Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) (11 page)

Okay…now I was a little jealous.

Her perfect body and cocky attitude got under
my skin. She had no problem breaking up marriages, and that made me
hate her a little bit even though I’d never met her. Unsure what I
was doing, I marched to Sean then wrapped my arms around his neck,
planting a hot kiss on his lips.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to show up. He
flinched slightly and then his eyes widened. His hands finally
moved to my waist and he kissed me back, one hand moving to the
back of my hair. His lips took their time caressing mine,
expressing his need for me. When the kiss ended, his hand moved to
my stomach like it usually did. “Well, this is a surprise.”

“I missed you.” I kept my hands around his
neck, making sure this dumb bitch knew he was mine.

“I missed you too.” A smirk formed on his
lips. His earlier angry disappeared in light of my presence. That’s
exactly what I was hoping for. “I promise I won’t leave the country
again until our bun is out of the oven.”

“Good. I’ll hold you to that.” I turned to
Cortland. “Had a fun trip?”

He shrugged. “It was alright. I wasn’t
exactly thrilled about leaving Monnique.”

“Well, you weren’t gone for long.”

“Dude, Sean snores like a walrus.”

Sean rolled his eyes. “I do not. Tell him,
baby.”

I wasn’t thinking about that. “You stayed in
the same room?”

“Yes,” Cortland said bitterly. “Didn’t get
any sleep.”

“I don’t snore,” Sean snapped.

“I know what I heard,” Cortland snapped
back.

I was still puzzled that they stayed in the
same room. It’s not like Sean doesn’t have the money to splurge on
two separate rooms.

Sean cleared his throat then turned to the
woman who wanted to sink her claws into his. “This is Aris, the
vice president of the company I’m working with.”

It took all my strength to be professional. I
extended my hand and shook hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She gave me a fake smile. “Indeed.”

Indeed? God, I hated the French.

“I’m glad you two were able to strike a
business deal together.”
And nothing more.

“I’m sure Mr. Preston will be a good business
partner. His clean reputation precedes him.”

Hell yeah, it does.

Sean turned to her and shook her hand. “I’ll
see you at the office tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? How long would he be working with
this infuriating woman?

“I look forward to it.” After pushing her
hair over her shoulder, she walked out, shaking her hips like she
was on the runway.

Mike was staring at her as she walked by.
“Um…who’s that?”

“You’re married,” I snapped.

“I’m perfectly aware of that,” he hissed. He
turned to Sean. “That’s the woman you bought the system from?”

“Yeah,” Sean answered.

“But she’s a woman,” Mike said.

“Obviously,” Sean snapped.

Mike looked over his shoulder and watched her
walk away. “Is it just me, or does she not look like the business
type?”

“No, she’s not,” Sean said darkly. “But I
couldn’t deny her product.”

Mike shook is head. “I’m glad I’m not in the
office right now. Cassandra would flip the hell out.”

“I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Sean said
with an attitude.

I let the jab go, too busy thinking about the
slut that wanted to steal my husband.

“Well, I’m tired,” Cortland said. “I’m
catching a cab and heading home.”

“Thanks for coming,” Sean said.

“Anytime, boss,” he said as he walked
away.

Mike stepped back. “I’m leaving too. I got a
pregnant wife at home.”

Sean sighed then grabbed my hand. “Ready to
head home?”

“Yeah.”

“Everything okay?” He noticed the tone in my
voice.

“Yeah,” I lied.

He didn’t press me and we went home.

The next day all I could think about was that
woman spending all day with Sean. She wore a perfect dress that
accentuated every curve and feature. Her hair was styled perfectly.
She laughed at every joke Sean made and rubbed her leg against his
under the table. She was constantly trying to seduce him, to make
him want her.

Ugh, it was driving me crazy.

What was wrong with me? I knew Sean would be
faithful to me no matter what happened. He was an ethical man, and
even if he weren’t in love with me anymore, he would still uphold
his vows. But he was madly in love with me. I knew I was the only
one in his thoughts.

