Page 24

Jade

Bianca: A little birdie told me you tried on a wedding dress, and it wasn’t a Bianca original. Explain yourself.

Jade: Blame Maria.

Maria: Whoa. I don’t know how that tracks.

Allegra: Oh, I do! You took her to see Karoline who in turn made her try on a wedding dress. Ergo your fault, Maria.

Maria: No one asked you, Allie.

Allegra: No one asked me how my date night with Brady went last night either.

Jade: How’d it go?

Allegra: We made it through dinner this time, but right after, he insisted we pick Gina up from Dad’s.

Allegra: He checked the nanny cam every ten minutes during dinner.

Maria: That’s sweet.

Bianca: Sounds annoying.

Perla: Just jumping in here, but you have a nanny cam for Dad? Does he know?

Allegra: It was his idea actually. Apparently, he feels for Brady, having a daughter and all that.

Jade: Wow. Anyway, I’m with Maria on this one. It’s cute.

Allegra: Cute is Tipsy because she’s a dog and does the most adorable things. Cute is not forgetting to stare at my breasts that were spilling out of the top of my dress. Breasts he was once obsessed with.

Jade: He’s not anymore?

Allegra: No, he loves them. In fact, he likes to fuck them. A lot.

Maria: I think I’m going to be sick.

Perla: Hormones?

Maria: Sure, let’s go with that.

Bianca: All right, listen, Jade, when you get married, I’m making you a custom Bianca Morelli dress, okay?

Jade: You’re going to be disappointed.

Bianca: Why?

Jade: Because I’m not getting tied down.

Bianca: Ever?

Jade: Ever.

Maria: Your view on marriage is scary.

Bianca: Says the girl who hasn’t started planning her own wedding yet.

Maria: We’re waiting until after the baby is born.

Jade: This has been fun, but I have to split.

Allegra: Who the hell says that anymore?

Bianca: Jade.

Maria: Where are you, by the way? I walked to your office, and you’re not there.

Jade: Blame Red.

Bianca: You have a blaming problem. Is nothing your fault?

Jade: Not really, no.

Jade: I’m waiting for his chauffeur to pick me up and take me to some ridiculously expensive store so we can go shopping.

Bianca: I’m sorry. And you didn’t invite us? Rude.

Allegra: Call Knox if you want attention.

Bianca: Bite me, Allie. Jade, you’re so lucky.

Maria: It’s not Rodeo Drive.

Allegra: Oooh! Dom kisses that mouth?

Jade: Alistair just pulled up. I really have to go now. Bye.

I shoved my phone in my purse and walked to the back of the car.

Alistair promptly got out, startling me as he practically rushed to my side to open my door.

Naturally, his rushed walking was much more poised and sophisticated—you could describe walking as that, right?

—than if I were to do it. “You already have more manners than most of the men I’ve been out with,” I told him as I nodded and slid into the car.

Only, I tried to be as graceful as a swan, and it went all wrong.

I didn’t judge right and hit my head on the roof.

The back of my heel (Maria had insisted I start wearing the torture devices to work) got caught on the step, and it fell off my foot and onto the ground outside.

“How is it that you can’t get in a car?” Red asked, startling me and making me jump, so I basically flopped sideways onto the seat.

He looked like the ultimate businessman in a blue suit that brought out the color of his eyes. Damn him for always looking delicious.

I could come back from the head bump and the flop, right? Who was I kidding? Of course I could. I was Jade Logan. Probably didn’t mean much, but it sounded a lot cooler and a ton more inspirational in my head. Just go with it.

I cleared my throat and took my heel from Alistair, since he was holding it out for me. “Thank you, Alistair. I feel like a princess. You’re a special man.”

Red rubbed his forehead. “Oh, man,” he mumbled. “Alistair, we have an appointment. At this rate, we’re never going to make it.”

Alistair gave him a curt nod and closed the door.

I clacked my tongue on the roof of my mouth and swatted his arm. “Be nice to him. He works very hard.”

“How do you know that?”

“The way he opened the door for me and passed me my shoe?” I exhaled. “That’s a man who was raised right by his mother.” Some people might even call him husband material. Not me, but other people.

