Page 126 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

I turn and walk through the doors of the V her cheeks are a bright shade of red. And the room is not warm, by any stretch of imagination.

“When did you last eat?”

“None of your business.” She sips from the champagne. “These bubbles are good; you should try them.”

A-n-d I know a diversion when I hear it.

“You look hungry, and it’s going to be a long evening. Best you shore up on the canapes. Not that they’re substantial, by any means, but if that’s all the sustenance we’re getting this evening, might as well eat a few.”

“I’m fine.” She tosses back the rest of the champagne, then flags down another waiter, and hands off her empty glass to him before snatching up another flute. “See? A liquid diet works just as well for me.”

“Ah…” I lower my chin. “Is that why you’re not eating? Because you’re worried about putting on weight?”

“Honestly, can you yell it out any louder?” She shoots a sideways glance at the first waiter holding the starters, who’s still hovering in our line of sight.

I nod at the waiter to follow us, then guide her over to one of the cocktail tables at the side. I place my champagne on the table, then take the tray of canapes from the waiter and slide that onto the table as well. I tip the man and send him on his way.

“What are you doing?” she hisses at me.

“We’re tucked away in a corner of the room. There’s no one watching us, and you can eat without being self-conscious,” I murmur.

She squeezes her eyes shut. "Am I that obvious?”

“No, but you need to eat.”

She cracks open her eyelids. “Why are you concerned about feeding me?”

“I need you focused for this evening, which you can’t be if you’re hungry.”

“I’m really not hungry,” she snaps.

“Now you’re getting hangry.”

“I’m not—“ Her stomach rumbles, and I incline my head.

“You were saying?”

She glances down at the tray of food, then toys with her champagne glass.

“I... I can’t be seen eating in front of everyone.

What if someone takes a photo? The next thing you know, my picture will be up on someone’s social media feed— stuffing my face.

Imagine how that’ll look? ‘A fat girl feeding her fat face.’” She hunches her shoulders.

“Firstly, you’re not fat.”

“My scale says otherwise.”

“Your scale is lying.”

“Like you always speak the truth?” she scoffs.

“Not something anyone can accuse me of, but in this case, I am. You’re gorgeous, earthy, and the most stunning woman in this room today. Everyone else would die for your curves. Everyone else here is jealous of your—”

“Large thighs?”

“Your shapely thighs which are exactly the right size for you to wrap about my neck when I lick your pussy from arsehole to clit.”

She gapes at me, “You’re crude, you—"

I slide the canape between her lips.

She closes her mouth, chews, then swallows.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I hold up another canape. When she hesitates, I glare at her. “No one’s going to take a photo of you, and if they do, I’ll track them down, teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget, and have the photo taken down.”

She peers up at me from under her eyelashes. “You mean it, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. In fact—” I move around and plant my body between her and the rest of the room. “There. Now you’re hidden from the sight of everyone else.”

She half-smiles. “Thanks.” She lets me feed her the second canape, and a third. By the fifth one, she’s shaking her head. “I’ve had enough.”

“One more.” I hold up another of the tiny starters.

She leans forward and bites off the grilled cheese at the end of the canape stick. She munches on the cheese, swallows, then licks her lips. “I really am full now.”

“Good.” I circle her wrist with my fingers, then tug her back to the center of the room. “Now, where were we?” I kiss the top of her forehead. She tries to pull away, but I don’t release her.

"If you do that, people are going to speculate we’re together.”

"Exactly.”

She stills. “And for a second, I thought you were being nice.”

“Because I made you comfortable enough to eat? That was me, looking out for my interests. Can’t have you fainting on me, can I? I was merely ensuring I get what I want from you this evening, is all.”

“Right.” Her face falls. The light goes out of her eyes, and something in my chest shrivels.

Whoa, hold on, why does it matter that I hurt her?

That’s why you reconnected with her, after all?

To make her suffer the way you did because of her?

So why does her getting upset make me feel like a worm of the lowest order?

"This is why you wanted me along?” She tips up her chin. “To leverage my family’s reputation for your benefit?"

I pull her even closer into my side. "You owe me."