The CEO's Contractual Wife

Chapter 26

Olivia

In the elevator, I caught him staring at my reflection in the mirrored walls.

“See something you like?” I asked, throwing his earlier words back at him.

His eyes met mine in the mirror. “Several things.”

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the heat spreading through my body. The elevator continued its descent, the silence between us electric.

“You need to understand something,” Alexander said, his voice low. “In public, you’re my girlfriend. Not my employee, not my contractual wife–to–be. My girlfriend.”

“I get it,” I replied, adjusting the necklace he’d fastened around my neck.

“I don’t think you do.” He stepped closer, his chest nearly touching my back. “This isn’t just about appearances. The entire arrangement collapses if this plan fails because you can’t maintain the facade.”

I turned to face him, finding myself trapped between his body and the elevator wall. “I can act like your girlfriend, Alexander. I’m not an idiot.”

“Alex,” he corrected. “When we’re together, you call me Alex. Girlfriends use nicknames.”

“Fine, Alex.” The shortened name felt strangely intimate on my tongue. “And what will you call me? Liv?”

Something darkened in his eyes. “Among other things.”

The elevator doors slid open before I could respond. Alexander placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me across the lobby. His touch was light but possessive, sending tingling up my spine.

“Even in front of your driver?” I whispered as we approached the building’s exit.

“Especially in front of my driver,” he murmured against my ear. “Everyone in my life must believe this is real. No exceptions.” “Okay,” I agreed, leaning slightly into his touch despite myself.

he said as we stepped outside into the cool evening air. “Grandfather wants to see the

flipped. “That’s

slid from my back to my

how good

everything else in his life. Alex opened

than necessary, his thigh pressing against mine. The car

we going?” I asked, acutely aware

he replied, his hand finding my knee. “Best steak in the

red fabric of my dress is fingers traced small circles on my

asked, his voice low

meeting his gaze

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Chapter 26

all. Just follow

higher on my thigh, fingers dancing along the edge of

he murmured, eyes dropping to where the fabric dipped between my breasts. “Red suits you.” “I think you just like how much skin it shows,” I replied,

of my exposed thigh. “But can you blame

had never made me feel. “You clean up pretty well yourself,” I said, running my finger

He raised an eyebrow, feigning

leaned closer, inhaling his

and

higher, finding the sensitive skin where my thigh met my hip. “I like hearing

my voice dropping to a whisper,

everything,” he countered, his eyes never

possessive and warm. The car slowed, pulling up to the restaurant entrance. Alexander reluctantly withdrew his

stepping onto a stage. The

over white tablecloths. A

dining room. His touch was confident, proprietary, as if he’d been touching me like this for years