Strictly Business by Ace Gray

Author:Ace Gray [Gray, Ace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: -
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2016-01-25T23:00:00+00:00

I woke to someone kicking my foot, and I was going to kill whoever it was. Or rip their goddamned foot off.

“What the fuck?!”

“You feel as crappy as I do?” Laura grumbled at my feet

“Shittier. I don’t know if I can breathe right.” I bit my lip, and closed my eyes.

“I’m guessing that has nothing to do with the booze?”

I shook my head gently against the tile and pushed a single tear aside.

The next few days were a blur. There was crying and working and tequila and more crying. Laura would have me cheered up and then wham! Something would remind me of Bryant and I’d fall apart all over again. I kept up a poker face at work, but I couldn’t focus.

Part of me hated that I was a wreck over a man. The other part of me insisted Nicholas Bryant was far more than just some man. Cell phone photos of us fighting in his lobby had surfaced and the photogs followed me mercilessly. They made me want to give up and hide the way I had in college. Just like college, Laura kept me going.

Throughout the week Kevin was in and out between gigs and press events. I’d been able to tell him that I wasn’t capable of having a relationship. I couldn’t feel my heart, let alone give it to someone else. He let me speak, and insisted he was simply a supportive friend, but it was obvious he was biding his time. He would try to sneak kisses here and there. I found every way imaginable to duck, dive, bob, and weave away from his wanting lips.

I kept telling myself that maybe if I faked it long enough, one day it wouldn’t feel like faking anymore.

And in the spirit of faking it, a week or so later, I agreed to a real date with Kevin. On the outside I smiled, nodded, and even held Kevin’s hand, playing my part perfectly. Inside, everything was off. I wasn’t sure if I was distracted, or numb, or both. I hoped he didn’t notice.

“I get the feeling you’re somewhere else tonight,” Kevin said as he loosened his hand from mine and shoved it into his pocket.

Shit. He noticed.

“Kevin…”

We’d made it all the way back to my building before he brought it up, but my heart sank all the same. I hated hurting his feelings, and not having a rebuttal was even worse. I looked down at my hands and played with the thin gold ring on my middle finger. The only sound on the sidewalk was clicking shutters and paparazzi questions.

When I stayed silent, his lips set into a hard, thin line and his brow crinkled. I watched him, studying his face, hoping it would tell me what to say or how to fix this. I was desperately deciphering when he lunged at me, mashing his lips to mine. Kevin bound me to him. Heat emanated from the shower of flashbulbs that rained down on us. I tried to push him away but couldn’t get any leverage against his body.

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