Page 28 of A Billion Dollar Romance

“I didn’t know you had a sense of humor, Samantha,” quipped Charlie. The agent gave him a cold look. “Ghost. Revitalize, likevita, you know, life…”

“Yes, Charlie, we all took Latin,” she said, sounding bored.

“They’re always like this,” James said as Charlie and Sam bickered. He sighed. Presumably he’d taken Latin, too. Sure, he’d made money as an author, but as I watched the three of them together, I realized he’d probably always been rich. After all, he’dinheritedthis company. “This has been lovely,” he said after a moment.Were they…?I couldn’t tell. “But it’s time for Edie and I to go. Charlie, get out. Samantha, a pleasure as always, and,” he tilted his head, his mouth flattening. “And I’ll send the contact information for the ghostwriter.”

“Of course you will. You know, James,” she said, ignoring him, her eyes fixed on me. “If you’re using a ghostwriter anyway, you should just have Edie write the book. Marketing would love that. New bride of CEO releases romance novel?”

“Edie doesn’t write romance,” he growled. “Now please–”

She shrugged. “Just a suggestion, of course. I’m not the CEO, just an agent.” She turned to me. “Lovely to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be in touch.”

Sure, okay,I thought, dazedly.Sam Scott said she’d be in touch.

“Let me walk you down,” said Charlie, holding out an arm for her with a slight bow of the head, but she brushed past him toward the door.

“No, thank you.”

Charlie turned and winked at me. “See you Saturday, Edie. Nice tofinallymeet you.”

Then he, too, was gone, hurrying after Samantha as the door fell closed behind them.

James exhaled a long breath.

“They seem nice,” I said weakly, as he sank down into his chair. He huffed out a laugh. “Your brother does, at least. Samantha is… intimidating.”

He just looked at me, the corner of his mouth curving into a nearly-imperceptible smirk, and leaned back in his chair.

“Office hours, hmm?”

“Excuse me?” I said, clasping my hands together. My pulse pounded in my wrists. He was only looking at me, but it felt like he was possessing me, was undressing me with his gaze alone, peeling off my plain navy shift dress and cardigan and leaving me bare in his office.

It was the same way I’d felt in his office when I scraped together the courage to visit him in his visiting professor’s office on campus.

A half-finished manuscript sat on his desk between us now, as it had then.

“Nothing.” He shook his head, and his smirk softened into a smile. “Let’s get lunch.”

“Right,” I said, able to breathe again.

CHAPTER15

James

“How was this morning?”I asked, over sandwiches and bags of chips. Edie had chosen the place–a little sandwich shop I’d never been to–and insisted we eat in the park. Was it because she worried about running into coworkers? Did she just love parks?

“It was fine,” she said. “It’s this afternoon I’ll need to worry about, after everyone’s spent all lunch break gossiping.”

I grimaced. She was probably right.

“And… I don’t know what to tell people. Who knows how much, that kind of thing.”

“Bridget knows, and Lyle,” I said.

“That’s it?” she asked, looking at her sandwich.

“Of course,” I said. “I signed the same NDA you did, Edie.”

“Right,” she said. She plucked at a piece of lettuce for a moment before she continued. “Charlie doesn’t know?”