Admit You Want Me: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Irresistible Billionaires Book 3)

by Ajme Williams

  “Do you know what?”

  “What?” He asked. He was standing with his shoulders squared and his jaw set like he was ready to fight. I should’ve said no. This was my fault. I should have seen the writing on the wall after the first meeting failure. My anger rose even higher when I thought about how Easton had probably never intended to cooperate with me from the beginning and made the concession in order to make Toby happy.

  “You are an asshole.” He chose the most absurd reaction to that accusation possible. He laughed at me. He threw his head back and laughed. I didn’t think I could get any angrier at him than I already was, but I was wrong. I wished I had less breeding, so I could swing at him and not feel guilty. I cleared my throat. “Is something funny?”

  “You are, sweetheart. How about we cut this meeting short and you leave just like you threatened to do a moment to go.”

  “You know, I don’t usually wish ill on anybody, but dammit, you deserve it. In a year or two from now, when all your contracts have dried up and your company has been run into the ground by nothing other than your unwillingness to do the right thing, you are going to wish that you swallowed your pride and just wore a damn suit.” He reached for me and got a hold of my arm before I could back away.

  “Let go of me.” He didn’t. He pulled me in so sharply that my body collided with his.

  “I don’t know who you think you are, but you don’t come in here telling me what to do or what the hell you think could happen to my business in the future.” I tried to move back but he didn’t let me. We were pressed together. His body was just as hard as I thought it was under his clothes. I didn’t want to just stand there but I was at a loss for words looking up at him.

  He was more attractive up close. I didn’t know how I had never noticed before; his complexion was healthy and tanned. I despised beards on most men and his was an example of the worst kind. No upkeep or grooming whatsoever, but his mouth, his lips were bee-stung and plump. How a man with the most disagreeable personality I had ever come across managed to look like that was one of the great injustices of our world. His green eyes were hard to look into. As if he could tell me what I was thinking if I opened my mouth to speak to him.

  He was still trying to intimidate me. He thought he had me cornered, literally, and he was going to use his body to gain dominion over me. I was a little tired of the game, to be honest.

  “After all that time in the army, you should be good at taking orders.”

  “Why do you think I left?” he asked.

  “Well you don’t have to think of them as orders, they’re more like helpful fashion tips,” I said. His eyebrows went up and I knew that I had gotten ahead of him. I giggled and winked at him. It was kind of funny. It was his turn to laugh, but he didn’t.

  “Fuck,” he said under his breath, and then his hands gripped my face and we were kissing. I instinctively held my breath. My body and brain seemed to flat line. This was not the attack that I was anticipating.

  Don’t let him win Missy. Don’t. I inhaled sharply which just ended up giving him deeper access to my mouth. The hand that he had he had around my wrist dropped and relocated to my waist. He groaned and ran his hands up my back. The last time that the man had touched me like this had been… it had been…

  My eyes flew open. I pushed him away with all of the force that I could muster, which wasn’t much. I sucked in large gulps of air to snap me out of the daze I was in. This wasn't normal. I was not attracted to him. No, no way.

  He was standing there, looking at me like nothing had happened.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I snapped. I probably didn’t sound convincing enough because he smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. He ran a hand over his beard.

  “Way to swing hot and cold. You weren’t complaining a second ago.”

  “I’m a professional and I was brought here to fix your image. If those are the services you want, there are professionals you can hire for that too.” He laughed and nodded.

  “I’m already paying you. Thought I could save a little money.”

  “Your style is non-existent, and you seem allergic to taking this process seriously for even ten seconds. Anything else?”

  “Nope. Sounds like you have it covered.”

  “Right. I suppose we’re done here.” I turned and walked away. I heard him follow me. My whole body felt hot and sweat dripped down my back. He was winding me up and I couldn’t let him win. I knew that he hadn’t insinuated that I should sleep with him because he was giving me money. He was brazen, rude, and disrespectful. All those things should have made me less attracted to him, but they didn’t. I hit the button for the lift and walked in when it finally opened.

  “My assistant will contact you with a shopping appointment.” He looked at me blankly from the loft and I feared that he would walk into the lift and trap us in the small space together. I counted the seconds the doors took to slide shut. Nine, nine excruciating seconds before I was alone again.

  I audibly sighed, leaning back against the mirror wall when the lift began its descent. I didn’t even know where to start. It didn’t make sense. None of what Easton had done told me what he really felt about me. Was it disdain? Surely, he hated that I was trying to get him out of his comfy tracksuit bottoms, but he wasn’t… he wasn’t… he didn’t want me, did he? Surely not.

  I didn’t want him. That was certain. I felt that way, but I wasn’t sure how much I believed it after that kiss. He wasn’t my type and that wasn’t what I was looking for.

  It had been too long, that was it. One nice hard shag and I’d come right back to my senses. But not with him. No. things were strictly professional between us.

  Right.

  Strictly professional.

  The lift opened and I wobbled out into the lobby. It was just the shock of it. he caught me off guard. Whatever he threw at me next time, I’d be ready.

