Chapter 3
“Excuse me?”
Shooting Mr. Italy a glare, I straightened my spine and not so patiently waited for him to laugh or apologize. Or anything else, really. Because if he was serious, he needed the help only a professional establishment could provide.
“Name your price,” he drawled. He pulled something from his pocket and wiped the bench before sitting beside me. Still flashing that too-bright smile, he shifted his body sideways and slung one leg over the other.
Now painfully aware of my disheveled state, I arched a brow and crossed my arms. “Comfy?”
“Incredibly.”
If we were in a cartoon, his teeth would have had that eye-blinding sparkle. It was annoying. He was annoying.
“All right, this has been…weird. And I’m leaving now.”
I moved to get up, but his hand shot out, palm facing me.
“Wait, please. I couldn’t help but overhear the riveting conversation you were having with yourself and, of course, the call with your mamma.”
“Has anyone ever told you it’s rude to eavesdrop?”
He shrugged. “Not my fault your voice carries or that you drew the attention of everyone around when you stomped over to this bench, muttering curses loud enough for the poor people at the Empire State Building to hear you.”
A rush of heat slipped into my cheeks. I’d been so furious with Anthony, I still didn’t remember much after I’d slapped him in the bathroom. But this guy didn’t need to know that. Forcing ice into my tone, I bit out, “Exactly how long have you been watching me?”
He didn’t even flinch. “Oh, pretty much since you arrived”—he flicked his wrist and tugged his jacket and shirt up a few inches to reveal a thick silver watch and slivers of what I presumed to be a tattoo— “almost two hours ago.”
Two hours?
I’d been sitting here for two freaking hours already! How the heck was that even possible?
“Back to my proposal,” Mr. Italy said, his voice all rich and velvety. “I have this friend who desperately needs a wife—”
“He must be quite a catch if he has you scouring the local parks searching for his future missus.” I shook my head, barely containing an eye roll.
Unfazed, Mr. Italy threw his head back and barked a laugh I assumed most women found attractive. Hell, I bet they found all of him a lot more than just attractive. And maybe if I wasn’t so pissed off, I would have, too.
But as it stood, someone had already made a fool of me once today—twice if you counted the whole Fiona incident—and I wasn’t about to let it happen again.
“I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing but, buddy, today is not the day, and I am most definitely not the one. Go get your kicks somewhere else.”
I was angry that I’d sat there and listened to him for so long, so I pushed to my feet. He did, too. And before I could take even a single step, he grabbed my wrist and smacked a card against my palm.
“No games. My friend finds himself in quite a predicament, and by the sounds of it, so do you.”
I tried to free my arm, but he held on too tight.
“Just think about it, and when you realize exactly what I’m offering, call me.”
Then he disappeared as if he’d never even been there. I would have believed it, too, if it hadn’t been for the black card stuck to my palm.
The card I should have just tossed in the nearest bin but inspected instead.
Rafael de Luca
PR Manager
Orologio Media
Flipping the card over, I trailed my thumb over the intricate foil clock in shiny gold, which matched the lettering on the front.
What if he wasn’t lying?
I couldn’t just set my parents up for a while, but I could actually start over. Maybe even start the event-planning business I’d been thinking about for some time…
Or I could just come back down to earth and figure out the mess that was my life right now. Starting with where the heck I was going to sleep tonight.
Because there was no way in hell I was staying in that apartment with Anthony and his…women.
The thought alone shoved a fresh batch of bile up my throat just as another shudder rattled its way down my spine.
Ugh. How had I been so blind?
I didn’t have an answer, or maybe the obvious one staring me right in the damn face was the one I wasn’t willing to admit.
Whatever it was, no amount of wondering would change what had happened. The important thing now was to get out and move on as best I could.
This was precisely what I planned on doing when I returned to the apartment a few minutes later. With any luck, Anthony and his posse would be long gone, and I could pack up in peace.
After the day I’d had, I should have known luck had no intention of being on my side. I’d barely stepped through the door when Anthony’s voice slithered over my skin.
“I see you’ve finally come to your senses.”
Crinkling my nose, I blew out an irritated sigh.
“Yes, I have—”
Before the next word could leave my mouth, he was right there. Arms stretched wide, he leaned in.
“I knew you’d come back to me.”
He’d said that, but I heard, “I knew you had nowhere else to go.”
With a sweet smile, I leaned into him and curled my hands over his shoulders. Then, just as he made a move to put his filthy lips on me, I rammed my knee straight up into his balls.
It took him only a second to double over and two more after that to screech, “You stupid bitch.”
I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into the widest grin. Hearing him scream like a child as he fell to the floor was, without a doubt, the highlight of my dumpster-fire day.
Too bad my little victory only lasted until I stepped into the bedroom.
