Chapter Three: Star

"Star, wait!"

My feet ache from how briskly I'm walking. The Ward mansion is so big, it takes me a great deal of time to walk down the driveway. Behind me, Neal's shoes hit the ground as he marches after me.

"I said wait!" he grunts, finally grabbing my arm and swinging me around. His face is red from the cold.

"Let me go," I whisper. My voice sounds as dead as I feel.

"Dinner isn't over. It's rude for you to just leave like that."

I let out an incredulous laugh, "Your mom and her friends talked down to me to my face and you're worried about manners?"

His shoulders deflate as he sighs, "I'm sorry she said those things to you..."

"You didn't defend me," I point out, "Not once. And you didn't introduce me right. I'm your girlfriend as well as your secretary."

The looks he gives me is indecipherable and I get fed up. I wrestle to get out of his grip but before I can wrench away from him, he pulls me into his arms for an embrace.

I don't want to give in–I really don't. But his warmth is too inviting to resist.

"Let's go to my place," he whispers into my hair.

Neal's penthouse apartment is located in Central London and it's my first time being there. Like everything about him, it reflects wealth and luxury.

"I've never been inside a penthouse before," I gasp, looking around, "It's beautiful."

Then I remember the events of the night and my mood darkens. I cross my arms and stand a good step away from him.

"I'm still mad at you," I pout, watching him putter around.

He pours out drinks and hands me a glass, sighing, "I don't know what else to tell you, Star."

"Tell me you love me."

My words echo between us, creating a tension that nearly suffocates me. In one stride, Neal closes the distance between us and I gasp when he slides an arm around my waist.

His brown eyes are vivid, burning with emotion.

He stares at me for a brief moment before dipping his head down to claim my lips.

His taste is enticing and I forget about everything that transpired earlier. A voice inside my head warns that he's only trying to distract me but when he brushes his tongue against mine, I feel no other compulsion but to give into him.

I squeal when he lifts me into the air suddenly and a moment later, my back touches soft cushion. Neal breaks the kiss to take our glasses away, leaving me panting on the couch.

Catherine was wrong. Neal and I are far from over.

"Earth to Star," his baritone chuckle caresses my ears, making me smile up at him. "Are we okay?"

I nod and he resumes kissing my face, jaw and neck. His hands make a quick work of peeling off my dress, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.

"So beautiful," he murmurs before descending on my breasts and kissing my nipples until they're deliciously sore. I moan breathlessly, gripping his shoulders tightly as he trails further kisses down my stomach to the hem of my panties.

In one swift motion, he rips off the thin underwear and plunges his tongue and fingers deep into my throbbing heat.

*

I wake up the next day feeling sore but happy. The love making of last night took us from Neal's living room to his bedroom upstairs. Stretching out on his bed feels like laying on a cloud.

"Shit!" I hiss when I glance at the time. I'm going to be so late for work.

Neal is nowhere in sight, so I hop out of bed, drape a sheet around my naked body and go in search of him.

"It's yet to be finalized."

I follow the sound of his voice downstairs to the balcony where he's lounging on a deck chair. He's shirtless, giving me a clear view of his well sculpted back.

"What's the hold up?"

I stop cold in my tracks at the sound of his mom's voice. What on earth is she doing here?

"You're not getting any younger and neither is she. Her inheritance is going to be useful in the expansion of our businesses."

Inheritance? Businesses?

"Oh I see," Bethany laughs in her typical arrogant way, "That cheap slut secretary is holding you back."

Neal interjects, "Star has nothing to do with this."

"Then stop playing around and settle down. Let's make a deal: for the next month, you can have all the fun you want," Bethany proposes, "After that, you're going to marry Catherine."

My head spins at the shocking revelation. I think back to last night when Catherine came to join me in the bathroom.

She knew.

"Deal."

I take a step back, my stomach churning as Neal's words echo in my head.

He agreed. He fucking agreed.

Every bit of warmth I felt in his arms last night now turns to ice. My grip on the sheet tightens, my knuckles white as I watch him lean back in his chair, so casual, so indifferent, while his mother continues to prattle on about the advantages of aligning with Catherines family.

I want to storm out there, demand an explanation, but my feet refuse to move. Instead, I turn silently and race back upstairs, my mind racing.

Was any of it real?

The way he held me, whispered my name, made me feel like I was his entire world—was it all a lie? The bedroom feels foreign now, the memory of our intimacy tainted. I grab my clothes, hastily pulling them on, desperate to leave before he realizes I overheard.

But as I zip up my dress, I freeze again. A part of me–a small, stubborn part–refuses to leave without confronting him.

At the very least, I deserve answers.

I march back toward the balcony, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor with a determination I don't entirely feel. Pushing open the glass door, I step out into the crisp morning air. Neal's head snaps up, his relaxed demeanor vanishing the moment he sees my expression.

"Star," he says, standing abruptly. "You're awake.”

Bethany's mean gaze darts between us, her lips curling into a sly smile. "Well, isn't this awkward?" she drawls. "Alright then. I'll leave you two lovebirds to it.”

Then she turns to her son, mouthing, "A month."

She brushes past me, her perfume cloying, and I resist the urge to lash out.

Once she's gone, I turn to Neal, my voice trembling with anger. "A deal? You're making deals about my life, about us?”

His face pales and his eyes shutter, but he doesn't deny it. "Star, I can explain..."

"Explain what?” I snap, voice cracking,“That I'm just some fling to you? The gullible sex tool you used to warm your bed while you were busy planning a fancy wedding on the side."

James was right all this time.

"Star, listen to me,”he insists, reaching for me, but I step back. "You don't understand..."

"Then make me understand!”Tears well up in my eyes and spill down my cheeks. "Because right now, all I see is a man who used me.”

His face darkens, "Star..."

"I loved you, Neal," I whisper, the words trembling in the air between us. “And I thought you loved me too.”

He never said it outright and it just occurs to me why.

Because he never did.

His silence is all the confirmation I need. Without another word, I turn and walk away, leaving him standing there.

This time, he doesn't try to stop me.