Chapter 27
LUKE
Lacey.
She was here in the fucking coffee shop.
The determined look in her dark eyes indicated this wasn’t a quick stop for some caffeine. This was planned. Probably even scripted on her part. No doubt she’d seen my latest social media posts and was figuring out the whole rehab thing didn’t work.
Rehab. This bitch told people I was in fucking rehab.
I hated her and I was looking forward to the film role so I didn’t have to see her on set every day.
Hopefully, with my contract coming to an end, Shep Barnes would be killed off with Dengue Fever or fall in front of a train or something and be written out of the show, instead of renewing.
I didn’t want to face her again. Hell, the idea of having to film another sex scene with her made me nauseated.
Everything about Lacey was fake. Body parts, personality, everything.
Time away had me seeing every flaw she had.
The sweatsuit she wore had to be a thousand dollars so it looked casual.
The styled hair. The full face of makeup at nine in the morning.
The nails. The diamonds in her ears. The tan.
The overfilled lips that smirked as she approached.
Aspen, in comparison, was gorgeous. Natural. She was makeup free, her hair pulled back in a casual ponytail. The flip flops on her feet had to have come from a dollar store. She didn’t need to spend a fortune to be confident because she knew her worth wasn’t based on outward appearance.
Our relaxed morning was ruined. Not because I couldn’t hold my own with the bitch, but she wasn’t worth my time. I was with Aspen and–
Right. I was with Aspen to get Lacey out of my fucking life. Aspen was here posing as my girlfriend for a moment just like this one. This was her role.
Now that Lacey was crossing the shop to start shit, it felt even more wrong, our… arrangement. I wanted to protect Aspen from someone like her. She didn’t deserve one second of her scheming aimed her way because of me. My protectiveness flared to life.
My fight was different now.
With my hand around Aspen’s waist, I pulled her into me, as if I could shield her from what was to come. This was my fight. It was time to take this woman down.