Chapter 25
Adeline probably guessed that Luther was with me, so she got flirty with him on the call in order to get him to spill. “Are you busy with work, or enjoying the company of a lovely lady somewhere, Mr. Stone?”
He grunted with a bright smile. “Take a guess.”
She responded, “Thought so… Come back soon. I’ll be right here.”
She pulled it off perfectly. Having just enough attitude to show that she cared without ruffling his feathers. I still had a lot to learn.
I caught the smile on Luther’s face. He was clearly enjoying Adeline’s little games.
That was how men were. After getting spoiled by a gentle woman, they started longing for someone wild.
It seemed that I had to stop being so nice and agreeable. A little attitude now and then was part of the charm to them.
He put down the phone and wrapped his arms around me. Even though I didn’t have feelings for him, watching him flirt with another woman right in front of me still got to me.
I pushed him away. “I’m a little tired. You should go back to your room.”
Luther cocked his head to one side and gently grabbed my shoulder before asking, “Are you upset?”
I shook my head and sat at the edge of the bed. “Nope.”
He raised my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. Then, he remarked, “Come on, Sapphire. Are you really getting jealous right now?”
Jealousy wasn’t even in the picture, but something just felt off. “You asked me to be exclusive, Mr. Stone. But…”
I trailed off mid–sentence, not knowing how to put it into words. “I’m just worried about my health. After all, you are out messing around-
Luther snickered. “Are you disgusted by me?”
I lowered my gaze. “I don’t mean it that way.”
He fired back, “Is that so? Are you saying that I’m hearing things?”
He didn’t like the silence. I felt his grip tighten between his fingers.
A jolt of pain came right away. I felt like he was going to break my jaw, so I pushed him away without even thinking.
Luther took a few steps back, and his expression darkened. I swallowed hard and muttered, “It hurts.”
I couldn’t handle the way he looked at me with those deep eyes, so I looked away. The air in the room felt suffocating, and the tension made my heart pound like crazy. My mind went blank.
He walked up to me and gently caressed my cheek. “Do you know what I like the most about you?”
Suddenly, I recalled what Adeline had told me. Luther only liked me because I looked like his first love. If that was true, it made me hate what we had
even more.
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Luther stated, “Because you knew how to behave.”
If I didn’t know the truth, I might have actually believed him.
Luther looked completely unfazed. Even though he lied and kept things from me, there wasn’t any trace of guilt in those eyes. That was when I knew I couldn’t trust a single word he said.
I asked, “Really? Is that the only reason?”
He refused to talk about it, “Yes.”
That was just great. I would sooner believe in ghosts than to trust a man’s words.
We didn’t leave the bed until it was close to 9:00 pm. After getting ready, we headed out for food. We hadn’t eaten and had used up a lot of energy, so our stomachs were growling hard.
Luther’s suitcase was in my room. So, when I stepped out of the shower, he was already dressed and waiting. I saw a cigarette butt still smoldering in the ashtray.
He gave me a once–over, then glanced at my white dress and remarked, “Grab a coat. The sea breeze in Hilstone gets chilly at night. I don’t want you catching a cold.”
Every time I thought he was cold and heartless, he would do something small that made me think he cared.
I threw on a coat and walked out after him.
A few other Northstrike Air executives were staying on this floor, but everyone kind of knew what was going on between us without saying it out loud.
I lagged behind on purpose, feeling worried that a coworker might see us. Luther noticed and looked over his shoulder, “Hurry up. Aren’t you hungry?” I whispered, “What if Mr. Blair, the manager, and the others see us? How about we go separately?”
