Chapter 6

ARIA

I turn around and smile. “Gray! Hi! How are you?!”

Gray and the blonde are still holding hands, both giving me a quizzical look.

“Hi, Aria, what…are you doing here?”

“I’m just a guest…of someone,” I say. “What about you?”

~Ugh, that was a stupid thing to say~.

“We performed. Natasha is a violin player,” he says as he smiles at the petite blonde.

“Great, great, awesome. Nice work…up there,” I say.

~Jesus, I sound insane.~

“I’ll go grab us a drink,” Natasha says to Gray before giving me a sympathetic smile and walking away.

“Thanks, sweetie,” he coos before turning back to me. “You look…different.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to dress the part,” I say, looking down at my outfit.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like you at all,” he says.

I’m somewhat taken aback.

“Okay, well, I should get going,” I say coldly.

“Aria, I’ve been thinking, and I think we should clear the air. You know, find some closure so we can move on cleanly,” he says.

~Ha, absolutely not.~

“Actually, I feel quite free of our past, and you look like you’ve moved on. Perhaps it’s best to just leave it at that,” I say.

“You always hated confronting difficult situations, but I think you’d really benefit from facing your insecurities,” he says with a smug smile.

Suddenly, it all comes flying back to me. The gaslighting, the manipulation, the faux concern for my mental wellbeing. He’s the same vindictive asshole he always was. Luckily, I’m not under his control anymore.

“Gray, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but get fucked. I’m not falling for your therapist bullshit anymore, and I want you to leave me alone,” I say quietly. I turn to leave, but he grabs my arm.

“Aria, do not speak to me that way.” His tone is low and dangerous. It enrages me.

“Get your hand off of me,” I say through gritted teeth.

He releases me, and I see his eyes widen. Suddenly, a hand slides around my waist.

“There you are.”

I look up and see Jett smiling at me for a fraction of a second before he leans down and kisses me on the lips.

I have no time to react except naturally, so my hips lean into his as his hand squeezes my waist. He tastes like smoky bourbon, and I want to open my mouth, but I resist.

We both pull back at the same time and look at Gray, who does nothing to hide his shock.

“Hi—and you are?” Jett smiles at him.

“I’m, uh, Gray—from the orchestra,” he says.

“Oh, great! I donated to your capital campaign last year. I think a concert hall or something is named after me now. What do you play, the harp?” Jett asks.

Gray narrows his eyes at Jett as I desperately try hard not to laugh.

“No, trumpet,” he says.

“Oh! Like the one with the three little nobs at the top?” Jett holds his hands up and pretends to play a trumpet. Gray looks positively murderous.

“Valves,” he says with gritted teeth.

“Fantastic. Well, keep up the good work, Gary.”

“It’s Gray,” he says.

“Right. Well, shall we get going, babe?” he says to me.

“Uh, yes, that’d be great…,” I say before looking back at Gray. “Take care, Gray. It was nice to see you.”

We turn and leave before he can say anything else.

JETT

As soon as we get in the car, Aria turns to me.

“Uh, what was ~that?~” she asks, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and shock.

“That’s a funny way to say thank you,” I say. “I saw him grab you. I thought embarrassing him was better than beating his face to a pulp.”

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “He didn’t mean anything by—”

“Why are you defending him?” I cut in.

“I—I…”

“Dated him,” I finish her sentence. Her eyes shift to me with a flash of anger.

“Yes.”

“And he’s a prick.”

“Also yes.”

“So, what’s the problem? You didn’t seem to mind in there,” I ask and immediately regret my words.

I see her jaw clench.

She leans forward. “I don’t need you or anyone else to ~save~ me, okay? I’ve managed just fine for twenty-nine years before you came along,” she hisses.

~Fuck. She’s even gorgeous when she’s pissed.~

“Yeah, I can see you picked some real winners in your day.”

~Shit, why can’t I keep my mouth shut?~

“Stop the car.”

“Aria, no.”

“~Stop the car!~”

David immediately pulls over, and Aria goes to leave.

“You can’t just get out on the street. You don’t even know where we are,” I say, trying to keep the fear out of my voice.

Aria looks out the window. “There’s a bar right there where I’ll wait for my Lyft. ~Do not~ follow me.” She pokes me in the chest and exits the car.

I watch her stomp up to the bar’s door and throw it open before disappearing inside.

~Fuck.~

***

I check the location of the PA cell phone every few minutes until it finally pings at Aria’s address an hour later. ~At least I know she’s home.~

I feel like a total asshole, but I’m also annoyed at Aria for allowing herself to be treated like shit by that guy. I know she has a fire in her, and I’m confused why she didn’t unleash it.

If I didn’t think she’d run away for good, I’d ruin her dipshit ex’s career and life with a single phone call.

Ever since she strolled into my office, my mind has been clouded with the pull of desire for more knowledge about Aria James. When I first saw her, I truly believed someone had accidentally gained access to my office and not that she was my new assistant.

Nothing about Aria James says PA. She’s too professional, seasoned, and experienced—plus she’s absolutely stunning.

I felt suspicious and guarded immediately. Considering I’ve had to fire PAs in the past for snooping through my stuff or selling info about me to the press, suspicion is not a good feeling to have about someone with access.

At first, I thought it might be best to get rid of her or get her to quit. But I can’t ignore her skills and her competence—things that seem to be difficult to find.

Unfortunately, I also can’t ignore how fucking gorgeous she is. And tonight, it was all I could do to keep my hands off her. If I knew where she got that dress, I’d buy ten so I could rip nine of them off of her.

I shake my head. I have to stop fantasizing about her.

I’m used to getting what I want. And most of the time, whatever or whoever it is doesn’t live up to my hopes, whether it’s a personal assistant or my ex-fiancée.

The weirdest part about being in the upper echelon is how much people ~lie~ to you. They carefully curate everything about themselves to fit what they think you want. And they don’t have the guts to tell you how they really think or feel.

Since Lena’s betrayal in breaking off our engagement, I’ve become especially cautious of everyone. So, it’s best for me to allow Aria to continue to do her job as long as she remains trustworthy.

But damn, I can’t get her curves out of my head. Maybe I just need a good fuck with someone else to clear my palate.

I haven’t been very active since Lena and I broke up. I’ve had plenty of opportunities, but I feel bored by every new prospect. They all feel the same to me—the same as Lena, the same as each other. And I’m looking for someone different.

Someone like Aria James.

~^~JETT ABRAMS SEEN GETTING COZY WITH MYSTERY WOMAN AT GALA^

~Billionaire and Alastair Holdings CEO Jett Abrams attended the Horizon Hope House Charity and Gala with a mystery woman on Saturday, nearly six months after his engagement to supermodel Lena Dixon ended. The beauty wore a stunning gold dress by Oscar de la Renta and accented her look with a high bun and a perfect smoky eye make-up look. Abrams looked happy and smiled at cameras as he and his date arrived together and left together.~

~“They seemed super cozy and happy the entire time,” one guest said. “They even kissed at one point.”~

~Abrams declined to comment, and his publicist has not responded to a request about his relationship status.~