It didn’t matter how many times I tried, nothing could erase the image of Anthony and those two women from earlier. Or remove the brutal sting of betrayal.
And standing there in the doorway of the room we used to sleep in together, I felt stupid for the first time in my life.
The signs were there. They always had been. I’d just chosen to ignore them because I was so desperate to have that unbreakable love my parents had.
The love my best friend had.
To have someone love me for me.
My smile vanished, and emotion clawed its way up my throat, filling my eyes with tears. For all my pretending, it was finally time to admit I wasn’t okay. And not because I’d lost the great love of my life.
Anthony was never that for me. We were…comfortable. Maybe even a little familiar. But it wasn’t love. I’d known it from the moment I’d seen the way Natalie’s husband looked at her.
Maybe even before then.
Anthony had never looked at me like that, and to be quite honest, I hadn’t looked at him like that either.
But being with him was much easier than being alone or putting myself out there.
“Ugh.”
Swiping at my tears with my hands, I pulled myself together and emptied my closet.
I was about halfway done when Anthony’s voice sounded from the doorway.
“Where are you gonna go, Evie?”
Without facing him, I muttered, “It doesn’t matter. As long as I am away from you and whatever filth you occupy your time with.”
His derisive snort filled the air. “And that’s the problem, isn’t it?”
I spun around so fast that I almost toppled sideways. “Excuse me?”
Anthony shot me a death glare as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of his cargo pants. “You think it’s filthy to spice up our love life? To make things fun and interesting?”
“Fun and interesting?” Disbelief had me throwing my hands in the air and shaking my head. “You think you’re spicing up our love life by cheating?”
“It’s not cheating if I’m not emotionally involved.”
“Seriously? So it’s okay to stick your dick into whatever willing hole because you’re not emotionally involved? Are you even listening to yourself?”
The look in his eyes turned murderous. “It’s not my fault you were never up for anything adventurous or that we could only screw with the lights off.” He paused before chuckling low under his breath. “Then again, maybe that was a good thing.”
I didn’t like the way his gaze traveled over my body. And when he took a step forward, I desperately wanted to take one back.
“With all that weight you’re carrying around, it was probably better I didn’t see you.”
His words stung. They cut deeper than he’d ever realize, but I’d never ever give him the satisfaction of showing how much he’d just hurt me.
“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to realize you’re such an asshole.” My voice stayed steady, and I was incredibly grateful for that.
“Just remember I’m the only asshole who wasn’t completely repulsed by you.” He barked out a menacing laugh that chilled me to my very core. “No one will ever look at you, let alone think about touching you.”
Hurt and furious, I reached behind me and grabbed the first thing I could find—which happened to be my sparkly stiletto—and flung it at him.
I didn’t even bother to hide my satisfaction when the toe hit him smack dab in the middle of his chest. I would have preferred the spiky end, but we take what we can get.
“You really are—”
“A bitch? Yes, I know.” Jutting my hip out, I crossed my arms in front of me. “It would seem your vocabulary, along with other things”—I gave his groin a pointed stare—“is rather small.”
Done with the conversation and with him, I gave him my back and stuffed the rest of my clothes into the bags.
I was so focused on getting my shit and getting out of there I didn’t hear him move until it was too late.
Anthony caught my wrists from behind and pinned my arms against my sides. With his front pressed against my back, he leaned in close, too damn close, and sneered against my ear.
“You can throw your stupid little insults all you want, Evie, but you and I both know the only insecure one here is you.”
“Piss off, Anthony.” I tried to wiggle free, but his grip was painfully tight.
His sneer morphed into a laugh that churned my insides.
“You know, I never really wanted you. I only chatted you up to get close to the spoiled hotel heiress. Probably one of my best ideas, considering what a great payday this whole adventure turned out to be.”
I rammed my head back and hit something hard. Probably his chin if the stinging pain in my skull was anything to go by.
“Fuck,” he yelled and thankfully let go.
The instant I was free, I took three huge steps away from him.
Furiously rubbing his jaw, he glared at me. “You can fight and hurt me all you want, but that doesn’t change the fact you’re repulsive and so fucking unlovable. Wallow in that, you stupid bitch.”
With that last blow at me, he marched out of the room. It wasn’t too long after that when the slamming front door jolted me back into action.
Hurrying to the bed, I ignored the scalding pain inside my chest as well as the stupid tears stinging my eyes. I should know better than to let the words of a bruised ego affect me like this.
But knowing better didn’t mean shit.
Especially not when you were face-to-face with your deepest, darkest fears.
Because what if he was right? What if no one could…
No!
My mind couldn’t go there. I wouldn’t allow it.
In desperate need of a distraction and friendly voice, I pulled my phone from my pocket to call Natalie. Something else slipped out with the device, and when my eye caught the shiny black-and-gold card lying at my feet, it wasn’t Natalie’s number I dialed.