Lost in Paradise (Paradise Club #2)(34)

“Always the romantic, aren’t you? Did you not learn last time?”

“That was not my fault, and I’m disappointed you’ve brought that up.”

Will I ever live that mistake down?

After graduating from university, I came and worked for the family business full-time as second-in-charge of the company. I had my own office and everything that came with the position. My father didn’t give me that job because I was his son, I had to earn it, work my way up, and after all those years, I’d finally made it. Then Claire arrived at the company as my new assistant. She came highly recommended, and she was brilliant at her job.

The more hours I started putting into the job to prove myself, the more Claire stayed back to help me.

Claire was a beautiful girl—unassuming, redhead, great tits.

Once we found ourselves working these longer hours together alone at the office, the flirtatious looks, the low-cut tops, the hand grazes across my skin began, but I was seeing someone, and I’m no cheater.

Flattered, of course, but I would never cheat, unlike my ex who was screwing her father’s billionaire best friend.

Claire was there when my ex dumped me. She found me knocking back whiskey by the bottle, and I guess, being at my lowest point, she took advantage. All the innocent flirting had led up to that moment where she told me she’d make me feel better, and by better, she meant on her knees under my desk. And that’s how it started.

She became my everything workwise as my assistant and then also at home as my lover while I nursed my broken heart.

That was until things started happening at work. We were losing out on deals and being outbid on properties. It was happening so often that we realized there was a mole in the company. While my professional life was falling apart, Claire was there comforting me, helping me, and because I was so vulnerable while my life was out of control, I relied more and more on Claire for everything.

I thought I was in love.

Three months after I started dating Claire, I proposed even though everyone told me it was way too quick. But Claire made me believe it was her and me against the world. That was until my father’s private investigators found who was leaking the confidential information.

Turns out it was Claire, and to make matters worse, she was the mistress of our main competitor.

I had to sit and watch hours of video of them together—images of her kissing him and then coming back to my bed.

I didn’t believe what was clearly in front of me.

I was too far gone in my love for her that I couldn’t see what was staring me right in the face until the private investigator interviewed Claire and confronted her with the obvious truth.

Eventually, she confessed that if she got what our competitor wanted, he would leave his wife and marry her. He, of course, didn’t. Claire explained that she was sent to seduce me, that she never loved me and was only using me to get the information she needed.

That damage caused my relationship with my father to fracture for a while as he was disappointed in my judgment. I was young, but still, I should have known better.

I regret it now because, in hindsight, I had dismissed all of the red flags. She made me believe I needed her, and that caused me to dismiss things that would normally have made me suspicious.

My biggest lapse of judgment means, of course, that no one lets me forget my mammoth mistake.

“I didn’t mean it like that, but you do fall quickly. Even after Claire, it didn’t stop you from making the same mistake again,” Nate states.

“Have you never fallen for a gold digger?” I say through gritted teeth, unhappy with this stroll he is forcing me to take down memory lane. “They’re good, they are chameleons.”

Yes, I stupidly fell for another woman, Jade, who was a model. Yes, I did fall for her quickly, and I was on the verge of proposing until I overheard her one night talking to someone when she thought I was asleep.

Turned out to be one of her girlfriends. She was gloating about all the lavish gifts I had bestowed on her, how she couldn’t believe how quickly I had fallen for her, and that she was going to be married to a billionaire and never have to work again in her life. Then I overheard her talking about her ex or who I thought was her ex. She was still in love with him, but he wasn’t rich, and to top it off, she was still sleeping with him while sleeping with me.

Yes, turns out I was a fool again.

And I couldn’t believe it had happened to me twice.

I was embarrassed.

I thought I was a great judge of character. That I was smart enough to see a snake in the grass coming, but as it turned out, I guess beautiful women are a weakness I didn’t realize I had.

The red flags had flown high, and for some reason, I totally ignored them.

It never stopped me from loving women. I have never turned into a woman-hater, but I have tried hard not to fall in love again. I also have done more thorough and extensive background checks on the women I date.

“Least I’ve opened myself up to the prospect of never being alone,” I bite back at my brother. “You’ve created these fantasy worlds for everyone except yourself.”

“Why would I commit to someone when I have this temptation all around me? I’m no cheater,” my brother sneers at me.

“You could find a woman that’s open to that if you wanted to. I think it’s an excuse not to get hurt.”

“After seeing what happened to you. Yeah, I’ll take caution over being swept away by a pretty face and great tits.”