A Billionaire Punishes (A Billionaire Invites - Remington - Part 2) Read Online Free Page A

seeing me while you’re officially engaged to Avery?”
    “I do.”
    I shook my head resolutely. “It’s impossible, Remington. I’m not some little tramp you can keep on the side. If we’re going to be together, I want you all the way.” I bit my lip. I couldn’t believe I’d just said that, but it was the way I felt.
    “I understand,” he said. “You’re right, of course. This situation isn’t fair to you.”
    “No, it isn’t. And what’s more, she just took over Hearts & Flowers and put Celeste in charge. Remington? She said she owns the business. Celeste even showed me the paperwork. Everything is in her name. Tell me it’s not true.”
    He heaved a deep sigh and I knew I was out of a job. The best position I’d ever had, and Celeste had taken it away from me.
    “She wasn’t really interested,” he explained. “She kept nagging me about giving her something to do, so I set up Hearts & Flowers, but by then she’d lost interest so I decided to run it myself, just to see if I could make something work that wasn’t part of the Carswell portfolio. As a challenge to myself, you know?”
    “But why didn’t you put it in your name?”
    “I tried to, but Avery always found some excuse not to sign the papers. I don’t think she did it on purpose. That’s just the way she is. She’s a total scatterbrain. I bet this time tomorrow she’ll have forgotten all about Hearts & Flowers and the wedding.”
    “Somehow I doubt it.”
    “Celeste must have found out about the ownership structure, and talked Avery into letting her run with it. That woman…”
    For once, I didn’t agree. Celeste was a grade-A bitch, no doubt about it. But all this would never have happened if Remington hadn’t made himself—and me—vulnerable. He’d practically handed her the business on a silver platter.
    “Let’s talk about this when I get back,” he suggested.
    Even though I knew he couldn’t see me, I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. If Remington really cared about me, he would never have thrown me to the wolves like this. He would have made sure I was going to be all right.
    “No, Remington,” I said, my voice choking. “I don’t think we will.”
    “What are you saying?” he said in that soft voice of his.
    “I’m saying… Let’s just… forget about this…”
    “Forget about what? Erin?”
    “I love you, Remington, but…”
    He was silent, so I finally choked out, “Just forget about me.”
    And I disconnected.

5

    “What the hell were you thinking?”
    The remark was probably justified, even coming from Tamara. She was helping me pack up my stuff in my small studio apartment for the move back to my parents’ house.
    “I was thinking that I don’t want to be someone’s mistress,” I said.
    “But he explained all that! He doesn’t want to be with this airhead.”
    “As long as the airhead’s father is alive, he’ll stay engaged. And besides. Listening to Avery, I got the impression she really wants this wedding to go through, whether Remington agrees with her or not.”
    “He’ll never go through with it. He loves you,” said Tamara, stuffing another donut into her face as she watched me pack. It was her interpretation of helping me.
    “He’s only said it once, and I’m pretty sure that was by accident,” I said stubbornly.
    “He loves you,” repeated Tamara.
    “Besides. He hasn’t been truthful. He didn’t tell me he was engaged, and when he put me in charge of Hearts & Flowers, he conveniently forgot to mention I was actually going to be working for his fiancée! I mean, how much more duplicitous can you be?”
    “Remington may be duplicitous, but he’s got a fine ass on him,” said Tamara, as if that was actually an argument in his favor.
    “He’s a douche bag,” I said. “He’s a liar and a cheat and he’s taken advantage of me. Better to forget the whole affair. Wipe it clean from my mind.”
    “Good luck with that,” she scoffed, wiping powdered