How (Not) To Be Seduced By Billionaires (Books 1-3)(12)

     



 

Should he have stopped her? Did I have the right to care? I hated how I  constantly thought about these questions and hated the fact even more  that I didn't know the answers to them.

Allan, a guy from Production, actually wolf-whistled when I walked past him. "Looking good, Yanna," he said, leering.

I stuck out my tongue, wishing I hadn't been reared in a conservative  ladies' academy so I could flash him the finger  –  especially when his  exceptionally loud voice had everyone turning toward me.

Drake was there, too, and I slowed down when he turned to me with a  smile. "You look beautiful, Yanna." Again, his eyes made no secret of  his admiration.

Again, it had me blushing. "Umm, thanks."

"Hot date tonight?"

I quickly shook my head. "Oh, no. Just a night out with friends." I  tried to think of something else to say but the way Drake kept staring  made me want to hide under a rock. "Umm, I have to go."

Eyes twinkling as if he knew  –  and enjoyed seeing  –  how uneasy I felt,  Drake stepped aside with a polite smile. "Have fun later."

"Uhh, yes, thanks." God, I was so socially awkward. I wish I could think of something wittier  –  nicer  –  to say to Drake.

Head down, still mulling over my social ineptitude, a pair of expensive  handmade men's shoes suddenly blocked my path. My heart galloped, my  nerves prickling in awareness because I knew who it was even before I  lifted my gaze and met Constantijin's blazing golden eyes.

He was furious  –  and jealous.

My heart sang, but I quickly nipped that in the bud, telling myself it didn't mean anything. "Good morning, sir."

"Do you have a date tonight?"

This time, I totally lied. "Yes."

Before he could answer, I walked past him, heart beating even faster.  When I got to my office, George took one look at my outfit and grinned.  "Va-va-voom, baby!"

Arian just stuck up her nose.

Yeah, well, what-e-ver.

I grinned back at George as I went to my cubicle. "Alyx and I have a  bridal shower to attend tonight." Then I giggled. "Or bachelorette party  rather. Since I have a feeling it's not going to be a wholesome  affair."

"Ooooh. You'll have strippers?"

"Yeah, probably."

Voice lowering, George whispered, "Won't Mr. Kastein have something to say about that?"

I slowly shook my head. "It's not his business."

Lunch time, I actually managed to remember to leave at exactly noon.  George and I walked inside the cafeteria arm in arm, which was a good  thing since I almost lost my balance when I saw Constantijin with Arian  –   again. My chest squeezed painfully when she actually took the seat next  to him.

WTF?

"Gold-digger," George muttered.

"No." I had to say it. Even if I believed the same. I just had to say  no. I had never liked talking about other people behind their backs.  "She's just - I guess - she just likes him a lot."

George rolled his eyes. "I hope he's not stupid enough to fall for her."

I shook my head. Even I didn't think that. But still  –  what if he had sex with her? Would I be able to bear that?

An urge to cry hit me unexpectedly, and I had to look down, blinking  rapidly to keep the tears from falling. It seemed so incredibly long ago  since the last time I was in Constantijin's arms. Did he not like me  anymore? I had heard about men blowing hot and cold. I understood it in  theory, but the reality was so much harder than I expected.

"I'll bet you a hundred dollars he's into you, though."

I smiled humorlessly at George's attempt to comfort me. "You're on."

George's phone suddenly rang and he excused himself, leaving me all  alone in my booth. I felt like a loser with a capital L and wondered if  Arian and Constantijin were glancing my way. What if they were laughing  at me?

The thought hurt, but I was the type to confront my fears head on so I forced myself to look up.

Constantijin was staring at me.

He shouldn't have been  –  not with Arian talking so animatedly next to  him  –  but he was, and I couldn't understand the dark emotions in his  eyes. His lips were compressed in a tight line, as if he was holding his  anger in check. Was he actually mad at me?

Arian abruptly stopped speaking as her eyes bore through mine. I forced  myself to look away. I felt the burning sensation of being glared at  from my right, where Arian and Constantijin were.

