull me close. âYouâll still be the most beautiful woman in that restaurant even if you were in rags. Now come on mama bear, letâs get you fed.â
âLoosen up Sophie. Youâre as stiff as a rock.â Aiden whis- pered beside my ear, his lips tickling my skin.
His hands run down the small of my back, his warmth. seeping through and relaxing me as we walked to our table.
I sighed in relief when we finally took our seats but I prayed that maybe, just maybe all these rich fancy people would stop staring at us like we were the most fascinating thing theyâve seen in a while.
The stares literally burned through me when they saw Aiden pulling the chair back for me to sit. And when I fixed that chair and he stayed beside me for longer than necessary, their stares had turned hotter.
Seriously you could have brought me to any fast food place. Iâd be happy to eat oily fries and a cheesy burger.â I grumble as I darted my eyes around as slick as I could.
âThose fast food places arenât good enough for you. You deserve the best,â He grinned. My stomach knotted.
Smooth.
I stared at him across the table. This feels intimate. Just us two having lunch in a fancy restaurant.
It almost looks like we were on a date. That must be why everyone could not stop looking our way.
Or perhaps it was the shock to see the young bachelor with a woman who looked like she swam in the sewer.
Aiden seems to be staring at me deeply too. Itâs quite nerve-wracking actually.
I needed to distract him before the waiter arrives. Be-
cause obviously if he keeps staring at me like I was the meal, I was not sure I can handle myself. Or my feelings.
âSo you have a photo of me in one of your penthouses?â | asked in curiosity.
Honestly, I had been dying to ask him this question the moment his grandfather confirmed it.
Aiden started hacking out a cough.
I looked at him in concern.
âAre you okay?â I asked as I watch him block his mouth. His face was heating up with a blush.
âYes,â Cough. âIâm fine.â
He clears his throat, looking a bit flustered. âNo, I actually donât. Sergio doesnât have a great memory, so I knew exactly what to tell him to get him off my back.â
Iâm a little disappointed. âOh,â I whispered, my shoulders. sagging in displeasure.
He clears his throat and I suppose was about to say some- thing else but the waiter comes over to hand us the menu po- litely.
âI will come back to get your orders in five minutes Mr. Xavier.â He said and left seconds after. When he does, my at-
tention goes back to Aiden.
I still had no idea why he could not have just told Sergio he didnât want to get married. Why would he go through so much trouble to try to convince his grandfather I was his fi- ance?
He was a grown man, he could say no. Couldnât he?
Unless his grandfather was threatening him with some- thing he couldnât win over?
Aiden notices my curious gaze and he lifted a brow ques- tioningly. âWhy do I feel like youâre about to go nancy drew right now?â
âWhy did you not just say no?â I asked him, stunning him. for a few moments before he regains his composure.
He opens his mouth to speak but I cut in before he could get a word in.
âAnd donât think about lying Aiden. Tell me the truth.â I warned, eyes narrowing on his face.
Maybe it was time I listen to him without judging right away.
Sure him telling his grandfather and then telling that in- terviewer woman that we were engaged was absurd with him not giving me a warning beforehand or at least my permis-
sion.
But perhaps Aiden had his reasons and it was time I hear them out.
He is silent for a few, staring at me intently before he sighs and starts.
#
Sergio is threatening to get me back into jail if I donât get married and settle down before the year ends.â
He says the words with a bitterness that shocked me.
I gasped, eyes widening slightly. Was it that serious for Aiden to get married? So serious that he had to hang the jail card over Aidenâs head?
âBu-t he canât do th-at can he?â I stuttered out in a rush of emotions. The main one was fright.
Even though I didnât trust Aiden yet, it was clear he loved his son and it took only a couple of days for me to see that. Ashton just got to know his dad, he wasnât ready to lose him....and neither did I.
It took a lot for me to admit but I didnât want to lose