“Alistair was a foster kid. So, sorry to say this, but you’re wrong. What that is can only be attributed to a paycheck that’s nearly triple what you were making when you worked for me.”

I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it to one side and getting comfortable in my seat now that I had both shoes on and the pounding in my head had subsided. Speaking of. . . I gently rubbed my head. “Is it true what they say that if you don’t rub it, it’ll leave a bruise?”

He shook his head. “Don’t know. Your hair will cover it anyway.”

“Nice.” I rolled my eyes and brought my attention to Alistair. “Alistair, what do you say we bring you back a sandwich, hmm? What do you like?”

Red pinched the bridge of his nose. “He can get his own lunch.”

“Lunch is on Red today,” I further told Alistair. “Anything you want. Just name it.”

A grin crossed Alistair’s face, but it was gone seconds later. “Thank you, but the wife packs me lunch. Today is roast beef.”

I gushed, holding a hand to my chest. “Isn’t that sweet?” I swatted Red for the second time. “Isn’t that sweet?”

“I heard you the first time.” He gritted his teeth. “She seems like a nice woman.”

Wait a minute. “You don’t know her?” I screeched. “Shouldn’t you know her?”

“I’m a newer employee of Red’s, actually,” Alistair explained.

“Oh,” I replied simply.

“Great. Now that we have that all sorted out, maybe we should talk about this shopping expedition,” Red said, changing the subject as quickly as Alistair got us to the store.

I snored, dropping my head and closing my eyes like he was making me fall asleep, which he could have very well done. Was he serious that he wanted to talk about shopping? It was a store. What more did I need to know? “I’ve been shopping before, Red.”

He played with his hands in his lap, his fingers intertwined. “This is different. This is our first big outing as a couple, so we’ll have to pretend to be loving and doting.”

“Whisper sweet nothings in your ear, kiss you for no reason, and pretend not to notice when you watch my ass as I walk away. Got it.”

He heaved a sigh. “You better be kidding.”

“Lighten up, or you’re going to go prematurely gray, and while it’s hot on older men, it’s not on men your age.”

* * *

Walking up to the storefront, I recognized the logo on the building. They sold high-end brands and had advertised in the latest issue of Bellissima . I’d never entered a place like this because they were all the same—money hungry. They probably saw every customer the same—walking dollar signs.

“I don’t think—” My breath hitched in my throat when Red placed his hand in mine, clasping our fingers together. “What are you doing?” I asked, peering down at our locked hands.

“I told you we have to sell this, and couples in love hold hands.” To drive home his point, he grazed the pad of his thumb over the outside of my hand, the sensation causing my heart to race.

I gulped. It had been a while since I’d held hands with a man. It always seemed too emotional, too personal to me, and that was the last thing I wanted in a relationship. A good lay, sure. Some great memories, maybe. That was it, though.

I didn’t go for the man who was looking for his forever girl, so they could settle down, get married and make babies.

Yeah, not my thing. Point of reference: when Maria had told me about Dom’s brothers, I had been immediately drawn to Carmine because he was a one and done type of man, never slept with the same woman twice.

Commitment issues? You could say that. Right up my alley?

Definitely. Out of respect for Maria and not wanting to ruin our sistership (if that wasn’t a thing, then it was now), I’d never done anything with Carmine.

Red, however, was a forever man, just like Nate, which was exactly why I couldn’t get mixed up with this emotional stuff. I had to remain aloof. It was what was best for me at the end of the day.

It was bad enough I saw Red in a completely different light after we dry fucked like horny teenagers.

I mean, I never thought I’d do that with a grown-ass man as a grown-ass woman, but it’d happened, and I didn’t regret it.

In my mind, we had just been getting off.

He had been helping me ease an ache, and I had been helping him forgo using his hand again.

And maybe it had just been me, but the way he’d looked at me when I’d undone my bra seemed like he’d actually liked me. That was crazy to think, though, right?

I didn’t day drink often, but you’d think I did today with the insane shit that passed through my head. I mean, come on. I know, I know, I just heard myself and was going to let this go. It was what it was—fake. Done.

I shook our hands and scrunched my nose. “Your hands are calloused.”