  9

  Easton

  I can't believe that woman blew me off.

  I stared out of the window of the cab. It felt like I was on the way to my doom, but really, I was just on the way to a store. A clothing store. I was meeting Missy for our first shopping trip. I would never forgive Toby for this. I would never forgive either of them for this. It was stupid. It was a waste of time. It wasn't really going to change anything. When all this was said and done, the two of them would look like idiots because they wasted their time and mine.

  I hated shopping. First of all, who the hell still went to brick and mortar stores to buy anything in this day and age? Virtually anything you wanted could be delivered right to your house. Online stores were generally cheaper and with the kind of return policies they had in place, physically going to a store just didn't make sense anymore.

  When I got the message that Missy had set an appointment for me to get fitted for some suits, it was like being in a bad dream. I had agreed to doing this and compared to everything I had done and seen in my life; this was nothing. The thing was, I walked into all of those other things, including several active warzones, by choice, no matter how crazy or dark they were. This, I was doing under duress, and I didn't like it.

  Besides, the woman blew me off.

  It was so predictable that it was funny. She was into me; she was so wildly attracted to me that she didn't know what to do. The only thing she could do was reject me so that she could maintain a little bit of her pride. She hid behind the fact that she was a professional and we were technically only working together.

  First of all, she played dress up for a living; that was hardly a professional at anything. She was hot and she was attracted to me. I was hot and I was attracted to her. It was simple math really, one plus one equals crazy hot sex that both of us wanted, and frankly, she needed. A good lay did wonders for the mood. Maybe after sleeping with her one time, she would actually be bearable to be around.

  I kissed her because I wanted to. I kissed her to shut her up. I kissed her because of the sexual tension that had been
simmering between us since the day I saw her picture had finally gotten the best of me. In hindsight, I wondered whether it was the best move, and then I remembered how she felt. It wasn't like I lacked options, but the first couple of years of business were crucial for its growth. I hadn't been taking full advantage of what being a rich, good-looking bachelor in New York City could give me.

  I couldn't deny it, the fact that she turned me down had made me want her more, but at the same time, I felt like it was dead in the water. I knew that she was into me, but I wasn't sure I could make her break. She was a little too stiff for that, turned out. Too bad, if I could have had a little fun with her along with this stupid dress-up stuff, that would have made this a lot more bearable. It didn't matter. How long could it possibly take to fix my wardrobe? I wouldn't have to deal with her anymore in a matter of weeks. She'd be happy, Toby would be happy, and both of them would be off of my back.

  The cab stopped and I climbed out. Van de na Beele’s Bespoke Luxury Suits. It sounded like a fake address. Like one of the addresses on a Monopoly board or something. This was the place where Missy told me to meet her. I sighed and walked through the door. The sooner this was over with, the better. Once on the inside, a short woman dressed in black locked up to me.

  “Mr. Schultz?”

  “That's me.”

  It was so fast I almost didn't catch it, but the woman quickly took in my outfit from head to toe. Her face remained blank, but I felt a little tightness in my chest. Hours of people who didn't know the first thing about me passing judgment on something as superficial as the way I chose to dress. I couldn't wait.

  “Wonderful. We've been expecting you.” She went behind me and locked the door. I looked around the store.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked. It was completely empty. I knew it was still trading hours. Why was it a ghost town?

  “Miss James booked an exclusive fitting for you,” she said. “Why don't you make yourself comfortable and I will let her know that you have arrived?”

  An exclusive fitting? I didn't even know that you could do that. How much did you have to pay a place to basically turn off all their foot traffic for you? I went inside to one of the couches that the woman had directed me to. After a long day at work, this felt like even more work. I sighed and closed my eyes, collapsing into the couch. I leaned my head on the back of the couch and took a couple of deep breaths.

  “You're late.”

  I heard the now-familiar sound of heels on the floor. Do you know, after all those years in the army, I got away without post-traumatic stress, but that sound; the sound of Missy walking into my life to ruin my day was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I opened my eyes.

  “Some of us have real jobs we have to report to during the day.”

  “For once in your life, save the attitude. I know you don't want to be here so let's make this as quick and painless as possible. Follow me.”

  Well, someone was a ball of fun today. That kiss must've really bent her out of shape, more than I expected. I got up and followed her.

  “Where are we going?”

  I pulled a number of outfits for you. Just go in there and try them on. We were at the dressing rooms. Instead of the rose of little stalls at a regular clothes shop, it was one big room with a huge mirror and a clothing rack filled with clothes. Suits. I figured she was so shocked that I didn't wear them, it only made sense that that was what she was going to torture me with first. After this probably it was only going to get easier. I was tired, and in no mood to fight with her today. I went up to the rack of clothes.

  “I'll be right out here if you need anything.”

  She closed the door. I looked at the clothes wondering where to start. Well, I was still dressed so how about there? I pulled my shirt off and threw it onto the bench. I grabbed one of the shirts off the rack. It was a regular white button-down shirt with long sleeves. Last time I had worn something like that was probably for my high school graduation.

