Read Online The Billionaire's Trust (His Submissive, Part Eleven) by Ava Claire - Free Book Online Page A

stuck in
some sketchy spot or couldn't sleep. She was more than my client.
She was my friend. Which is why I was gonna break the cardinal
rule. Well, that and wanting one less person to think Rachel was as
kind and relatable as she seemed.
    "This morning was my first time
hearing about the organization."
    "But Rachel said..." Mia didn't
finish, cherubic face scrunched as she went through the whole thing
again. She slid against the edge of the desk, sending trash
fluttering to the floor. She ignored my glare. "I don't get
it."
    "Rachel and I aren't exactly
besties." So I hadn't flat out said that she was a psycho bitch
that made breaking up me and Jacob her favorite hobby. I figured I
deserved a pass for that alone.
    She twisted her mouth into a scowl,
still trying to connect the dots. "But why would you two..." The
scowl rounded into an O. "A boy. It's always a boy."
    "Hey!" I said, feeling a little
defensive. He was mine first came to mind even though that wasn't
exactly true. He didn't care about her the way he cared about me,
but he still used the words. Words that made an already unstable
chick skitter over the edge.
    I steered the convo away from
romance. "We're gonna get a handle on it. I'll take care of it,
okay?"
    I should have known it was too late
for that. I’d already given her a taste of the scandal. The genie
was out of the bottle and she had a front row seat to the
drama.
    “So what’s her evil plan to steal
Jacob away from you?” she asked excitedly.
    I tried to backpedal. “I didn’t mean
it that way. There’s a little tension between the two of us, but
that’s because she and Jacob used to date--”
    “Oh my god, Rachel and Jacob used
to be a thing?!”
    My face reddened at how dreamily she
said it. Like they were some fairytale come true. Match made in
heaven. Truth was, their story would have been a totally different
one than his and mine. No one would have asked what he saw in her
because anyone with two eyes would be able to see how perfect they
were together. No one would have said that he must ‘really love
her’ or that their future kids were lucky to have his genes in the
mix. They’d say their kids hit the genetic lottery.
    Mia waved her hand in front of my
face. “Are you okay?”
    I blinked, forcing a smile before
dropping the lie. “Y-yeah.”
    The connection we had called my
bluff. Or maybe I was just a horrible actress. “You guys are a
cuter couple.”
    “Right,” I said said with a snort.
“She’s gorgeous, he’s gorgeous. It’s like a real-life
movie.”
    “And you’re gorgeous. But not just
on the outside, on the inside too.” When I flashed her a weak smile
she added, “Haven’t you been reading the tabloids? I’m selfish and
vapid. I wouldn’t socialize with you if you weren’t at least a
9.”
    I chuckled at that, stopping when
the phone on my desk rattled to life. I leaned forward and grabbed
it, hearing Natasha’s surly voice on the other end.
    “Jacob’s on the line,” she barked.
“He says it’s important.”
    I clicked over, dread returning. “Is
your mom ok?”
    “Can you come back to the hospital?
She wants to see you as soon as possible.”
     
     

****
     
    I clutched the bouquet of roses as I
stepped onto the elevator, feeling all the apprehension from being
in a hospital multiply considering who I was there to visit. The
doors slid open and the nurse from earlier was waiting near the
desk.
    She gave me a bright smile. "It must
mean a lot to know that you're the second person she asked to see.
I wish I had that kind of relationship with my
mother-in-law."
    It meant something alright, I just
wasn't sure if it meant something good or something bad.
    I kept that to myself. "Is it okay
if I go on back?"
    "Of course." Her hand dipped below
the desk and the secure doors swung open. "Room I-950."
    I started down the sterile hall,
each step hollow. The corridor seemed too quiet for an intensive
care unit. I'd been expecting noise: nurses rushing