Naked Canvas (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Sadie Grey Read Free Book Online Page A

what happened whether you meant to do it or not. Who the hell was that, Dominic?”
     
    He ran a hand through his dark, messy hair. “Just someone from my past.”
     
    “‘Just someone from my past,’” I said in a mocking impression of his voice. “Cut the cryptic bullshit.”
     
    His eyes narrowed and glared at me. I glared back.
     
    “Fine,” he said. “Her name is Gillian. We used to date. Briefly.”
     
    “Used to date? She seemed to be pretty pissed off at finding us together. Which doesn’t seem like ‘used to’ to me.”
     
    “I promise you, it’s over. It’s been over for a long time. Gillian was a mistake.”
     
    “Oh yeah, then how did she get into your studio? I saw you lock the door.”
     
    “She had a key.”
     
    “A key? Are you kidding me? Do you give keys to all the girls you date ‘briefly?’”
     
    “No, dammit, she was my assistant. ‘Was’ being the operative word. That’s why she had a key.”
     
    “Oh, there it is. Your assistant. So what, when you were done sleeping with her, you put her to work?”
     
    “No. She started working for me, and we ended up dating for a while. It didn’t work out.”
     
    “Why? Did she catch you cheating with someone else before she caught you cheating with me?”
     
    “You and I weren’t cheating. I ended things with Gillian weeks ago. She wanted all the wrong things from our relationship. Plus, she’s got a hell of a temper.”
     
    “Yeah, well, so do I.”
     
    He studied the angry lines of my face and said nothing.
     
    “So is that it?” I asked. “Are we done?”
     
    “I certainly hope not. Like I said, I had a really good time.”
     
    “Well I didn’t. You got me drunk, had your way with me, and then threw me out of your apartment naked. That’s not my idea of a good time.”
     
    It was his turn to be angry. “First of all, I didn’t throw you out. You ran away before I could stop you.”
     
    “Gillian threw me out and you didn’t stop her .”
     
    “Gillian is a greedy brat with a mean streak. I was trying to calm things down when you bolted. If you had waited like two goddamn minutes, you would have seen me kicking Gillian out. And for the record, I did not get you drunk. Not on purpose.” He leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper. “And you’re the one who came on to me.”
     
    He was breathing heavily and his eyes seemed to blaze at me. His hands were flat on the table and he leaned forward, as if he were about to lunge.
     
    “Because you got me drunk.”
     
    “Is that the only reason? Are you sure?”
     
    “Okay, fine. Maybe we were both having fun. But the end ruined it.” I searched for a way to explain it. “It’s like a piece of the best cake in the world. No matter how good it is, if I find a hair in the last bite, the whole thing is ruined.”
     
    His shoulders loosened and he leaned back in the booth. “Okay. Good point. I really am sorry for that. It was inexcusable. But I promise it will never happen again. I took Gillian’s key away and made it clear that we are finished.”
     
    “What the hell was she doing there anyway?”
     
    “She was trying to get me back. Her timing was extremely unfortunate. She brought over a bottle of wine, which she dropped and I had to clean up. I guess she thought she could get me drunk and have her way with me.” He said it with a little smirk.
     
    “I wonder who she learned that from.”
     
    He grinned. “Listen, I know that you’re mad at me, Angela, but you need to understand that some things are out of our control, like our meeting in art class. Like what happened last night. And like Gillian bursting in and ruining everything. Things happen that we don’t expect. Some good. Some bad. The trick is to stop trying to be in control all the time. I promise, your life will be better for it.”
     
    He stared at me intently as if I was supposed to gather some deep insight from his words. I didn’t know what he was getting at,