Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

little too forward. He couldn’t even remember the last time he held hands with a woman. Any woman. His previous dates were usually taking selfies or asking Edward to take their picture for their social media profiles. Catherine was so different from those women. She was real. Present. And the way her eyes lit up as she talked about her brother had him weak at the knees. Finally, he found a woman who cared deeply for others, more than herself. Catherine was a woman he could really connect with. He knew that he could talk to her about his past and she would try to understand. Maybe. He felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach as he realized she was mixed up in a ruse. If she found out he had been lying to her and trying to get her to fall in love with him, he was certain she would turn her back and he’d never see her again.

“I love the depth of the eyes in this one.” Catherine’s words brought Edward back to the room. He looked at the black and white portrait of an elephant on the wall.

“And this isn’t a photograph? It’s very realistic,” Edward said, rubbing his chin. Catherine sighed.

“Hyperrealism,” she said with a nod. “It’s so awe-inspiring isn’t it? If I was a millionaire; I’d buy this one in a heartbeat.”

Edward nodded, admiring Catherine’s thick dark hair and her rosebud lips. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He wanted to laugh. If only she knew the monthly cost of his security team was more than the ticket price on this art piece. They moved on.

Edward wrestled with his conscience as Catherine talked at length about the different pieces of art. He nodded along and hummed in feign interest, but her words were not reaching his brain. The whole time, he wanted to collapse to her feet, confess about the wretched deal and beg for her forgiveness.

“Do you like music?” Edward blurted out, as they returned to the entrance. Catherine’s dark brows shot up as she looked back at him with amusement. Then Edward broke out into nervous laughter.

“Right. You’re a singer. Of course, you like music,” he said, mostly to himself. He tapped his forehead and sighed. “My friend Sam, he is performing tomorrow night at his club. I’d love to take you,” he said. A bubble of anxiety rose in his chest as he anticipated her reply. Catherine looked furtively across the room and chewed her bottom lip. He wondered what it would feel like to caress that lip with his thumb.

“I don’t know,” she began shyly. Edward took both of her hands.

“I’ll send you the details and you can have a think about it. No pressure,” he said. He tried to sound casual but squeezed her hands a little too tightly to be convincing. Catherine kissed his cheek before she turned to leave.

“I’ll think about it. Thank you for this,” she held up her phone. “And for the flowers. I enjoyed spending time with you today.” She made to leave, and Edward’s heart sank. He automatically grabbed her arm and her eyes darted to him with alarm.

“Sorry,” he said quickly as he loosened his grip. “I really enjoyed spending time with you too,” he said lamely, letting go.

Smooth, Edward. You sound like a loser.

Catherine’s lashes fluttered. Small lines creased next to her eyes and her gorgeous lips curved upwards.

“Bye Edward.”

And then she left. Leaving him alone at the glass doors.

Edward watched her disappear down the street. He had a smile planted on his face and his stomach tightened. Then something caught his eye, a dark figure to his left. His eyes flitted to it and his throat constricted. The bright red hair looked like flames atop the narrow head and Edward’s hands balled into fists as he watched the man lick his lips, staring in the direction Catherine had walked.

“You,” he said curtly after he pushed through the door. The red-haired man’s dark eyes glinted at him.

“We need to talk.”

Edward sat across from Calvin in the busy coffee shop, holding his drink so tightly his hands were starting to sweat. Calvin had remained cool and even mannered as he reclined in the back of his chair, one skinny leg crossed over the other. His beady eyes stayed on Edward. Like a cat toying with its prey.

“Are you following Catherine?” Edward asked bluntly, getting straight to the point. From the moment he saw him outside the art gallery he was ready to pummel the creep into the sidewalk, he didn’t care what anyone thought. But Calvin suggested taking their conversation somewhere private. The coffee shop was hardly quiet. Edward imagined jumping up from his chair and flipping the table, hot drinks splashing over the bystanders as he threw punches into Calvin’s scrawny frame. That would still cause quite a scene. But at least their conversation would not be easily overheard. It took all of Edward’s restraint not to play out the scenarios in his head. His kind-natured brother, David appeared across his minds’ eye, like an angel on his shoulder.

“Hear him out, maybe this is all just a big mis-understanding. Then you’ll feel like a jerk, won’t you?”

Edward lowered his drink and dragged his sweaty palms across his jeans. Calvin did not answer his question, he merely took a long sip of his drink and blinked slowly.

“Well?” Edward pressed him. Calvin’s nostrils flared as he took a breath.

“Who do you think you are? Talking to me like this?” he asked in an eerily calm voice. “I was merely on my way to meet a friend.”

“A likely tale,” Edward said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Calvin inclined his head and dabbed his thin lips with a napkin.

“Tell me about you.” He laced his fingers and rested his elbows delicately on the table, his chin sitting carefully in his hands. “What are your intentions with my girlfriend?”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Edward corrected through gritted teeth. There was nothing he wanted more than to wipe that