I gulped. Oh, man! Arian as a frenemy was bad enough, but as an all out enemy? That was going to be hell.

"Thank God you're back," I exclaimed when George returned to our table. I  stood up and dragged him with me before he could take a seat. "We have  to go, it's an emergency."         

     



 

"But I didn't finish my lunch yet---" he protested.

"Emergency," I gritted out.

With a sigh, he let me drag him out of the cafeteria. We passed by  Arian's table as we did, and she was all alone, Constantijin nowhere to  be found.

She smiled. It was a scary sight, and I had to force myself not to run  from it. "Hurry," I hissed at George. Honestly, I felt like that  black-haired ghost from Ringu was after me.

But just like that ghost, Arian was impossible to escape.

When we got to our office, Arian was at our heels. I jumped at the sound  of the door slamming shut, feeling like I was suddenly trapped in a  cage with a killer shark named Arian.

"Hi Yanna, George," Arian cooed with another smile.

I smiled weakly. George didn't. He was the blunt but polite type and had  never bothered to pretend interest in befriending Arian.

"Could I talk to Arian privately?" she asked George sweetly.

George didn't even hesitate. "No."

Arian was obviously taken back but she rebounded quickly with a sharp retort. "You're not her keeper, you know?"

"Actually, I consider myself that," George returned coolly.

I was looking at them back and forth. Was I about to have a bitch fight  in my hands? Clearing my throat, I said, "Arian, really, there's no need  for secrets. Whatever it is you want to say---"

"Fine," she said cuttingly. "Let's not beat around the bush then. I know you've got the hots for Constantijin."

"No!" George and I immediately rejected.

"Stop lying, Yanna."

Oh. So she was talking to me. Drat.

Her eyes hardened. "I want to let you know that I only applied to this  company because I wanted to be close to him. I've got first dibs on  Constantijin and I don't like it if someone else has an eye on my man."

"Beg to differ," George interrupted, "but he's not your man yet."

"He will be." Arian smiled at me again.

I did my best not to shiver. It was a really scary sight, like a shark in Prada getting ready to make a meal out of me.

"You and I won't have any trouble as long as you don't mess with my plans." She looked at me, clearly waiting for an answer.

I knew I should have said ;no' because George was right. Whatever she  felt about the situation, Constantijin wasn't hers yet. But see, I also  had this weird conscience  –  one that never let me lie outright. Right  now, I couldn't make myself say yes or no to Arian so when I answered,  all I could say was, "I'll try my best."

George and I gazed at Arian as she sashayed back to her cubicle, hips swaying as if there were still men for her to dazzle.

George turned to me with a frown, asking, "Why did you give in?"

I shrugged.

"You should have fought for him," he grumbled.

I didn't answer, mostly because I couldn't bear admitting to him I didn't have a right to fight for Constantijin.

Constantijin didn't try to call or waylay me during or after work, which  I told myself was a good thing. The bridal shower was fun and debauched   –  exactly as I had expected. When the strippers actually started, well,  stripping, I knew I had to excuse myself. If I had to see a naked cock  for the first time, I'd rather it be Constantijin's.

This was the uppermost thought in my mind when I left the hotel suite,  so imagine my surprise when I came out and saw Constantijin across the  hall, walking towards my way with a thunderous scowl on his gorgeous  face.

He was mad as hell.

He was hot as hell, too.

"Who the fuck are you with in that room?" he snarled, his long-legged  strides eating the distance between us in his seconds, his fingers  wrapping around my left wrist in a punishing grip.

"Wh-how-I … " I looked at him in consternation.

"Answer me," he roared at the same time one of the strippers inside yelled, "I'm getting naked, baby!"

Okay, that sounded very bad.

Constantijin paled.

I was white-faced, too. All half-baked thoughts of making him jealous,  of getting even with him for letting Arian flirt with him  –  all of those  left me at the look of betrayal on Constantijin's face.

"I lied. I don't have a date. I'm attending a bridal shower," I  confessed shakily, saying the words in a rush because I had a feeling if  I didn't get them out in time he would leave me forever.