But I couldn’t shake this feeling.

I usually looked past people’s flaws and
accepted them for who they were. I knew not everyone was innately
good. The world was filled with despicable people. My mother was a
good example of this. Usually, I could just let it go and move on.
But not this. I didn’t want Sean to be anywhere near this woman. I
had the unnatural need to claim him as mine, to tell her to step
off.

Without thinking, I grabbed my keys and
headed to his office. It was a little early for lunch, but maybe
he’d take an early break from that woman. Maybe I could stick
around and get some work done…

When I walked onto his floor, I looked
through the glass of his office and saw him talking to Aris. She
sat across from him, her legs crossed and her shoulders
straight.

Ugh. I wanted to knock her out.

I walked to his office and reached for the
door.

His assistant stood up. “Mrs. Preston, he’s
in a meeting.”

I didn’t give a shit. I opened it and walked
inside.

Sean flinched when he saw me. He couldn’t
process my appearance for a moment. After the shock passed, he
finally rose from his seat. “Baby—”

I sealed my lips against his, silencing him.
That whore got a great view.

Sean responded like he usually did, kissing
me back with gentle and loving caresses. Then he broke away, a huge
smile on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“Want to get lunch?”

He looked at his watch. “It’s only
eleven.”

“Oh. I must have lost track of time.”

He studied my face, still smiling. “I’ll be
done with Ms. Augustine in about an hour and then we can go.”

“Great.” I gave her a fake smile, my eyes
threatening her if she even thought about touching my husband.

She returned the look with a threatening one
of her own.

“You can wait in the lobby and I’ll join you
in a second,” Sean said.

“I think I’ll wait right here.” I walked to
the couch in the corner of his office then sat down, taking out my
computer.

Sean smiled while he watched me. After
staring at me for a moment, he adjusted his tie then sat down. “Now
where were we?”

“I want to see a prototype of the software
before I give you full access. I don’t want there to be a
possibility that someone could hack into it and steal it.”

“Of course,” he said.

They discussed the implementation of the
program, staying on topic the entire time. I listened to them while
I stared at my computer. I tried to pretend I was disinterested,
but I had my eye on that stupid whore.

“Well, shall we break for lunch?” she asked
in that stupid rich bitch accent.

“Yes. I’m going to take my wife out. I’ll
meet you in an hour.”

“Okay.” Judging the frown on her face, she
was disappointed she wasn’t invited.

Take that.

Sean came to me. “Hungry, baby?”

“Starving. But I’d rather eat you.”

He smirked. “I’m okay with that.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed
him, waiting for Aris to leave his office. When I finally heard the
door closed, I ended the embrace, watching her walk away through
the glass.

Sean smirked at me. “Someone’s jealous…”

My head whipped back to him. “What? No. I
just like her dress…”

“Uh huh.” He kept smiling at me. “I was
waiting for you to scratch her eyes out.”

“I’m not jealous!”

“Then why did you come to my office at
eleven?” he asked incredulously. “You know I don’t take lunch until
half past twelve.”

“I told you I lost track of time.”

“Uh huh.” He nodded his head slowly. “I’m
sure… And you always tell me when you’re coming. Interesting how
you just dropped by.”

“What? I don’t have to tell you when I’m
coming.”

“I never said you did. I’m just pointing out
that your behavior is not in the norm.”

I would deny it until my last breath. “I’m
not jealous. I just wanted to see you…”

“Admit it.” The look on his face told me he
was loving this. “You’ve never sat in on one of my meetings before.
You stayed just so you could keep an eye on her…make sure she knew
I was taken.”

“No…”

“Yes,” he said with a laugh. “Now admit it,
Scarlet.”

My cheeks started to redden. “Okay. I might
have been a little jealous. But just a little.”

Victory shined in his eyes. “That made my
day.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I just
don’t like her. Who the hell does she think she is?”

He shook his head slightly. “Scar, that stick
has nothing on you. Believe me, she does nothing for me. When she
told me she wanted to have an affair, my dick actually got
smaller.”

