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“No. Why the fuck do you always think the worst of me?"

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because you wanted to fuck me to gain access to my family name. Now let me be clear, this is my project, using my personal resources, and neither you nor my father has any say in it. You can tell him I'll address his concerns at the meeting but the outcome won't change."

“You're making a mistake. Your father is prepared to protect the Whitney brand if necessary."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's reality. At least consider bringing this under Whitney International. It would solve a lot of problems while still giving you creative control."

I almost laughed at the very obvious manipulation. "Goodbye, Justin. I have work to do."

“You’re the same as always. A stubborn little girl trying to prove to Daddy that you can survive in our world. You can’t, Scotlyn. This partnership proves that. Think about what you're risking. Is this independence worth losing everything you've built?"

I didn't answer. Instead I ended the call.

Dad's tactics were predictable, sending Justin, knowing our history would add emotional pressure and piss me off. I was sure he assumed that would make me do something stupid or just give in. What wasn't predictable was how little effect it had on me. In the past, I might have reconsidered, found some compromise to keep the family peace.

Not this time. Fuck Justin and fuck my father if he couldn’t stay out of this.

“That’s definitely not a coincidence.”

I shook my head and sighed. “No, my father is very intentional. Justin and I have a past. Before I was married, he was someone my father tried to push me off on. He got smarter with my husband.”

Christian frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s something?”

“It’s really not.” I didn’t want to explain to Christian how I stupidly thought I was choosing love and ended up marrying a man no different than Justin. “I have to figure this out.”

“We will figure it out.”

“It’s not your problem, Christian.”

“Yes, actually it is, for a lot of reasons. No one knows I’m not legally tied to this project. But they do know my name is attached to it. That means its success is a reflection of my name as well as yours…”

He moved closer and dropped one of his hands to my waist and the other to my face. “But the most important reasonI consider this my problem is because you’re mine for the duration of this contract. That means you get all of me, my resources and my care. We will figure it out.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and my stomach flipped.

I smiled even though I was frustrated and I wanted to cry. It had been a long time since anyone offered to stand with me instead of trying to control me or put me in my place.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to make some calls then I’m going to make you dinner and you’re my focus for the rest of the night.”

I felt my body tremble with the thought of what that meant but he smiled smugly. “Not in the playroom, but don’t worry, I promise I got you.” He dropped another kiss to my forehead then walked away, leaving me with a throbbing pussy and feeling emotionally supported by a man for the first time in years.

sixteen

Christian.

I kept dinner simple. Scotlyn and I enjoyed our seafood and pasta salad at the island in the kitchen then moved to the living room while my staff cleaned up. I gave Scotlyn time to finish her wine before the rest of the night would be about me providing a temporary escape. She seemed a lot more relaxed but I could tell the situation with her father truly bothered her. I also did some digging to find a way to help her navigate the board meeting.

When I promised Scotlyn she had all of me and every resource available to me for the duration of our agreement, I meant exactly that. Even now, sitting here watching her smiling and laughing while she animatedly detailed the plans she had for the gated community she wanted to build lakeside and the outdoor shopping area that would complement it, I knew there wasn’t a damn person in the world who dared to steal her joy about this project.

Not even me. Originally, conceding and stepping out of the way was about me getting to spend a month with this beautiful woman, exploring her body, selfishly enjoying her sexy ass. But now I wanted her to have this.

The project was far more important to Scotlyn and seeing her pull it together was just as fucking rewarding. For the pastcouple days I had been trying extremely hard not to overanalyze the shift I felt because of Scotlyn but there was no denying she was the woman I’d envisioned I was getting in Aja—smart, driven, and uninhibited with her sexuality. The more I look back at my life, the more I realize Aja became who I wanted her to be long enough to secure my last name but she had no intention of truly being my equal or even my gotdamn wife for that matter.