I didn’t expect to encounter Kate with a lover at the ball, or how she delicately put it on that day—her partner.
To say my jealousy spun out of control is an understatement. I don’t know what part of my fucked-up brain expected her to be exclusive to me. Once upon a time, she begged me to be someone I wasn’t—a committed man to her—and I pushed her away because Dominic Kennedy did not entertain relationships. My solitude had been longed engrained into me. I wandered the Earth like a nomad, focused on my business, which is the only thing I lived for.
My family was kept at arm’s length. I no longer possessed a circle of friends aside from the one who had landed me in trouble.
And despite it all, I pushed away any emotions evoked while in Kate’s presence. It slowly chipped away at me every time I watched her inside my club. The way her body begged me with every curve, every move, it had been this curse I wished to disappear.
Yet at the ball, my heart fell captive to her beauty. We were no longer in the hotel room, naked in compromising positions. We were two people, standing next to each other in a room full of others, our own respective partners beside us.
It made me crave her even more like an animal thirsty for blood, a hunter greedy for its prey. Something inside of me clicked, and I’d have given my soul to the devil himself if she walked away with me that night.
But she didn’t. Kate ignored my pleas, even when I demanded more between us. She appeared unaffected by the whole matter, hell-bent on reiterating the rules of our arrangement.
I tried over and over again like the desperate fool I was, to make her mine. And much to my surprise, Allegra had become well aware of the situation, admitting our sham of a marriage but making it clear that divorce would ruin her family.
Even Allegra tried to convince Kate to commit to more, giving her approval to be my mistress, but it all fell on deaf ears. I couldn’t understand why, the sheer mystery of it all eating away at me every single minute of every-fucking-day.
And then, before my eyes, she began to choose him.
I’d learned of his name, Noah Mason, cousin to the wife of mogul, Lex Edwards. Long before all of this, I’d met Edwards through a business associate. Charlie, his wife, is my brother Eric’s boss. We were connected, oddly so, then throw Kate into the mix, who also happens to be Eric’s best friend. The ties became even tighter.
My desperate need to control Kate’s situation came crashing to a halt when she moved to Los Angeles to live with her partner. It should’ve been my warning to stop what the fuck was going on in my head, yet being a stubborn ass, I refused to listen.
My brother and I became closer, unlike our previous relationship of barely communicating. At first, I intended to learn more about Kate through him, but I’d grown fond of Eric in the short time. There’s more to him than the flamboyant younger brother I had become accustomed to. When he announced his wedding to my parents, I assumed my father would put his foot down. He never openly discussed Eric’s sexuality, but surprisingly, he gave Eric and his fiancé, Tristan, his blessing.
The timing was somewhat perfect, giving me ample opportunity to see Kate with a purpose. It started with the bachelor weekend in Vegas, a weekend I’d gladly wish to forget.
Conveniently, the same night I see her, she married him. I had no doubt my presence still affected her, hence, the sudden leap in marriage. Somehow, I just needed her to see it.
It didn’t stop the rage consuming me upon hearing the news. Ashamed to admit it, I spent most of the weekend drunk to get my mind off things. At one point, three girls were in my hotel room eating each other out while I watched with barely any desire.
My life spiraled out of control all because of Kate.
The one who got away.
Yet here I am, on Eric’s wedding day at my parents’ East Hampton estate, the same place where I first met Kate. I watched her walk down the aisle like the goddess she is. It was the only thing I could focus on, the only thing consuming my thoughts. I should’ve had plenty of opportunities to talk with her throughout the day and night, but she made it clear there would be nothing of the sort.
I swore it was her husband’s words, not hers.
I’d found myself at the bar after Kate abandoned me on the dance floor, ego bruised and barely able to make sense of it all. With a tight jaw, my eyes narrowed as the anger tore through me like a vicious wave. I didn’t take rejection well, not understanding why I refused to call defeat. The obsession only grew, and I had no clue how to stop feeding it.
I’m my own worst enemy.
“To love and be scorned,” Allegra snipes beside me while I nurse my drink.
“What do you want?”
“My, my, aren’t we a little temperamental?” Allegra mocks with a disturbing laugh. “Don’t get angry at me. I tried to keep her in your life. It’s not my fault she fell in love with such a handsome man. After all, Noah is CEO of the Deluxe Group.”
“Yes, a role handed him to by his rich cousin-in-law, unlike some people who worked hard to build themselves from nothing.”
“Quite bitter, Dominic? And to correct you, you didn’t just build your business from nothing. Your inheritance from your grandfather gave you the foot in the door you needed. Granted, I’m sure he didn’t envision his hard earnings being invested in
