Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry,” she repeats. “I got sloppy and didn’t think.”
I take a deep breath, steeling myself. “It’s not all your fault. I got sloppy too. I can’t believe I kept on jewelry that didn’t belong to me and . . . what was I thinking? That’s not how Moth to the Flame wants me to influence people to buy their jewelry. It’s my fault that you and Tyler were even able to make the connection between my profiles.”
Sloane nods, her eyes still filled with guilt. “Maybe, but I’m the one who accessed the site from work. I should have known better. I’m so fucking sorry.”
We sit in silence for a moment, both lost in our own thoughts. The weight of the situation hangs heavy between us.
“He may drop it,” she says as she takes a sip of her drink. “Trust what I said.”
“Maybe.” But I don’t believe it. Something tells me that Tyler knows the gold mine he’s sitting on and is going to use this information to his gain. “Let’s think this through. What’s the worst-case scenario?”
Sloane grimaces. “Tyler tells HR, and we both lose our jobs. The news spreads through the office grapevine, and suddenly everyone knows about your . . . extracurricular activities.”
I wince at the thought. “And the best-case scenario?”
“Tyler does nothing, and this all blows over,” Sloane says, but her tone suggests she doesn’t believe it either. “At least Tyler didn’t get to see you having sex or anything. It was just a little showing off.”
Picturing Tyler watching me at all makes me want to puke. “Ugh that doesn’t make me feel better. And umm . . . that’s not exactly true,” I admit, remembering my most recent video with Jack. “I may have done something . . .” I trail off, unable to finish the sentence. Sloane’s eyes widen.
“What?” she whispers. “What did you do?”
I take a deep breath. “I . . . I made a video. With Jack. On Christmas Eve.”
Sloane’s jaw drops. “You made a sex tape? With Jack! The fireman? And posted it on Dark Secrets?”
I nod, feeling my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “It was stupid, I know. We got caught up in the moment, and it seemed exciting at the time. I never thought . . .” I release a deep breath that comes out as a groan. “I never thought Tyler would be watching. Fuck my life.”
“Oh God,” Sloane groans, putting her head in her hands. “This is worse than I thought. If Tyler saw that . . .”
“I know,” I say, my voice barely audible. “I’m so screwed.”
We sit in silence for a moment, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Finally, Sloane asks, “Wait. What happened to that online watcher dude you were talking to? The one that you hooked up with at Naughty and Nice?”
“WinterWatcher and Jack are the same person,” I answer. “I know, I know. Crazy. And that’s what I came here to tell you about.”
Sloane’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Wait, what? Jack is WinterWatcher? How did that happen?”
I take a deep breath, trying to focus on the positive memory amidst all this chaos. “It’s a long story, but basically Jack figured out that BlackAsChlo was me due to my sloppy antics and showing my face. And he reached out, and well . . . yeah, he’s the mystery man and has been all along. I discovered WinterWatcher was Jack as we were having sex and he pulled off my blindfold. It was shocking, confusing as hell, but also hot as hell. Part of me knew I should be mad, but my body exploded in happiness it was him. I always wanted Jack deep down. I wanted him to make a move. And well . . . he did. In his own way.”
Sloane shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips despite the gravity of our situation. “That’s . . . actually kind of romantic. In a very modern, kinky way.”
I can’t suppress a smile a little too, remembering that moment. “It was. It really was. And then we spent Christmas together, and it was just . . . perfect.” My smile fades as I remember our current predicament. “And now this.”
Sloane nods, her expression turning serious again. “Maybe I can convince him it’s in his best interest to drop this all together. If he tries to accuse you, he’ll have to admit he was looking at the site too. And making an untrue accusation about you is grounds for a lawsuit. I’ll try to scare him.”
“True,” I say, feeling a glimmer of hope. “And he accessed it from work, just like you did. That could get him in trouble too.”
Sloane nods enthusiastically. “Exactly. We could use that as our own leverage.”
I take a sip of my drink, my mind racing as I notice that the snow is starting to fall. “I really should get back before it gets too ugly out there.”