The Billionaire’s Lust (His Submissive #7)(11)
Author: Ava Claire

“No, you look great,” she groaned. “I look like I’m lost.”

She clearly wasn’t budging so I raked my mind for something, some way to help her see what I saw. “Come here.” I drug her by the hand, which was easier said than done since she towered above me in her stilettos.

She still wasn’t sold but she conceded with a sigh once we were in the hall. She wrenched her hand from mine, locking her apartment door. “Just hold on a –”

I was already two doors down, banging on the door before going to the next.

“Leila what do you…?” Her voice trailed off as doors swung open, heads popping out into the hall. A young girl, probably not older than six, was the first to step in the corridor, donning a Dora the Explorer t-shirt and a curious expression. An older woman remained in the safety of her apartment, her eyes narrow slits that rounded in surprise when she saw me and Megan. A college-aged guy stood in his doorway, eyeballing us.

Megan was glaring at me and mouthed, What the hell are you doing?

“Sorry to bother yall,” I said with a big grin, taking in the audience. “This’ll just take a second.” I moved to Megan’s side and put a hand on the small of her back. “I just wanted to ask a question—how does Megan look?”

The little girl stepped closer, her wide eyes taking Megan in pensively. “She’s pretty like Ariel!” When her mother stepped into the hall with a frown, the little girl darted behind her legs, peeking out nervously.

Megan reddened, turning to the child’s mother. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Marsden–my friend and I were just leaving.”

The woman scooted her daughter back inside before giving Megan a nod. “You look lovely, dear.”

Megan was pulling me to the stairs, but there was still the older lady that was staring at her like she brought back memories and the guy ogling her like she was the reason the word ‘sexy’ had been created in the first place.

I planted my feet, appealing to the woman first. “She looks amazing, right?”

She flashed a brief, nearly toothless grin. “Muy bonita.”

“Oh my God,” Megan hissed, tugging me closer to the exit. “It’s official, I’m embarrassed, can we just go?”

I shifted my attention to the guy and he licked his lips, stroking his chin like he was imagining all the things he wanted to with her–in and out of the dress. The door to his apartment swung open wider, a young woman joining his side.

“What’s going on here?” she said, not remotely friendly or in the mood for games.

The guy’s whole demeanor changed, tail firmly between his legs. “Uh, our neighbor was just asking about her dress.”

The girlfriend looked Megan and I up and down, setting us both on fire with her glare before turning the heat on her man. They disappeared back into their apartment, already arguing as I finally let Meg yank me down the stairs.

“Thanks for that,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll still be going at it when I get home.”

“Well, you didn’t believe me when I told you that you looked amazing.”

“Yeah, like any of them would have said that I looked like crap,” she snorted.

I paused at the landing. “We have two more floors before we get to the lobby. If you need a second, third, or tenth opinion—”

She stopped, turning slowly before blinking up at me. “You’d do that–embarrass the hell out of me, just to help me feel better?”

“To help you see that you look kick ass tonight,” I clarified, maneuvering past her. “That guy isn’t getting laid for like, two weeks because he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

She went quiet and we finally made it downstairs. I worried that maybe I’d gone too far, especially considering the last time we saw each other we’d been at each other’s throats. “I thought I was helping. If it was too much, I’m sorry–”

“No, I’m sorry,” she interrupted. “I know why you did it and it was really sweet.” She started fanning her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Just don’t ever do it again, okay? And about Lucy’s—”

I felt tears of my own pool and my throat tightened. Now I was going to cry. “It’s okay. I was out of line and you needed a friend and I was being a horrible one.”

She gave me a tight hug then pulled open the door. “Let’s get out of here before we both ruin our makeup.”

The limo pulled onto the street, each slap of the tire against the asphalt bringing us closer to the theater that was hosting the premiere.

“I wasn’t kidding about what I said back at the apartment, Leila.”

I snapped my compact closed and sliced my eyes over to her. “You look great, Megan.”

“Not about that,” she said with a snicker. “So don’t get the driver to pull over so you can wrangle a herd of strangers to boost my confidence.” She slid her gloss back into her clutch then hesitantly met my eyes. “I’m talking about you and Jacob. Tonight’s not the result of some argument and you’re trying to just piss him off by going to Cade’s event, right?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Wow. I really must have been a bitch lately if that seems like a remote possibility.”

She settled back in her seat, a smirk on her glossy lips. “Your word, not mine.”

“Sorry,” I said with a weak smile. I couldn’t fault her for being shocked—run-ins with Cade had been the source of a lot of contention between me and Jacob. And considering it had been The Leila Show 24/7 ever since I climbed on the Whitmore jet, bitch was being kind. I could tell her how I thought that Jacob and I had worked things out, but it was time for me to be the friend she’d been to me. The best friend she deserved.

“Tell me what’s going on with you and the new guy you’re seeing,” I said, remembering what she said in the restaurant.

“Nothing to tell.” She managed to keep her voice light, and if I didn’t know her, I might have let her shrug it off, but there was an undercurrent of anger. Of hurt.

“I think we both know that’s not exactly true.”

The nonchalant gleam in her eyes frosted over to an unmistakable ‘Danger Ahead’. “There’s nothing going on with any guy of any sort.”

“Nothing?” I said, not budging. “You were downing margaritas like they were cups of water. You’re a one-and-done kind of girl when it comes to drinking.”