Page 41 of Logan

I also need to admit I offended her. She might cancel the Wolfson dinner. I need to talk to her and smooth things over. I don’t have time to find another solution for dinner. Where the hell am I going to find a lovely American woman willing to pretend we’re dating and get to know her with only a day’s notice?

I’ll apologize, explain it’s not personal, and we can move on.

My phone rings, jolting me from my thoughts. I pull it out of my pocket and glance at the screen.

Georgina.

I reject the call and shove the phone back into my jacket.

Fuck. It’s like she can smell when I’m weak. There’s onlyone thing that woman wants, and I can’t deal with her right now.

I can’t believe I fell into her trap in the first place.

"What do you want, Georgina?" I stare at the document she handed me, my trembling fingers gripping the damning papers. “Where did you get this?”

She crosses her arms, her perfectly glossed lips curling into a sneer. “I devoted my time to you for a year. You were supposed to marry me, and in the end, you threw me to the dogs.”

I shake my head in disbelief, a harsh laugh escaping my throat. “Devoted time to me? When exactly? If there wasn’t a fancy party or something that served you, you weren’t even around.” My voice comes out strained, barely controlled, as I fight to keep my composure. “You didn’t even sleep with me more than once every few weeks, and even then, it felt like you were doing me a favor.”

Her eyes narrow, glittering with malice. “Maybe if you were better in bed, I would have wanted to.”

I ignore her jab, tossing the document onto the desk between us. “What do you want from me, Georgina? Why did you bring me this?”

She leans back in her chair, a smug smile playing on her lips. “I know your big secret, and now I have proof.” She taps a perfectly manicured nail against the papers.

"And what do you plan to do with it?" I ask through gritted teeth, my hands clenching into fists at my sides.

She shrugs. “That depends on you.”

I tilt my head, understanding clicking into place. Of course. “You wantmoney.”

"Pay me, and the document disappears," she confirms, her tone as sweet as poisoned honey.

I let out a harsh laugh, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “I trusted you. You went through my things, and now you’re threatening me? For money? That’s what you always wanted from me, right? Money.”

I lean forward, bracing my hands on the desk as I meet her gaze head-on. “Did you even love me? Did you ever love me at all?”

Her face twists into a mocking sneer, her eyes cold and empty. “Don’t be naïve, Logan. You know it’s impossible to love you. Did you really think anyone could fall in love with you? You’re not a nice person. You know that. You can’t be loved.” She leans in closer, her voice dropping to a vicious whisper. “Even your own mother couldn’t love you.”

Rage surges through me, white-hot and blinding. I take a step toward her, my fists clenched at my sides, my breath coming in short, harsh pants.

I stop, just short of grabbing her. She sees the fury in my eyes, the barely leashed violence, and her smile turns wicked.

"Yes, hit me. Finish what you started. Then I won’t even need the document to get what I deserve."

I shake myself out of the memory, blowing out a harsh breath as I run a hand over my face. I’ve never laid a hand on a woman, but goddamn, I came close in that moment. The closest I’ve ever been to losing control.

Maybe I should have just let her publish whatever she has, get her off my back once and for all.

I wanted a partner so badly, someone to love me, that I ignored all the problems. All the warning signs. I’m usuallyan expert at reading others but with her...I failed. I failed spectacularly, and now I’m paying the price.

“Are you alright, Sir?” The driver glances at me through the rearview mirror.

I fix him with a hard stare, my voice icy. “Don’t address me unless I’ve asked you to.”

He returns his eyes to the road, his shoulders tensing. Good. Just because he drives me a few times a year, does he think he has the right to pry into my personal affairs? Even Liam doesn’t know my secret, and he’s the closest person to me, so there’s no way in hell I’m sharing my problems with this driver.

More importantly, right now, how do I smooth things over with Sloane so she’ll come with me tomorrow and play her role?