Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 15945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 53(@300wpm)
I walk away from my suitcase and over to her. Pulling her into my arms, I kiss her like she is my everything. She is. In the last week she has become as vital as my heart. Maybe even more. The chase has made my love for her stronger. I just haven’t told her because I am trying not to scare her. Hell, I haven’t introduced her to my family for the same reason. My mom would smother her to death considering she is the first girl I am going to take home. “You have the week that I am gone to get your head on board with your heart and body baby. When I return, everything will move forward.”
“What does that mean?” She asked, biting her cheek, barely meeting my eyes.
“That means you will be living with me, wearing my ring, pregnant with my baby within two weeks.” She didn't comment but she didn’t try to rebut me either.
She saw me off at the airport, and now here I am at some damn club with a bunch of drunk Japanese old men and my assistant, and all I can think about is my sweetness back home. I tried to call her this morning and see how she was doing, but she didn’t answer. We did text one another last night. She was with her mom, baking cookies then heading to the consulate to translate for a trafficking victim being brought in. “Mr. Lotus, come drink with us,” Mr. Tanaka insists, standing over me while I am sitting on the couch. I don’t know what any of this has to do with the deal we are trying to put away.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. strait-laced himself.” Shit. There is only one voice that makes me cringe like that. I turn from the bar and look toward the screeching sound. “Aren’t you going to say hi to me?” My nose scrunches up as I look into the face of my ex, Grace.
“What are you doing here, Grace?” I ask her, making sure to heighten my disdain so she doesn’t mistake it for anything else.
“Working. The same as you.” Yeah. I’m sure she is. She walks closer to me and leans in my ear. “Come on, A. You can’t still be mad about..”
“I am not mad. As a matter of fact, if you hadn’t fucked my best friend, I might have made the mistake of thinking we had something. Now I know what real love looks like. Now if you will excuse me.” I move to get around her, but she stops me, her pungent perfume making me want to puke. She leans into my ear.
“Same fucking asshole as usual.” Before I can move away from her, she turns, wraps her arms around my neck, leans her head slightly to the side and then I see a camera flash. I push her off me, and move, walking over Mr. Tanaka.
“I am going to the hotel. I will see you in the boardroom.” Without a backwards glance I walk out, pissed to have been in that shithole in the first place.
Back in my room, I pull out my phone and call Hope. “Hello.” Jesus I love her sweet voice.
“Hey baby. What are you doing?”
“Getting dressed to go meet a friend from work.” The growl happens instantly before I ask who.
“It better be a woman.”
“It just so happens it is. But, if it wasn’t?” I smile, picturing her hand on her hip.
“Then I would be spanking your sexy ass as soon as I get home.” She gasps and then clears her throat.
“Whatever. What are you still doing awake. Isn’t it past your carefully planned bedtime?” Smart ass. But she is not wrong.
“I just got in from a work function. I am going to bed. I just wanted to hear your voice so I can sleep.” She snorts and then mumbles whatever, although I can tell she is smiling.
“Well sweet dreams, Ross.”
“Have a good day baby. Be good.” She doesn’t respond and hangs up. Now I get to close my eyes and picture her.
Bzz. Bzz. Fuck. Who is calling me a fuck a clock in a the morning? Lifting my phone, I see it is my sister. My alarm bells go off and I jump up, sitting on the side of the bed. “What’s wrong? Is it mom or dad?”
“Good morning to you too, big brother. I see you have been conducting more than business in Japan,” she teases in her bratty voice.
“Are you fucking shitting me right now, Leighton. This is why you woke me up?”
“No. I woke you up because I thought you would want to know once again you are the topic of the newsfeed, making out with your ex-girlfriend, Grace. Everyone is up in arms about a reconciliation.” My mind races to last night and I remember the camera flash. Then it all makes sense. I put my sister on speaker phone and open up my Google app. There is fucking living color is the photo of me and Grace. It pisses me off further when I see how she angled herself over me, which explains her change of position in the seconds before the flash. To anyone looking, especially my Hope, it looks like we were kissing.