“Yeah, well, yours are clammy. You don’t see me complaining.” I was about to respond when he opened the door. “First thing we need to invest in for you are bras,” he said, a coy grin on his face.

Jackass. “Stop staring at them, and you won’t have a big problem.” I winked, passing by him and swaying my hips. Now I hoped he was watching.

Immediately a man dressed in a simple suit with a balding head of dark hair and handlebar mustache came out from behind the cashier counter.

“Reddington Lyons, I’m the manager, Hank Malone, how are you doing?

” he asked, holding out a hand to him and completely bypassing me altogether.

Told you I hated these places. They could probably sniff out the billionaires from miles away.

Red’s lips remained narrow and his gaze serious, firm, but he held out his hand. “Hank, nice to meet you. It doesn’t matter how I’m doing. It only matters how she’s doing. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Hank nodded swiftly and swallowed. He appeared frightened by Red. Something I’d noticed was people either feared or worshipped people with money and power. In the case of Hank, he seemed to both fear and worship Red. “Of course. How are you doing today, Miss—”

“Logan,” Red supplied. I went to open my mouth, but Red only continued. “As I told you on the phone, Hank, we’re going to need your entire staff catering to her today. Whatever she wants, she gets. There is no budget, not when it comes to my fiancée.”

Even after he was done talking (read: exerting his influence), the title of fiancée boomed off the walls, practically causing an echo. It came out exactly as I knew Red intended it to—a warning. One that Hank would have been wise to heed.

“Understood,” Hank replied without any thought.

I placed a hand gently on Red’s arm and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. “Red, that’s really—”

He wouldn’t hear it, though, shooting me an intense glare. Usually I’d argue, but I knew that this was his potential investment on the line, so if he wanted to piss away his money on clothes for me, then fine, I’d let him.

Hank snapped his fingers and raised his voice. “Susan, Ursula, and Quinn, out here now, please.”

They all swarmed out of the back room, looking like mannequins wearing off-the-rack clothing from the shop. They were the ultimate walking billboard for this place, and I couldn’t say I didn’t think that was a solid approach to marketing.

“I love your skirt,” I told one of the women, not sure who was who.

She smiled. “Thank you. It’s actually a new in-stock item. Would you like to try it on in your size?”

“She would,” Red answered on my behalf, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “She’ll need lots of options, and I’ll want to see them all.”

Okay, was it just me, or was this bossy, commanding side of Red sexy?

“Please, have a seat. We have a very comfortable couch and ottoman, and I can get you some champagne. Would you like some champagne?” Hank asked, his tone coming out slightly tepid.

Red waved his hand in the air. “She’ll take some champagne. Forget I’m here.”

Even I could get used to this kind of attention.

* * *

Reddington

I could have died right now, just like this, with my only regret being that Jade wasn’t my girl in the way I wanted her to be.

But watching Jade come alive, her whole face lighting up, whenever she came out of the dressing room to show me the next thing?

There was no way to describe it, but as the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed.

Jade came out with one of the women, fixing the knot that was coming loose around the waist of the dress.

She was laughing, her mouth completely open and sincere, genuine laughter erupting from her.

Where was a video camera when you needed one?

Because I wanted to keep that sound forever and play it on repeat.

I loved the sound of Jade happy, laughing.

Knowing I had a part in making that happen was the greatest gift.

“What do you think?” Jade asked before doing something I never thought I’d see her do—spinning around and letting the fabric swish around her. “It’s a little poufy.”

I knew I’d said I’d pick out stuff for her and have a say in it, but she didn’t need that.

I wasn’t lying when I’d said I liked her style, that it made her who she was.

She didn’t need to wear luxury clothing brands to impress me.

She impressed me just by being herself. Once again, with the caveat that we were trying to impress Mark.

“How do you feel in it?” I asked, sitting back and waiting for her response.

She looked down and raked her teeth over her lower lip. Goddamn it, didn’t she know what that shit did to me? “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I like it.”

“Good. Then it’s yours.” A notification came through on my phone, and I brought my attention to it, watching out of the corner of my eye as she walked back to the dressing room, still playing with the fabric.