Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“And then you fucked her?” Gabe isn’t taking any prisoners. The betrayal in his voice on Allie’s behalf is palpable.
“That wasn’t my idea.” Oliver shakes his head, denial taking over. “I warned everyone at the start. I tried to steer the group away from that. I tried to leave but I could see she felt rejected because of it. And I couldn’t take it any further without revealing my identity. It would have ruined the whole assignment.”
“So, you put work first and Allie’s welfare second?” Theron says. There’s guilt in his tone too, the impact of his proposal smacking us all in the face.
“I put the work first for the magazine and for Allie.”
A few of the men shake their heads as though they don’t believe what they’re hearing.
“All I want is what’s best for Allie. I never wanted to hurt her.”
“But you have.” Tom leans against the wall, his face a mask of concern for the girl who has become the center of our world these past few days.
“You can’t possibly promote her now, can you? It will look like the worst kind of nepotism.” Stefan might be Oliver’s friend, but he’s articulating perfectly what we’re all thinking. The impact of Oliver’s actions isn’t just that Allie’s been exposed and humiliated, it’s damaged her professional reputation too.
“I wanted her. I craved her. I couldn’t refuse what she obviously wanted. I was weak and selfish. Now this is out, I don’t know what to do.” He shakes his head hopelessly.
“The terrible truth is that powerful men make it through sex scandals, but the women they’re involved with don’t.” It’s a reminder to him that the power dynamic between them was so heavily weighted in his favor.
“This is all my fault,” he says. “I should never…but I just couldn’t resist her. Not when she looked at me with those soft, pretty eyes…”
We all understand that part to our very bones. Allie’s sweetness is like a balm. Allie’s smile lights up a whole room. Allie’s spark and intelligence take her appeal to a whole other level. She’s perfection, and not just to me, but to all the men here.
“There’s no point in going over the whys now,” Carson says bluntly. “Now we need to come up with a plan to help our girl. She’s out there by herself with the world coming down on her. I don’t even want to think about what she’s going through with none of us there to protect her and support her.”
“We don’t even know where she lives,” Jimmy says, rubbing his hand over his weary face.
“I do. It’s in her personnel file.”
Carson shakes his head at Oliver’s admission. “That’s creepy as fuck, dude. But also a relief. I say we all get dressed and pack up our stuff. This thing here is over. And then we head out to Allie’s.”
“You think we should all just turn up on her doorstep like a mob?” Clay asks. He has a point. As much as I’d love us to handle this like the strong group we are, if Allie’s hurting, facing us all could make everything worse for her.
“I need to explain,” Oliver says. “I need her to understand. And then I need to make plans with her on how to approach the media coverage.”
“You’re forgetting we’re all in those photos.” Jimmy holds up the phone. “Carson, Clay, Jonas and Theron are also clearly visible if you zoom in.”
“I don’t give a fuck about that,” Theron says. “My boys will all slap me on the back for having some hot sex. The sex double standard is alive and well.”
“Yeah, I’m not bothered either.” Carson shrugs. “Tattooists are expected to be beasts in the sack.”
Clay nods in agreement with his friend.
“It’ll probably do my personal training business good,” Jonas says. “I mean, I look good in those photos.”
It’s a moment of lightness in a situation which seems hopeless and everyone laughs tightly, like we needed the break in the intensity of our response.
All the feelings that I’ve built up for Allie since arriving in this house are curled up inside me in a tight ball. It’s not something I wanted to feel. I’m not ready for a relationship, but Allie’s made me want to be.
None of us have gone as far as to admit we want more, but I suspect I’m not alone. I’ve seen the longing looks cast in her direction. I’ve seen the smiles, the gentle touches and the thoughtful gestures. There’s more than one man in this house who is harboring the start of deep feelings for Allie.
And if that’s the case, how would it even work?
I guess she’d have to pick between us. We could discuss it and come up with an approach. Maybe she has a favorite. But even as I think about it, the idea that she’s secretly crushing on just one of us seems ridiculous. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have been able to be with us all.