Now I felt a little better.

“So don’t be intimidated by her. She’s just a
brat who always gets her way.”

“Did she bother you in Paris?”

“No. But Cortland went with me everywhere. I
made it nearly impossible for her to try anything.”

Good.

He kept eyeing me. “I like it when you’re
jealous.”

He was never going to let this go. “I was
just a little jealous. That’s it.”

“It’s still hot. You went all alpha
there.”

“Well, you’re mine. If she thinks she’s going
to dig her nails into my husband’s back, she has another thing
coming.”

He laughed. “This is awesome.”

“It’s not funny.” I hit his arm
playfully.

“Yes, it is. Now I want more girls to hit on
me so you can claim me like that.”

“I don’t.”

He rested his hands on my hips and looked at
me fondly.

“So, what exactly happened with her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, how did this come about?”

“Um…” He rubbed his chin while he tried to
think. “Last week we met, and then the next time I saw her, she
kept asking personal questions about me. Then she told me she
wanted to have an affair and she would keep my secret. That’s about
it.”

“Did she touch you?”

“No.” His grin was wider than I’d ever seen
it.

“Did you tell her I was pregnant?”

“I tell everyone, Scar. Even when they don’t
ask.”

Good.

“Then she told me there would be no deal
unless I slept with her. That’s when I walked out.”

“Whore.”

He chuckled. “My baby is getting so mad.”

“Well, who’s okay with sleeping with married
men? It’s disgusting and wrong.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But that’s not
me.”

“I know.” I rested my head against his chest.
“I’m so lucky.”

He kissed my forehead then trailed his
fingers down my back. “You got that wrong, baby.”

“No. I really don’t.”

He kissed me again. “It’s impossible to cheat
on someone you love so much. I don’t care who shows interest in me.
When I walk the streets or go out, I only see you. Little Scarlets
are running around, making me wish I was home with you.”

I wasn’t sure what I did to get such a great
husband, but I wasn’t going to question it. Instead, I would
cherish it.

Chapter 8

Cortland

I picked up the phone and called my mom. My
heart was slamming in my chest, making my stomach lurch. I was
nervous to reveal my news. I wasn’t sure why. I knew my mom would
be happy.

“Hey, sweetie,” my mom said in her Minnesota
accent.

“Hey, Mom.”

“I haven’t talked to you in weeks. How’s it
going over there in the big apple?”

I smirked. My mom made everything sound funny
when she spoke like that. But I liked it. I was a bit of a mama’s
boy, not that I was ashamed of it. “It’s good.”

“And how’s work?” I heard the faucet in the
background. She was probably washing dishes.

“No complaints.”

“Why are you being so quiet? You usually talk
my ear off.”

“Well, there’s something I want to ask
you.”

“Do you need money?” she blurted.

I’d never asked for money in my life. I even
paid for my own education. “No.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“No,” I said quickly. “How about you just let
me finish?”

She sighed. “Fine.”

“Do you think you and Dad can come to New
York this weekend?”

“I can see if your dad can get off work,” my
mom said. “But why? What’s going on?”

I held my breath before I spoke. Every time I
said the following words, my heart convulsed in pleasure. “I’m
getting married.”

“Oh my god!” My mom yelled and then her voice
became muffled. I knew she dropped the phone. “My baby is getting
married.”

I sighed and waited for her to pick up the
phone and stop screaming.

She finally returned it to her ear. “I can’t
believe this. Why the sudden decision? Is Monnique pregnant?”

“No,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just in a
hurry. I should have married her months ago.”

“Awe, baby. I’m so happy for you.”

I knew she would be. “Thanks, Ma.”

“I’ll talk to your father. Don’t worry, we’ll
be there.”

“Good. It’s important to me.”

“Have you called your sister?”

“No,” I said. “I’ll do that now.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

I hung up then pulled up my sister’s number.
She and I weren’t very close. She was a few years older than me and
we never connected. After years of trying to force the
relationship, I gave up. But I did love her.