The Allure of Julian Lefray (The Allure #1)(38)

I stared down at my notepad.

“Go ahead,” I muttered with a cold tone.

“I’m going to email you the details and Priscilla’s address. I need you to convey to Julian that this event is of the utmost importance to me, especially with how ill his sister is right now.”

Julian had revealed to me weeks ago that Lorena wasn’t actually staying in the hospital, that she was seeking treatment for something in rehab. Still, the way Mrs. Lefray spoke about her only daughter sent a chill down my spine.

“Okay,” I replied before rattling off my email address for her. “You can send all the details to that address.”

She jotted down my email address and I wondered if Julian would actually go through with something like this. Did he still let his mother boss him around like he was a child?

“Could you also draft an email from Julian explaining how excited he is to escort Priscilla to the fundraiser? It doesn’t have to be long, but I’d like him to send her something.”

My mouth dropped.

“I can’t hack into his email account,” I argued.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied, as if offended that I would even assume that’s what she wanted. “You just need to draft it and then he will send it off himself.”

Before I could offer a response, she continued. “Anyway, I’ve got to run, but I need you to get all of this done today.”

I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I worked for all three Lefrays…

The line went dead and I pulled the phone away from my face to stare down at it. Lying beside the receiver, on the front of my notepad, was a chicken-scratch list of things she’d just ordered me to do. Every item written there made my stomach churn in disgust. Not only did I have to ignore my feelings for Julian, I now had to actively set up his date with another woman? I wanted to shred the note into little pieces and flush it down the toilet. I wanted to delete the email his mother was undoubtedly drafting at that very moment, listing every detail about his hot date. I wanted to feign amnesia about the whole topic.

I hadn’t yet decided what I would do about it by the time the hotel door opened and Julian stepped in. I was sitting on the couch with the list beside me and his mother’s email open on my laptop. I didn’t look up when he rounded the back of the couch, but I listened to the sound of his shoes hitting the hardwood floor and I picked up the scent of his spiced aftershave as soon as he stepped close.

“Italian cream cake,” he said, holding out a clear plastic takeout box in front of my line of sight. “As a peace offering.”

For two seconds, I couldn’t reply, too choked up with the weight of indecision. Why did his mother have to call when he was out? Why did I have to know just how gorgeous Priscilla was? Could she not have picked someone a little less easy on the eyes?

“Jo? Are you still mad at me?”

I blinked up at him, catching sight of his earnest eyes. I smiled and shook my head, too caught up in his sweet gesture to ignore him.

I reached out for the cake and laughed. In the corner of the box, there was a little dollop of icing.

“You got me extra icing?”

He smiled. “You mentioned that you preferred it that way. I figured it wouldn’t be much of a peace offering without it.”

He tucked his hands into his suit pockets and took a step back as I set the cake down on the table in front of me.

God dammit, did he have to act like my perfect soul mate at this very moment? I held the name of his very hot, very single, very blonde date in my hands and he was bringing me cake.

“What did I miss while I was gone?” he asked, unbuttoning his suit jacket and taking a seat on the couch across from me.

The shredder was only a few feet away. I could just reach over and drop the notes right into…

“Jo?”

I sighed. The truth. I had to tell him the truth. “Your mom called.”

His eyes widened. “Did you speak with her?”

“No. I told her I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.”

He looked truly horrified. “Seriously, what did she want?”

I held out the sheet of notebook paper and watched his long fingers wrap around the edge and pull it away from me.

“She wanted me to deliver that message to you,” I said.

His brows furrowed as he read my chicken scratch and then his jaw tightened. I watched the muscle shift beneath his sculpted cheek and then I turned to stare out the hotel window, wishing I’d never answered that damn phone call.

“You took this message?” he asked, staring back up at me with clear confusion.

“Every word,” I said with a flat smile, finally turning back to look at him. “Looks like you have a hot date on Wednesday.”





Chapter Twenty-Three


Julian





I pulled my tuxedo jacket off the hanger and slipped each of my arms inside. I straightened the lapels on my jacket so that they lay flat against my chest and then reached to pull my cufflinks out of a small leather box. My father had passed them down to me on my fourteenth birthday and each one was inscribed with a cursive L. Once they were in place, I paused and stared up at my reflection in my hotel mirror. My black tie hung loosely around my neck, waiting to be fastened into a bow. My hair still stuck up in every direction from my shower. I’d need to tame it before I left for my mother’s fundraiser, but I was taking my time, dragging my feet to get ready.