KIMBERLY

this morning and afternoon completely warranted a nap.

I don't know how long I was out, but being awoken to my grumbling stomach was an indication that it was time for me to eat dinner. The only things in my system were Eggs Benedict and alcohol because I decided to skip lunch, fearing that my digestive system wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath of a panic attack.

I looked at my clock to see that it was only seven, so I got up from my bed and put my slippers on to make my way to the kitchen.

Right when I opened my bedroom door, my phone started ringing. For a second, I thought it was Ashton checking up on me again, considering that he spammed me with a million texts after either Lia or Aunt Lucy—most likely Aunt Lucy—told him what happened this afternoon. I texted him back with an 'I'm fine' before falling asleep.

So, I was not expecting to see my phone light up with another name.

Jace?

Shit, did Savannah tell him? I mean, I don't blame her. I practically tell Vivian everything, but I was hoping to keep this private from my future husband.

"Hello?" I started cautiously, still in disbelief over his call. We haven't spoken to each other since the night of the party. Was I missing something? Did we have something tonight?

"You finally pick up," Jace stated icily.

Jackass.

I checked my phone to see some truth to the jackass's words. I had about five missed calls from him in the last hour.

"I apologize," I retorted, anything but sorrow in my tone. I don't know why I was getting so worked up. He had the amazing talent to ignite something in me by only saying four measly words. "I was sleeping."

He stayed silent for a few seconds, further making me believe that Savannah must've said something. "I'm outside."

What?

"Outside of what?" I practically ran to the window, shocked to spot his Aston Martin from up here.

I imagined him pinching the bridge of his nose—like he always did when I said something that 'bothered' him, even though he practically was annoyed with everything I said—when he sighed. "Your fucking apartment, Kimberly."

It's nice to know we both got on each other's nerves.

"Why?"

"Did you eat?"

"No. Why are you outside of my apartment?"

"We're going to a restaurant."

"Why? We're not dating."

Another sigh and another image of him pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just fucking come downstairs." I contemplated hanging up, but was shocked by his next word. "Please."

"Give me ten minutes to get ready." I rushed back to my room—hanging up the phone—ignoring Vivian's curious gaze as she came out of her room.

Years of practice helped me achieve the ability to look pleasantly presentable in the blink of an eye. I immediately went for a red, satin corset top with studded straps. Once again, my cleavage left nothing to imagination.

I added a three-tiered diamond choker and a black leather miniskirt. For a second, I wondered if I was going to be overdressed for the restaurant, especially since I had no idea where we were going.

But, I immediately laughed at myself.

Since when the fuck did I care about being overdressed?

I was the type of girl to show up to the library in an evening gown. Not that I have, but I honestly would.

Thankfully, I was wise enough to straighten my hair after showering this morning, so there was nothing to do in that department besides brushing the knots I inevitably had from the nap. There wasn't enough time to do a full-face, so I opted for concealer for the horrendous eye bags, powder, bronzer, blush, a dramatic wing, and my signature red lip.

Grabbing my Louboutins, I headed out, calling out to Vivian, "I'm going out, babe. I'll be back soon." I would explain more, but the second I started spilling to Vivian, I went on and on for hours. I don't think Jace's patience had the ability to handle that.

The second I stepped out, I was greeted by the slightly chilly night air. It was mid-August, so the chill wasn't completely unbearable, and I didn't get cold easily. I had an excessive amount of body heat, much to everyone's dismay because I always made comments about how hot I was.

I didn't bother knocking on his window and slipped right in, startling him awake. "Jesus, woman."

It's not my fault. I wasn't expecting him to be asleep, but now that I was talking him in, I could see how tired his eyes were. Eyes that narrowed at my appearance. "What?"

"You woke up from a nap"—he stopped to look at his watch—"about twenty minutes ago and managed to turn into that?"

I don't know what he meant by 'that' but I didn't think too much of it. The idealistic part of me would keep believing that I was turning him on. I say idealistic, but I also mean unrealistic. "I've had practice."

"That's not something to be proud of," he replied, straightening up. "Are you sure you're okay?" Now, it was my turn to narrow my eyes at him.

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit."

I turned my head, not wanting to look at his stupid black dress shirt and his stupidly perfect face and his stupid big arms that could do stupid hot things to me anymore. "I said I'm fine. Can you just fucking drive already?"

"Once you actually believe those words, so will I."

Unable to resist, I faced him again, poison ready to come out of my mouth, but his hand went to the gear shift and I was instantly distracted by the veins that adorned them. All of a sudden, my conversation with Vivi played through my head and the urge to do what I said I wanted to do was strong.

Fucking calm yourself.

I needed to get laid or something. But, me being a fucking idiot, I put myself in a position where the only person I was allowed to fuck was the exact person I didn't want to fucking fuck.

Fuck.

