Billionaire's Captive Complete Trilogy - Stasia Black Page 0,119
can have him.
Adam pulls me too close—I’ve been careful of my nipple piercings so far, but the slightest brush against them is murder—and I suck in a breath and jerk back. “Careful.”
“She’s mad that I’ve been across the ballroom all night,” Adam announces. His voice is louder than the MCs, and he doesn’t even have a mic. Obnoxious much? “It’s all right, sweetheart, I wasn’t ignoring you. Give us a kiss.”
Shit. Slapping him in the face would probably be a little too Real New Olympus Housewives and I didn’t come here to make a scene. I don’t want drama, I just want to end this and part ways cleanly. So I go up on tiptoe and peck him on his spray-tanned cheek. He’s wearing too much cologne and I want to swipe at my face as soon as I pull away to get rid of the overwhelming scent.
“Oooh, playing hard to get,” Adam makes the crowd chuckle. If I barf on him, I could claim food poisoning, right?
Adam has an arm around me, turning me this way and that. Smile for the camera, Daphne. Show us your trophy.
Only this time, I am the trophy.
“I need to talk to you. In private,” I hiss to Adam, keeping a grin plastered to my face as the cameras blaze.
“Of course, darling.” Adam coos, and adds for the crowd’s benefit. “She wants to speak to me...alone.” His voice drips with innuendo. Guests guffaw.
Fuck this. Fuck everyone. I grab Adams sleeve and march ahead of him, through the foyer into a private room. The scent of store-bought roses is cloying.
“Daphne,” Adam murmurs, shutting the door and swaying towards me.
I hold up a hand. “Adam, don’t.”
He chuckles. “It’s all right. It’s only me.” He goes to the sideboard and pours champagne.
I tug off my glove and wriggle my bare fingers. Deep breath. I can do this.
“Let’s toast,” Adam says. “To us.”
“In a minute. I have to speak to you.”
Adam moves closer. When he looks down at my hand, his face goes blank. “Daphne, where’s the ring?”
“I have it.” I start to fumble in my purse like a child called on the carpet. Then I stop. What the hell am I doing, letting him put me on the defensive like this? “Adam, there’s something I have to say first. Then, I’ll give you back the ring.”
His nostrils flare but I forge on. “I’m flattered that you proposed. I’m grateful that you tried to help me save face in front of the press. But I don’t want this.”
A rush of relief and empowerment sweeps through me as I finally say it.
My fingers find the ring and I hand it back to him. “You’ve been an ally of my father’s company and a wonderful support to me and him. A friend. But I don’t want to marry you.”
There. I did it. I square my shoulders.
“Daphne,” Adam murmurs, his voice dripping honey. His hand closes around mine, keeping the ring clenched in my fist. “You can’t be serious.”
My mouth drops open. I just stood tall and told him my truth and he’s—
“I am serious,” I protest. “Very serious. And look, I wanted to do this in private, to help you save face, but if you push it, I’ll march out there and tell everyone.”
And I will. He’s not taking this away from me. No one is.
But while Adam can be obnoxious, he’s not a bad guy. So I soften my voice, but only the slightest bit. He needs to know exactly how serious I am. “It might be better to wait a few months and work with a PR company to announce it quietly, but if you try to steamroll me, I’ll just do it now with a mic.” I tug my hand away and hold up the huge diamond. Then I say it again, and say it firmly. “I don’t want to get married.”
“All right,” he says carefully, and steps back. He gets it. I can see he doesn’t like it, but he gets it. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” There’s a moment I almost fumble the ring, but it lands safely in Adam’s palm and he tucks it away. The knuckles of his fist are white and his jaw is a tightly clenched, but he doesn’t argue.
I blow out a huge breath. I did it and I feel like I’ve lost twenty thousand pounds of extra weight.
I want to kick off my heels and head home, but the party isn’t over. Even though all I want to