Free Seduce by Missy Johnson

there’s no way I’d miss this.” I gestured to her bump. “How’s the baby going? When are you due again?”
    Sally smiled, her hand caressing her stomach. “Six more weeks,” she said. I could hear the excitement in her voice. Luke, who stood beside her, was smiling too. Unlike me, he’d been ready to become a father the moment he got engaged. It’s like he was born for this shit.
    “Sorry I’m late,” I added, making a face. I felt out of place around all these happy, friendly faces. People who were satisfied with their lives depressed me.
    Sally laughed. “It’s fine. Believe it or not, you’re not the last one here. My sister’s late too.”
    “Your sister. That’s right.” I thought back to their wedding night. Vague flashbacks shot through my mind of the young girl running around on a sugar high, screaming for more candy.
    Sally’s mother smiled at me. “Nice to meet you again, Jack.”
    “It’s lovely to meet you again, Mrs. Gale,” I said smoothly, as if we were old friends. I reached forward to shake her hand, her face lighting up as I turned on my charm.
    “So what have you been up to, Jack? Are you still working for your father?”
    I had forgotten that my father and Sally’s parents knew each other. They ran in the same circles and attended the same functions.
    “Yes, still working for Dad. I’m now CEO of the London Company, which is fantastic but it doesn’t really be much time to myself.” I laughed and made a face, not feeling the least bit guilty about making myself out to be a workaholic. Luke smirked and rolled his eyes at me, knowing just how hard I played. Sally and her mother disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Luke and I alone with her father.
    “Did you want a drink?” Luke asked. I nodded. Fuck, I was dying for a drink.
    “Ah, yes that would be great. A beer?” I said, pretty sure Sally’s father would frown upon me having scotch at eleven in the morning. Luke disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Sally’s father. We eyed each other awkwardly, neither of us speaking. Well, this was fun.
    “So how have you been?” I asked easily, taking a seat on the couch. I may have felt nervous, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to show it. Jack Falcon never gave anything away.
    “Not bad. You know how it is, I’m sure. You work hard, and then you work even more!” he laughed heartily at his joke, obviously finding his own sense of humor quite amusing. I laughed politely.
    I discreetly reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. No missed calls and no messages. I tried to convince myself that I hadn’t been expecting to hear from her, which was crap. She didn’t even have my number, but my mind had decided it was plausible that she might’ve checked the incoming calls on the phone she called from my phone the night her car broke down. I’m not crazy at all, right?
    The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts. Mr. Gale jumped up, muttering something to himself about tardiness and respect. I chuckled, getting the feeling that he and his daughter had a similar relationship to me and my father. I rested my head back against the seat, closing my eyes for a moment. I had one fucking hell of a headache and I didn’t think it was planning on going away anytime soon. In the hallway, I could hear Mr. Gale arguing with his daughter. I shook my head, glad it wasn’t me in his firing line. He seemed like a man who held a grudge.
    “Annabelle, this is Jack Falcon, a good friend of Luke’s,” Mr. Gale announced. I looked up with my usual smile ready on my lips, knowing I didn’t need to do much to make a good impression. If there’s one thing I did right, it was impress women. It was the only thing I did right.
    The smile froze on my lips. What. The. Fuck.
    The blood drained from my face as the realization hit me that Sally’s sister Annabelle was my Belle. The same girl I had fucked last night on the bed, in the shower, and on the kitchen bench was standing