  I put it on and did the buttons up, studying my reflection. It was a surprisingly good fit given the fact that Missy hadn’t gotten me measured up beforehand. I had been expecting the fabric to be starch and hard, crunchy under my hands, but it was soft. I couldn’t imagine what it cost. See, that was another reason why I didn’t do this shit. The people who made these monkey suits charged an arm and a leg for them. Not only did you look stupid, but you were also an idiot for paying as much money as you did to look like that.

  I took my jeans off and slid into a pair of pants that was hanging on the rack. There was a little too much give in the waist, but again, not the worst fit. I looked at myself in the mirror. It definitely could’ve been worse. I looked over the rest of the clothes on the rack. A lot of the stuff was familiar, more shirts, some in different colors, and more pairs of pants, but a couple of the things were new.

  I picked up a black vest and threw it on over the shirt. I did the buttons and looked at my reflection, frowning. Was it supposed to be that loose? It didn’t look good anymore. I pulled a jacket off of one of the hangers and put it on. That didn’t make it better. It still didn’t look right. It looked worse actually. I cursed and looked over at the bench where I had tossed my clothes.

  “Everything okay?” Missy asked me from outside. I ignored her and looked at the selection of accessories that had been laid out on the bench for me. Ties, bowties, and some other stuff I didn’t recognize. There were even suspenders. I wasn’t gonna wear goddamn suspenders.

  What the fuck?

  I had agreed to this, but what the hell was going on? I didn’t know what half of the stuff even was.

  “I’m coming in,” I heard from the other side of the door before it opened. Missy walked in and took in the scene.

  “What the hell is this stuff?” I asked. She sighed and came up to me.

  “I should have come in here earlier. You have a mix of suit and Tuxedo pieces. you've mixed several of them here which is why they don't seem to go together well.” She went behind me and pulled the suit jacket off. “The vest is supposed to be worn with tuxedos. take it off.”

  “The shirt and pants are a pretty good fit but why is the vest so loose?”

  “Is there anything I can help with?” a woman’s voice said. I had totally forgotten that the store attendant was still there.

  “We're fine.”

  “No, we're not,” I said. Missy shot me a dirty look and then walked over to the attendant.

  “It's been a long day and we're going to be here for a little while. I have things under control here, but could I bother you to buy us some food? Just a couple of sandwiches will do. I know there is a deli a couple of shops down.” I didn't see the rest of the exchange, but the store attendant said that she would be right back and then left. Missy closed the door and came back up to me.

  “Why didn't you tell me how to put this crap on?”

  “Forgive me for thinking that an adult man would know the basics of formal wear,” she said. I felt my temper rise.

  “What the hell do you think you were hired for?” I snapped.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. It was obviously a dangerous assumption to make.”

  “Nobody hired you to make assumptions. You’re getting paid. Do your damn job,” I grumbled.

  “Okay,” she said, coming around my body so she was in front of me. “I made a mistake overestimating your skill level and I apologized for that. Stop complaining.”

  “Stop fucking up.”

  “Stop being childish,” she spat.

  “I had to come here and play dress-up with you after a full day of work, I am not in the mood right now.”

  “You think I am?” She asked. “Take this off, you’re wearing it wrong,” she said, pulling the vest off of me.

  “It's way too big anyway.”

  “You can adjust the size,” she said, turning it inside out and showing me the little tightening mechanism. “And you would never wear this particular vest with these pieces anyway. It's part
of a tuxedo. Here.” She pulled a different vest off the rack and paused before handing it to me.

  “Tuck the shirt in for god’s sake, surely you know that much,” she said. I rolled my eyes and then I bit my tongue. I hadn’t eaten since this morning and she was the last person I wanted to see after the kind of day that I had had. Well, she was hot and she always looked good so it wasn’t the worst thing seeing her after a hard day. It was when she opened her mouth that everything went to shit. I tucked the shirt in, and she handed me a vest to put over it. Pulling a tie from the little selection on the bench, she flipped my collar up and tied it.

  “See?” she said, stepping out of the way. You look good.” She was right. She threw a different jacket over my shoulders and the look, without shoes, was complete.

  “A new man. Now you look like a professional.”

  “Do I have to wear all these layers all the time?” I asked. I looked good but I was already breaking a sweat. I couldn’t imagine dressing like this more than I absolutely had to.

  “Of course not. This is just the basic three-piece look. You can dress it down while remaining formal. Take the top two layers off and remove the tie.” I did what she asked.

  “The shirt too,” she said.

  “It was just a matter of time before you tried to get me out of my clothes.” I saw her glare at me in the mirror. She handed me another shirt.

  “Get dressed. You’re hardly as hot as you think you are.” I put the other shirt on. It was a light blue color instead of white. I tucked it in. She slid the jacket back over my shoulders.

  “There, how's that?” she asked. Pretty good, if I did say so myself. Without the tie, it was a lot more comfortable.

  “Could be worse.”

  “You look good. You have the body type to carry this kind of look off,” she said, coming in front of me and undoing a couple of the buttons.

  “I look good?” I said. She looked at me. Our faces were inches apart.