All Chapters of Empire State Enemies: An Enemies-to-Lovers Billionaire Roman: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

TWENTY-ONELexi“We’re on Quinn & Wolfe’s dime for this, right?” Kayla asks, eyeing a cocktail that’s literally on fire on the bar.“Yep,” I reply. We’re “casually” hanging out in the Orchid Room, yet another pretentious establishment under Connor’s hotel empire. The place where he plans to very publicly woo Willow, and I’m here to ensure the bloggers and paparazzi don’t miss a second.I’m jittery as hell, but I’m also feeling kind of fierce in my outfit. I unzip my NSFW bodycon leather dress even further down my front. The front zipper goes all the way from my tits to my bits with no stops in between. Decided to go braless tonight—nothing’s cramping my style. Although, gotta admit, this dress is a bit snugger than I remember. Wrestling the zipper up felt like a workout. I’m pretty sure if I sneeze, my bust will pop out.“So, what’s our spending cap?” Kayla asks eagerly, scanning the menu.I shrug. “Connor didn’t give me one.”Her eyes gleam. “We can order anything? Even their top-she

Pulse galloping, I let my hand drop obediently.Willow looks murderous now, her smile dried up. Oh yeah, we’ve gone off-script big time. Again.“I hope the press didn’t catch that little show,” she snaps, blinking aggressively enough to sprain something. Her insanely long lashes have to be fake. I’ve never managed to successfully glue a strip of falsies onto my stubborn lids.Connor, meanwhile, looks like he’s swallowing glass, his gaze burning a hole into me before he abruptly looks away. He shoves his hands in his pocket with a gruff cough.“You guys should head to your table,” I say, wanting them away.Far, far away.Connor just grunts, shaking his head as he steers Willow off, hand on her back.Little prickles of awareness I don’t want to acknowledge dance down my spine as I watch him attentively settle her into her seat, his big hand lingering almost possessively on her bare shoulder. Willow preens under the PDA.“Well, fuck me sideways,” I hiss to Kayla. “That was . . .” I trail

“I know them. Vicky and I run in the same circles.” Mason’s casual tone holds a hint of amusement from around the corner. “She’s a handful. Your PR girl tonight, Lexi, she seems all right.”A knot of unease twists in my belly. Please don’t say anything demeaning, Connor.“Her? Wouldn’t waste your time, man. She’s probably already eyeing your black AmEx and loosening that dress zipper on cue.”His ugly words land like an open-palmed slap. So, after everything, Connor still sees me as nothing more than a gold-digger? That’s his takeaway from our interactions?Pain and outrage flood me. I pivot back toward the bar, blinking furious tears, refusing to shed them over this jerk. For a second, I want to go full-on Braveheart and let out a primal scream of rage.So I’m just a walking punchline to him. A joke PR girl, from a joke firm, who jokes her way into men’s wallets.I glance down at my cheap pleather dress and even cheaper shoes and fly past Willow who looks like Blake freaking Lively,

He cocks an eyebrow, clearly entertained by my snark. “Gotta say, it looks better on you.”I make a noise between a scoff and grunt. Connor throwing compliments, no matter how half-baked, instead of his usual barbs throws me. He doesn’t get to do that after spending all night with Willow.“Irrelevant,” I snap. “Can we discuss prepping for the interview now?” I need to get us back on safer ground. The fact that Connor can still knock me off-balance so easily is an irritation I’d rather not examine too closely.◆◆◆I’m just escaping Connor’s office when Nurse Ratched calls. My stomach drops, knowing it’s never happy news from Brenda.“Your mom’s had a nasty flare,” she barks, skipping any kind of hello. “Needs you here straight away.”I jab the elevator button as my gut swoops. “Is she okay? What’s going on?”“She’s had increased breathing struggles, chest tightness. We re-stabilized her oxygen, but she’s back on supplementary gas flow.”Ah, the oxygen tank, Mom’s most hated accessory.

Brooke, the red-head, leans in, intrigued. “Small world, isn’t it? You guys knew each other before this?”Lexi freezes, an appetizer suspended in midair. Oh, this is just too good. I’m dying to hear what fairy tale she’s spun for her crew.I smirk. “We go way back. Lexi told you the story of how we met, right?”She chokes on a shrimp, mayo smearing her cheek. “Oh, well, uh, Connor knew my cousin Gigi from way back . . . Not much to tell, really.”“Gigi,” I drawl, laying it on thick. “What a story there. Such a tragic turn of events.”All eyes glue to me, hooked. I lean in, milking it. “Ten years behind bars for luxury car theft. Tough break.” I tsk, shaking my head. “She was quite the firecracker. Shame, really. She had so much potential.”Vicky looks at Lexi accusingly. “You never mentioned any of this, Lexi!”Lexi’s smile is strained to snapping point. “Just didn’t think it was relevant.”I raise my glass, a sly grin playing on my lips. “Ah, Gigi. We were quite the item back in the