Not Husband Material (Billionaire's Contract Duet 1)

Her smile was like poison, and she knew it.

It was Olivia, my ex.

“Such a surprise to see you like this, Chase,” she purred as she took a seat and crossed her legs, perching her chin on her hands and peering at me with lidded eyes. “Look at you, a married man.”

“More than a surprise to see you here too, Olivia,” I replied in a tone that restrained my anger. Mom caught my eye from a few chairs down, and I arched an eyebrow at her.

“Oh, Chase,” she called, “I thought Olivia and her family might like to join in too. It’s been ages since you’ve seen each other.”

“Much too long,” Olivia added with a sickly smile. Her eyes darted to a bewildered Haley. “Hello, darling, I’m Olivia Wilder, Chase’s ex. I’m sure he hasn’t mentioned me.”

Haley stared like a deer in the headlights, and Olivia smirked back at me.

“She’s quite the charmer, isn’t she?”

“What are you doing here, Olivia?”

“Just saying hello and congratulations,” she lied. “I never knew you were one for such a sudden commitment.”

I glared daggers at her as I dug into my steak and ate, but she wasn’t about to be deterred so easily. She leaned in with a sweet smile and spoke in a lower tone.

“Being a married man looks oddly good on you, you know. When this little farce of yours is over-” She wagged a finger between me and Haley. “-you should give me a call. Believe it or not, you’ve been on my mind a lot lately. The good parts of our time together keeps me warm on those long, lonely business trips.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied tersely, and Haley took a l

ong drink of her red wine. Olivia and I had a brief but very fierce relationship. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t sincere at the time, and the sex was good, but there was nothing about our personalities that meshed, once we got through that, and it ended in an ugly breakup that was all the messier because of how powerful her family was.

I also got the impression Mom wanted us together, which I suspect was why she invited her here.

“Really?” she purred. “A sudden marriage that makes a big buyout oh-so-much easier with a college sweetheart you were already horny for? No word of it to your family? Carrying on business as usual without a honeymoon? You really think anyone is fooled by any of that? I can smell a marriage of convenience from a mile away, Chase darling.”

“All I hear is a jealous ex throwing a tantrum,” I retorted casually before taking a vicious bite of steak. Her mouth curved into a smile.

“Oh, me? Never. It’s a smart move with benefits. You know how much I like that kind of decisiveness in a man.” I felt her foot touch my leg under the table meaningfully, and I drew my leg back, hardening my gaze.

Haley was blushing and hadn’t said anything so far. This was a blow below the belt. If she tried to snap back, it would be easy for Olivia to draw her into an ugly scene that would humiliate her in front of everyone.

I took the chance to step up.

“Haley, it’s too noisy in here,” I told her, smiling down at her and making sure my eyes were obviously roving up and down her body, drinking her in. “Why don’t we take a break somewhere more private? I don’t like being so close to you without getting a chance to talk.”

She gave a shy smile and nodded, and I helped her up and turned my back on Olivia without a second glance.

I could feel the daggers of her glare in my back.

“Oh my God, what was that? That is your ex? Jesus,” Haley gasped as we stepped into the hallway, and I led her briskly by the arm. I’d been here once before, and I knew a place where we could have some privacy. We headed upstairs, and I opened the door to a small private dining area that was empty. “She’s tall and blonde and statuesque and oh my God that perfume, I-”

“Shut up,” I ordered her, slamming the door behind us and silencing her with a deep, fierce kiss.

She gasped into it as I backed her up and pinned her to the wall, invading her mouth with my tongue.

“What are you—” she tried to say when the kiss finally broke, but I was not giving her any wiggle room. My hands groped her breasts through the luxurious dress, and I pushed my cock to her stomach to let her feel how hard she was making me.

“I don’t think she’s jealous enough yet,” I growled into her ear. “And I’ve wanted to fuck you raw in this dress since I first saw you put it on.”

“Wait, wait,” she stopped me, putting her hands on my arms and looking at me seriously. I froze, glowering down at her, listening. “I...I feel like I’m intruding on a lot of personal history I don’t have a part of. I know this is just a business deal, what we have, I don’t want you to ruin something else just because of me.”

“But you admit it bothers you,” I pointed out with a cocky smile, and she blushed. “It bothers me, too. And I want to make tonight about you. And right now, I want this.” I grabbed her breasts and squeezed, pressing into her harder. “Do you?”