♕♕♕

We stopped at an upscale Korean steakhouse, shocking me to my core. This happened to be one of my favorite restaurants, and I was not expecting Jace to know this piece of information. Vivian and I came here pretty often, so the people here knew us well.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the man who brought me here.

Wordlessly, he opened the door for me, helping me out. The hostess happily led us to my usual table and Jace immediately started ordering. Much to my surprise, he ordered everything that I usually got as well.

How the fuck did he know?

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he questioned, bothered by my scrutinizing gaze.

Deciding to make him sweat—as if it affected him—for a little bit longer, I just narrowed my eyes more before finally speaking. "Why are we here?"

"You like this restaurant, don't you?" That was not the interpretation of the question I was hoping he would answer, but my confusion increased tenfold.

"I meant 'what are we doing?' and you know that. But, while you bring it up, how did you know I liked it here? More importantly, how the fuck did you know my order?" I threw question after question at him, once again agitated by how unbothered he was.

Running his hand down his trimmed stubble, he took a second to process all my questions. I wanted to feel his beard somewhere else.

Shut up.

Despite my self-chastising, heat pooled at my core, causing an uncomfortable ache between my legs. His deep voice, cutting through my horny thoughts, did not help. At all. "Eating."

"What?"

"You asked what we're doing here."

Without missing a beat, red clouded my vision. I was going to murder this guy. He made me wait this long—made me horny with a simple swipe of his hand against his jaw—just for that pathetic answer.

"You fucking know what I mean, jackass."

"Someone's got a dirty mouth. You should get that checked."

"I'm sure you're very interested in my dirty mouth." I smirked, pleased at the way his Adam's apple bobbed and jaw tightened.

I leaned forward, my chest more exposed to him now. His eyes, as expected, shot down, drinking me in.

If I was going to be horny, so was he.

"Alex suggested that we have a few public outings before the wedding. You being you, paparazzi should be here by the time we're out. And, to answer your question, I asked Savannah where you liked eating and what you liked to eat," he finally admitted. "It's surprisingly very helpful to have an assistant who is obsessed with your fiancé."

I nodded at his splurge of information before processing what he said. "What do you mean 'you being you'?" He shot me a pointed look, leading me to roll my eyes. "Nevermind."

We slipped into a surprisingly comfortable silence as the meat was brought out to us. Before she left, the waiter turned the stove on, letting it heat up. Normally, Vivian took care of cooking the meat for us, but I could manage.

Shock was the theme for tonight, because Jace rolled up his sleeves—oh, fuck me—and put the beef on the stove. The sizzling of the thinly-sliced steak filled the silence between us. In a manner of seconds, the meat was done cooking and Jace served me first.

Be still, my heart.

Seeing my expression, he huffed, "You're not the only person who's had Korean barbecue."

"That's not why I was looking at you like that," I glared. God, this man didn't even let me admire him slightly for a second before saying something to piss me off.

Once again, we ate and cooked in silence, but the second the bulgogi hit my tongue, an involuntary moan slipped out.

Jace looked up to me with an eyebrow raised, desire clouding his dark hazel eyes. "Enjoying the food, Venus?"

"Yep," I started. He moved to pinch the bridge of his nose, able to assume what I would say next given my tone. "I love having meat in my mouth."

The distressed sigh he let out indicated that he guessed correctly, as much as he was wishing he didn't. "You are..."

"Charming, sexy, funny, charis-"

"Fucking infuriating."

"I should add that to my list." I smiled deviously.

Jace started studying my face a little too closely. "Are you sure you're okay?"

My chopsticks hit the table in irritation before I could realize that I let go. I didn't like how well he read me. I didn't like how he barely even knew me for that long and he was able to pinpoint my every reaction. I didn't like how I couldn't convince him or myself that I was fine when I was around him.

I didn't like a lot of fucking things when it came to Jace Kingston.

I shrugged, using my chopsticks to fiddle around with the food on the plate, not liking how the mood of the conversation suddenly shifted. "Why do you ask?"

There was no point in constantly saying I was 'fine' when I was around him because he would never believe me.

"Savannah told me what happened," he replied cautiously, scared to break me or something. "Do you want to call off the engagement? I can talk to Alex."

I hated it.

I hated how he was talking to me like everyone else does.

Like I'm something fragile that was going to explode in the blink of an eye.

Like I was weak.

He was the one person who didn't do that shit. As much as I loved Vivian, she had the tendency to treat me like a baby. Granted, there were moments when I completely acted like a child, but that's beside the point.

Jace fought back.

He fought back without worrying if he was going to say something to tick me off. It was refreshing to have someone who treated me like I wasn't a piece of glass, one hit away from shattering.

He fucking fought back. But now, he saw me the same way everyone else did.

Messed up.

Fragile.

Weak.

