FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS (Ophelia Corrigan) novel Chapter 98

CHAPTER 98

SYMON

It was 6:47 p.m. when I leaned back in my chair and pulled up the security camera feed on my laptop.

A habit. An addiction. A fine line I didn’t know where ended anymore.

There she was.

Jamie closed her laptop with a precise click, slid the documents into her folder, and ran her fingers through her hair in that automatic gesture I knew by heart. She stared at the dark screen one more time. like she was thinking about opening everything back up, then thought better of it.

She stood. Grabbed her bag. Adjusted her blazer on her shoulders.

I exhaled slowly.

Time to leave too.

I shut the laptop, grabbed my jacket, and took the emergency stairs down to the legal floor. When I got there, she was standing in front of the elevator, waiting for the doors to open.

“Collins.”

She turned. For a second, something flickered in her eyes. Surprise. Maybe hesitation. Then the professional mask slid back into place.

“Hart.”

I hit the button. The doors slid open with a soft chime.

I stepped in behind her. And before the doors closed, my hand found hers.

Her fingers went rigid against mine.

“Simon.”

“What?”

¡”Let go.”

“No.”

The doors shut with a quiet click. We were alone.

She tried to pull her hand back, but I didn’t let her. Instead, I moved-fast, silent-and positioned myself behind her. My hand still held hers, now pinned against the side of her body, and my other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against my chest.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Her voice came out low, tight. But her body didn’t pull away. Not really.

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FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“I’m taking my girlfriend home tonight.”

55 Vouche

Hold on.” She turned her face, her profile outlined by the elevator’s dim light. “Who said we’re dating?”

I smiled. A slow smile she couldn’t see but sure as hell felt against the skin of her neck.

“In my head, I’ve been your boyfriend for a while now.”

The doors opened.

A group of four executives in dark suits stood waiting on the executive floor, folders in hand, faces serious.

Jamie disentangled herself from me with impressive speed and shoved me aside.

“Good evening, Mr. Hart,” one of the men said, confused.

“Gentlemen.” I straightened my cuff like nothing had happened.

They stepped in. Jamie was already on the other side, putting a distance between us that anyone could measure in yards. I didn’t look at her. But I could feel the heat of her embarrassment and irritation radiating off her like a furnace.

In the parking garage, it was almost empty.

The red Ferrari gleamed under the cold lights, and I opened the passenger door for her without a word. Jamie hesitated. Looked at the car. At me. At the elevator, like she was considering going back up.

“Get in, Jamie.”

“I can take a cab.”

“You could. But you won’t.”

She let out a long sigh and got in. I closed the door. Walked around the car and settled into the driver’s

seat.

The engine growled when I hit the ignition.

The silence between us was thick. The city blurred past the window, neon lights and headlights slicing through the night. She stared straight ahead, fingers laced in her lap.

I reached over. Covered her hand with mine. Felt the texture of her skin, the tendons tense under my fingers.

She didn’t pull away.

I didn’t look at her. Just drove, feeling the warmth of her hand against mine, my thumb tracing a slow circle over her knuckles.

“Simon.”

“Mm?”

10:41 Tue, Sep 29 1 MT.

FAKA DATING WITH BENEFITS MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

“What are I caught her you doing?”

riving.”

“You know what I meant.”

I turned my face for a second. Just one. Enough to find her eyes in the dark.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I just know I can’t stop.”

A silence hung between us.

I turned to look at her again.

This time, my gaze landed on her cheekbone, still marked. Jamie noticed and immediately pulled her hair forward, hiding the bruise.

My jaw locked.

I fixed my eyes back on the road.

She didn’t say anything. Just turned her hand under mine and laced her fingers through mine.

And something in my chest gave way.

I parked in front of her building. Killed the engine.

We sat there for a moment, the silence filled by the distant hum of the city. Jamie looked at the building entrance, then at me.

“Thanks for the ride.”

She reached for the handle, but by the wrist. She turned her face, and I leaned in. Fast. Before she could think about pulling back.

My lips brushed hers. A light touch, almost chaste. A stolen kiss.

“Good night, Collins.”

She stared at me for a second, cheeks flushed, eyes bright in the dark. Then she opened the door and got out without a word.

I watched her walk to the entrance. And right then, an elderly woman with a trash bag in her hand passed by her.

I saw Jamie say something, nod, and force a quick smile. The woman frowned, concerned, and touched her arm gently. From the look on her face, I understood the question before the answer even came.

Are you okay?

Jamie nodded again and went inside.

15:41 Tue, Sep 291 MT.

FAKE DATING WITH BENEFITS: MY BILLIONAIRE BOSS

I waited for the woman to move away to toss the trash. The second she turned her back, I opened the car door and got out.

“Ma’am.”

The woman turned, eyes wide when she saw the Ferrari, then me.

“Good evening, sir.”

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m a friend of Jamie’s.” I glanced at the building entrance, where she’d already disappeared. “Did you see her last night?”

The woman’s face closed up. She hesitated, clutching the trash my bag against her chest./

“You’re a friend of hers?”

“Yes attention. Very close.”

She studied me for a moment. Then she sighed.

“Something horrible happened on Saturday, sir. I was taking out the trash when I saw it.” She lowered her voice. “A man. A man was grabbing her, yelling. Calling her horrible things. ‘Bitch’ and worse.”

My blood ran cold.

“He pushed her. She hit her face on the mailbox.” The woman grimaced. “I screamed, threatened to call the police, and he ran off. But… the mark on her face. It wasn’t small. The bruise must be ugly by now.”

My hand curled slowly… at my side.

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