Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
It had been three weeks since I’d caught my boyfriend cheating on me. I kept replaying that moment over and over—seeing Brad’s smirk, and hearing the ridicule in his voice as he said, “Took you long enough to figure it out.” I was so tired of this perpetual misery.
If only I could be like Hal and channel my hurt and anger into something constructive, but I wasn’t there yet. For now, all I wanted was to shake up Brad’s perfect little world.
It was the only way to feel like I was the one in control for a change.
Once I accomplished that, I could get on with my life. I’d figure out how to put this behind me. I’d quit my job in the aftermath of all that turmoil, but I’d find a new one. I’d pick up the pieces of my shattered life and try to heal.
After a while, I sat up and scrubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. I’d shed enough tears over this, and now it was time for action. I climbed off the bed and straightened my posture.
There were things I needed to do, plans to set in motion. That welcome home party was tomorrow night. It was my only chance to convince Malcolm Sterling he needed me in his life—even if it was just for the next couple of weeks.
2
Daniel
Most of the next afternoon was spent primping. After getting a haircut, I came home and pressed my suit and shirt. That was followed by nearly an hour in the bathroom, where I douched, took a long shower, and shaved almost every inch of my body.
Some of that might not have been necessary, since sleeping with Malcolm Sterling tonight wasn’t actually part of the plan. If we ended up having sex, it was strictly because it felt right to both of us in the moment, not because I was trying to seduce him.
Besides, the goal here wasn’t to end up as yet another one-night stand. I’d had a million of those, and no doubt he had, too. Instead, I wanted to convince him to let me be his date to his sister’s wedding, which was only about two weeks away.
That was doable, right? I was still young and cute enough to be arm candy…wasn’t I?
As I paused to scrutinize myself in the bathroom mirror, doubts began to creep in. What was it about me that hadn’t been enough for my ex-boyfriend? What had caused him to cheat on me? Why hadn’t he—
I glared at my reflection and whispered, “Quit it.” I was letting Brad chip away at my self-confidence, which was the same thing Hal’s ex had done to him. Fuck that.
It wasn’t my fault that Brad had cheated on me. He’d done it because he was a prick who must have enjoyed the thrill of getting away with an affair right under my nose. He could have broken up with me, but instead, he chose to sneak around. It had probably made fucking his boss extra exciting, which meant I’d basically been his aphrodisiac. I shuddered as I left the bathroom.
I’d selected a gorgeous royal blue suit for the party, which I’d recently found at a consignment shop. All it had needed was an easy alteration to shorten the pants and sleeves, since I wasn’t the tallest guy out there. Now it fit perfectly. I paired it with a pink shirt that did nice things for my complexion, and finished the look with my best pair of loafers. Then I assessed the end result in the full-length mirror on my closet door.
This was truly the best I could do. I’d spent a long time debating going with something sexier and more casual, but this sent the right message. I looked successful, maybe even like I came from money, so hopefully I’d blend in at this soiree. The last thing I wanted was to draw the host’s attention and get kicked out in front of Malcolm Sterling and his snooty friends. Talk about humiliating.
I decided to check Instagram to see if there were any party updates, so I grabbed my phone. Of course, the host had already posted a bunch of photos with expensive bottles of champagne, hors d’oeuvres heaped with caviar, lavish floral arrangements, and the first few A-list guests to arrive. That was typical, since this guy loved nothing more than to show off.
The most recent photo was of a grand piano with the caption: Still waiting for our guest of honor, my good friend legendary composer #MalcolmSterling. When I clicked on the hashtag, dozens of photos of Malcolm popped up—none of which had been posted by him. He had a slight frown in every picture, as if he really didn’t want to be in front of a camera.
I zoomed in on one shot and studied him closely. He was undeniably handsome, with a dash of bohemian artist thrown in for good measure. His slightly curly, shoulder-length hair was in the process of going gray, and he had a short beard, which looked good on him. The fact that his tortoiseshell glasses had a bit of style to them made me think he was more self-aware than his all-black, somewhat wrinkled wardrobe might suggest. And I loved the fact that he and Brad didn’t even sort of look alike, because that would have been weird.