"I didn't take you for a quitter." My head shot up at his sudden admission.

What?

I voiced my thoughts aloud, waiting for him to respond.

"I asked if you wanted to call the engagement off and you didn't say shit," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I took that as a sign of defeat. Something I didn't expect from you. Kimberly Astor, the quitter. How fitting." He shrugged.

How fucking dare he?

For the millionth time that night, my eyes narrowed. "I don't quit. I was silent because entertaining that idea is fucking abysmal and not worth my time. And, to answer your other question, I'm fucking dandy."

"Good."

One word. One measly little word deepened the sneer I sent in his direction. God, he made me so hot with anger.

Not just anger.

Shut up!

The fighting match between my inner thoughts was cut off by a phone beeping. Jace took one look at the message and groaned. I pinched myself, hoping my mind wouldn't go down the path it normally does and asked, "What's going on?"

He looked at me curiously. "Work."

"What work?"

"Do you always ask this many questions in the span of an hour?"

"Yes. Now, answer them."

Sighing in defeat, he continued, "We recently obtained a company in Brazil. Up until now, we've been handling the acquisition from New York, but the board wants me to go down to Brazil to finalize the deal as the new official CEO."

I pursed my lips. "It doesn't sound too bad."

"It wouldn't be if I knew Portuguese or Brazilian work culture," he responded. "It's important that everyone understands me without getting pissed off if I fuck up. I don't need angry workers.

I thought about it for a quick second, before a lightbulb went off in my head. "Take Benicio with you. He's an administrative assistant at your company. If I remember correctly, he works in the finance department, but he was born and raised in Brazil, so he would be able to help."

Jace looked at me with an expression I could only describe as stupefaction. "How do you possibly know that?"

Oh shit. This was going to be awkward.

"Oh," I trailed off, searching for a reasonable excuse. "We just know each other well. I always run into him when I'm visiting Alex." That was the most pathetic excuse to ever exit my mouth, and—given his expression—Jace knew it too.

"How well?" His no-bullshit tone shooed away any thoughts of lying within me.

"In the biblical sense," I admitted, feeling embarrassed.

Jace's beautifully-sculpted jaw tightened at my admission, a look of distaste gracing his features. I was about to give him a well-seasoned lecture about never slut-shaming in my presence or anyone else when he spoke again, surprising me.

"Still?"

I scoffed. Of course he would doubt my commitment to the contract, even after what went down earlier. "No, I honor my agreements. Why? Are you jealous?"

"Depends," he started cooly. "How many times did he make you come?"

Now, I wasn't a prude. In fact, I tended to be on the other end of the spectrum. But, the way this man just slipped this into conversation astonished me.

Slipping back into bitch-mode, I snapped. "Why would I tell you?"

"Answer."

My panties were fully soaked at this point. "Three."

God, I need help.

I shouldn't be this turned on, but this man was intoxicating. He carried himself in a way that just oozed sex and confidence, but still aloof enough to make you think about the type of—for the lack of a better word—fucker he was.

Stop, Kimberly. Don't think about how dominant he has to be and how good he'd look on top of you with the cool metal of his chain grazing your nip-

"My flight leaves in two days," he interrupted my wet thoughts about him. "I'll be gone for about a week or less. Try not to miss me too much."

"Trust me," I stabbed the piece of steak a little too harshly. "It shouldn't be a problem."

♕♕♕

We barely spoke for the rest of dinner, only occasionally stealing glances at each other with glares on our faces. Well, my face was set in a steady glare while he remained stoic, as per usual.

As expected, when we got outside, the paparazzi were ready for us with their blinding lights. Falling into my normal routine, I walked towards Jace's car, feeling the warmth and weight of his large hand against the small of my back.

I couldn't slap him for his low hand placement in public—even though I internally didn't mind the warmth—and plastered my face with that infamous smile.

Like the end of dinner, the car journey was quiet, both of us only bidding each other farewell. Exhausted, I made my way up to our penthouse, collapsing on the couch.

"I think I need to go into hibernation," I announced.

"If you decide to do so, please go to your room." Vivian called out from the kitchen, before her steps started moving towards the living room. "I don't want to carry your hibernating body." She got herself settled onto her armchair, going on her phone. "Long night?"

"You don't even know the half of it," I groaned, tempted to smother myself with a pillow.

"I can guess," she replied, holding her phone out to me.

Another groan escaped my lips at the post that infiltrated my eyes. The devil worked hard, but the press worked harder.

Above a picture of Jace and I exiting the restaurant, looking like a million bucks, lay the most atrocious caption.

"NYC'S RESIDENT POWER COUPLE AND WE'RE HERE FOR IT!"

Kill me now.

***

fun fact: the 'i like meat in my mouth' is loosely based on real-life events.

i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!

the next one is part of the newly written version of this books, so i'm excited.

love, zia.