Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 81767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
“Thank you for coming,” I say.
“Of course.” Marco takes a large swig of his drink. “I couldn’t keep my favorite girl waiting. Or wait.” He leans forward and mockingly says, “Wouldn’t that make you a cheating whore?”
The words sting. Marco has never called me a name before, but it’s certainly not the first time I’ve heard it. It will take much more than that to rattle me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I respond evenly and set down my drink.
Marco chuckles. “If you’re going to be this stupid, you could at least take the ring off, Fiora. Or cover up your damn hickeys.”
My hand freezes on the wine stem. Braken’s engagement ring sits pretty on my finger, a flashy reminder that I’m a taken woman, just like the marks on my neck. I have nothing to be ashamed of, but my cheeks heat anyway. The story is bound to get out some time soon, but this is really fucking bad timing.
“You and I are not an item, Marco.” I match his narrowed eyes. “In case you’ve forgotten, you never wanted to put a label on it.”
“Ah, right, because this is all my fault,” he mocks, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. Even in his best suit, tie, shoes, and expensive watch, he looks like a child playing dress-up rather than a near thirty-year-old man. “You’re never blameless, are you?”
“What would I have blame for?”
“For fucking embarrassing me last night,” Marco hisses, voice dangerously low. “I guess a little dick is all it takes for you to forget your manners.”
If I didn’t need to contain my anger, this expensive wine would be all over his face and suit. Instead, I have to drink it and pretend I’m not burning up on the inside.
“What I do is none of your business,” I answer. “You embarrassed yourself by showing up uninvited.”
Marco laughs so loudly, he catches the attention of the table next to us. “Uninvited. Right. Because that’s all I am to the Godwins, isn’t it? Dirt beneath your shoes.”
“Dirt has a use, Marco,” I shoot back, sliding my finished wine glass onto the table. “What good is a police officer who won’t even look into a murder?”
“Fuck off, Fiora,” Marco seethes. His entire face contorts in anger and makes me sit back in my seat. I’ve seen so many of Marco’s emotions over the years. Pain after getting shot in the line of duty, sadness when a friend died in a shootout, but I’ve never seen this look. It’s full of malice and hatred—all directed at me. “Why would I help you? You have to offer something to get something in return, and since you’re used goods, you can’t do shit for me.”
Heat flames my entire neck and face. So that’s all I am to him? A trophy to be conquered, a pussy to be had? If only I had more wine because I want to drown my stupidity in cabernet sauvignon.
“I can’t get back all that time and effort I wasted on you,” Marco spits, swirling his wine around in his glass. “So, I might as well enjoy the spoils, huh?”
That’s rich, because I’m the one who wasted so much of my time and love on someone who only saw me as a means to an end.
“It seems we’re in agreement then. A waste of time,” I respond, dabbing my lips with my napkin. I already ordered appetizers for us, but I’m not in the mood to eat a meal with this asshole. “Enjoy it while you can.”
“Right, ’cause you got a bit of rich dick and suddenly don’t have time for anyone else anymore.” His laugh is as icy as the glare he gives me. “I should have taken you when I had the chance. At least gotten something for my troubles. But no, I had to keep you pure for Daddy. After all that, I’m not good enough for you and Daddy anymore?”
A few of the patrons around us whisper and stare, and I try to block them out. I guess this is why he wanted to have lunch here. He merely wants to embarrass me and my family in front of people who know exactly who the Godwins are.
“You’re a little slut, Fiora. That’s all you are. Giving blowjobs to the first man who shows you attention.”
Marco lifts his hand, and I instinctively flinch back. The murmuring grows louder around us, but it’s drowned out by the rush of blood to my ears. I stare at the open palm he has above my head with wide eyes. Is he going to hit me? His hand is shaking with rage, and he flexes his hand into a fist above the flower centerpiece. Oh my God, he’s going to punch me. He wouldn’t… would he? His reputation would be ruined, and he’d miss out on the promotion he’d been working so hard for.