Chapter 6
Daniel
I saw Addison hesitate as she noticed Kiera enter the room behind me.
It was only for a moment before she put a smile, one that I knew was not genuine, and held out her hand again for me to shake.
I took it and firmly shook it, reluctant to let go as that same electricity flowed through my fingertips and the rest of my body.
There was no way she didn’t feel it too, that she didn’t feel it yesterday. Was that why there was a look of disappointment to see I had brought another woman with me today?
It wasn’t by choice. I was following the auction rules, which stated I had to spend an entire day with the woman who bid the most on me. Of course, that woman was Kiera. I was still trying to get back in the public’s good graces, so I had to play along.
Kiera was a stubborn one. I was not her boyfriend anymore, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t stop at any means to nudge her way into my life.
Even if it did cost her $200,000. It was an exorbitant amount of money, but I had no interest in entertaining her today, no matter how much she spent.
The auction rules didn’t state what we had to do, so she was at work with me for the day.
It almost felt like a bring your child to work kind of day, and my child was a stuck-up brat who ironically enough had called me “daddy” in the bedroom.
“Mr. Jacobs, please come in. Excuse my small office. I have to find another chair for your, er, guest.”
Addison quickly slid past Kiera and me and out into the hallway, leaving Kiera and me alone.
“What is this place, Daniel? I thought we were going to do something fun,” griped Kiera, shooting me a look.
“It’s a work day.” I shrugged. “Not all of us can live off divorce money and shop at Barney’s all day.”
Kiera rolled her eyes and leaned against the doorframe.
She looked ridiculous in a champagne slip dress and strappy heels.
Where did she think I was taking her on a Tuesday morning?
Then a thought came to me. She probably looked like this for the paparazzi who had been staking out my place since after last night’s auction.
They’d already taken several photos of us since—leaving my place, to getting coffee, to coming here.
While I didn’t want the public thinking Kiera and I were an item again, at least visiting a nonprofit would look good for me.
I ignored Kiera and took a look around Addison’s office, trying to find little things that would tell me more about her.
I didn’t have time though because I heard a grunt outside the door and glanced up to see Addison carrying a heavy armchair.
She set it down with a loud clunk and I couldn’t help but notice the little bit of cleavage that peeked through her blouse.
I wondered if they were real. If so, she was blessed.
I got my mind out of the gutter and walked toward her as she caught her breath.
“Here, let me,” I offered.
I grabbed the chair and lifted it with ease through the doorway of her office, setting it down across from her desk.
“Thank you,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Please, sit down.”
I sat down and watched as she walked to her seat, ignoring Kiera, who huffed beside me.
Addison wore a camel skirt. It was shorter than the one she wore yesterday, revealing her creamy thighs.
I imagined my hands sliding up them, feeling their smoothness, but then she slid behind her desk and my train of thought was broken.
Addison looked from me to Kiera, and I realized I hadn’t introduced the two of them.
“Addison, this is Kiera. Kiera, this is Addison.”
I decided to keep it simple because explaining that Kiera was my ex was not something I wanted to get into, and explaining the ridiculous notion of auctioning myself off was embarrassing. Kiera gave Addison a curt smile, which Addison took with grace.
“Very nice to meet you,” she said.
“I’m hoping you can tell me a little more about Leading to Learn and what you do here,” I said, leaning forward and placing my hands on the desk. I caught a whiff of her vanilla perfume again. Sweet, but also with a note of spice I hadn’t noticed yesterday.
“Of course. Well, as you know, we are a nonprofit. We were formed around five years ago after our founder traveled abroad on his honeymoon. While traveling, he had come across several regions that were underdeveloped, leading to a lack of education for the children who resided there. He wanted to give back, and that’s how we came about. ”
“Who would want to honeymoon in poor countries?” asked Kiera. “Sounds like a nightmare.”
Addison looked at Kiera, and I saw a small amount of disdain cross her face before she answered sweetly.
“Our founder is fond of giving back. They planned their honeymoon so there was a mix of pleasure and charity work.”
“That poor wife.”
“Actually, it was her idea,” said Addison.
Kiera let out a small laugh through her nose and inspected her nails.
“I like that idea,” I said to Addison, hoping she didn’t think I shared the same lack of values as Kiera. I was no saint, but I also was not a total asshole.
Addison gave me a smile and continued to tell me more about the nonprofit, and I did my best to concentrate.
