Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 173733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 869(@200wpm)___ 695(@250wpm)___ 579(@300wpm)
“Maybe you can put that in your book with Danny boy. Maybe you can even turn me into a monster defending a monster.”
“No,” I breathe out, hit hard by those words, and I don’t even know why. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”
“But you need to sell books. However you can sell them, right?”
“That’s not who I am. I know you know that.”
His voice softens ever so slightly. “I barely know you, Cat.”
“Then don’t judge me. My publisher set this up, and—”
“You should have warned me.”
“This is my job. We aren’t dating.”
“Right. Just fucking. No. Wrong. We aren’t even fucking. We were waiting while you milked me for more than an orgasm. And now I know where I went wrong with you. The minute I heard you were a reporter, I should have pulled your skirt up and had my one and done, and got you the fuck out of my system.”
“Stop being an asshole.”
“It’s who I am, per you.”
“You’re reading this all wrong, and you’re—”
“I don’t want more information,” he bites out. “Let’s keep this simple but not sweet. Hard and fast. Hard and long. As long as it ends. I’m in. If you want to fuck. Let’s fuck.”
“You ruined the joy of that little adventure.”
“Fine,” he says. “If you change your mind, if you want your one and done, call me. Otherwise, don’t.” He turns and walks away, leaving me on the sidewalk, staring after him as he re-enters the building.
I take a step to follow him and quite possibly punch him, but several high-profile lawyers walk into the hotel behind him. And I amend my earlier statement. Meeting here wasn’t stupid. I have nothing to hide with Dan. With Reese, it’s different. We’re one big, combustible ball of angry, sex-driven tension that’s hard to miss if you’re in the same room with us.
Rotating, I start an angry walk toward my apartment, and with every step I take, that anger vibrates through me. Being pissed off morphs into images of my ex screwing his secretary and a playlist of his lies. Reese didn’t deny being burned. He didn’t deny that it was driving his reactions to me now. Damn it, I’ve seen beneath the asshole. It’s a wall. I get it. I have my own. My anger plummets.
I make it one block and I dial Reese’s number. He doesn’t answer. I walk another block and try again. He doesn’t answer. I start getting angry all over again. This emotional rollercoaster and attempts to contact him repeat for seven blocks until I stop walking. At which point I realize that he must think that I’m actually calling for sex. Now he’s toying with me the way he thinks I’ve toyed with him.
I turn around and start walking back toward him.
This ends tonight, one way or the other.
Chapter nine
Reese
If she calls and suddenly wants to fuck right now, I’m right about her. She’s a fame-grubbing bitch.
Those were my thoughts when I left her outside the hotel and rejoined my legal team. Elsa, who is strong-willed, and Richard, who will never be strong-willed enough for lead in a case like this one, but makes up for it with his genius. Tonight, though, both are worried, fretting over the client they too believe to be innocent. “Focus on what we can affect,” I say, and in the next fifteen minutes, we review what that means, while Cat calls me three times, leaving no messages.
I don’t answer. She’s obviously freaking out. She wants to fuck. She wants to work herself back inside the story with me. Every second that passes, I get more pissed. I don’t let anyone trigger my anger, but Cat has me churning anger like it’s fuel. I’m also at my wits end with Elsa, who is rehashing the day over and over.
“Focus on what we can affect,” I repeat. “The future we can control. Ideally, you two find me the real killer by the time we get there.” They gape at my massive demand, but I’ve learned that you don’t get anything you don’t ask for. Maybe that’s my problem with Cat. Until tonight, I never outright said, let’s fuck. I never outright pushed her to get naked with me, and I know from that kiss that I could have. But I wasn’t all about one and done, for once, but then neither was she, no matter what she claimed. That wouldn’t have worked out for her.
I offer my credit card to the waitress, and glance between Richard and Elsa. “Go get some sleep. We’ll meet at my apartment at noon tomorrow and we’ll stay there until Monday morning, if that’s what it takes to find our confession.” I glance at Elsa. “Get that private eye we hired to meet us there.”
“He sucks, Reese,” she says. “What’s the point?”
“I have to agree,” Richard states. “We’re on our own. I have a tech bud who can hack—”