The way her mouth moved was distracting.
Her lips were almost too pouty to fully close, and they were lacquered with a shiny gloss I wish I could taste.
Plus, there was that small mole above her lip that was sexy as hell. I wondered if she knew it.
“Would you like the tour now?” asked Addison.
I met her gaze and wondered if she knew my eyes had been wandering, and my thoughts had wandered even further.
“A tour?” huffed Kiera.
“That would be great,” I replied.
I wished Kiera would just stay in the office so I could have time alone with Addison.
That was why I had set up this whole meeting in the first place.
I heard the click-clack of Kiera’s heels behind me as I followed Addison around the building.
I watched as her hips swished back and forth in the leather skirt that hugged her like it loved the hell out of her.
I met a few people around the office and saw others’ curious expressions as we passed by. I didn’t blame them. Here was a billionaire CEO who probably looked like a drooling dog following their coworker, and behind him was a heavily Botoxed woman dressed as if she was going to a cocktail party.
We ended the tour back in Addison’s office, where she looked at me hopefully. I realized all I wanted to do was please her, in more ways than one.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked.
“I like it here. I think this could be a very good fit for me,” I said, a smile spreading across my lips. I hoped she caught my subtle innuendo.
I saw Addison’s cheeks turn a rosy pink. She did.
“Th-that’s great,” she stammered, shuffling some papers on her desk.
I had her flustered.
“I’ll meet with my financial advisor and draw up papers sometime this week,” I commented.
“Sure. Okay. Thank you so much. This is really going to benefit so many kids.”
Kiera made a sound that was full of disgust.
Addison and I looked at her, as if we had forgotten she was here.
“Oh, I just don’t like kids,” defended Kiera with a shrug.
“Well, we should be going,” I said, standing from my chair and eager to get out of there before Kiera embarrassed me further.
Addison stood and followed us to the door.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” she said.
“The pleasure was mine.”
I held her gaze for a moment too long, because Kiera cleared her throat loudly, breaking whatever spell we were under.
I followed Kiera down the hallway, the sound of click- clacking echoing as we went.
I turned to get another glance of Addison, but she was already closing her office door.
An unfamiliar feeling of disappointment washed over me. I didn’t like it.
Outside the office, Kiera had wiped off her sour expression and was all smiles at the familiar sounds of cameras flashing surrounding us.
I nodded solemnly at the paparazzi and made a beeline for my car where Armand waited.
He quickly opened the door and I slid inside. A few seconds later, Kiera joined me.
“Could we do something fun now?” she whined, crossing her arms like a pouting child.
“Like what?”
“Shopping and then lunch at the Ritz sounds nice,” she offered.
We spent the next couple of hours shopping at Bloomingdales.
Kiera dragged me to the fitting rooms with her as she tried on gowns, shoes, and jewelry.
We were offered a bottle of champagne, which made Kiera giddy, even though I knew it was just a tactic to get you to buy more when you were all boozed up.
“I think you’ll like this next one,” called out Kiera from the fitting room.
I took another miserable sip of champagne as I waited for her to come out.
She pushed the curtains open and strutted out in a red lacy set of lingerie.
She looked good. Too good. Her breasts were lifted high and I could make out the soft color of her nipples through the lace.
Her matching stockings were connected to the tiniest lace fabric, leaving very little to the imagination.
I felt myself getting aroused. I had to hand it to her, she knew how to work a man.
She did a turn and stumbled slightly, tipsy from the champagne. She plopped down in my lap.
“Let’s skip dinner and go to your place,” she whispered in my ear.
A part of me wanted to take her right here in the dressing room.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t done it before. But another part of me couldn’t get my mind off Addison.
I wondered what she would feel like on my lap, my hands against her skin, feeling the lace of lingerie hugging her in all the right places.
Kiera noticed my hesitation and pounced.
“Or you could follow me in that dressing room and I would give you the best blow job of your life,” she whispered before her teeth surrounded my earlobe and pulled lightly.
I swallowed hard before placing my hands on her hips and guiding her off me.
“We should probably get some food in you and get you home,” I said, trying to hide the reluctance in my voice.
It was rare I turned down sex. I was honestly questioning who I was in this moment, but my thoughts were somewhere else. With someone else.
Kiera stumbled backward and looked at me with a scrutinizing look before going back into the fitting room. But not before she called me an asshole.