The TV remained turned on. She had slept out in the armchair like some ninety-year-old granny, but the Geordie Shore marathon went on. She looked at the clock. On a Saturday night, she was already passed out in front of the TV by nine o'clock. What a crazy life she had.
She kicked the messenger bag and clothing bag aside as she dragged herself across the floor while the thumping resumed.How come? She screamed as she pulled open the door.Her partner in crime and best buddy was standing on the other side of the door, fist lifted in mid-knock.Mia said, "Oh my goodness, you're still alive."Peyton moved back to allow her entry into the flat, giving her a perplexed look. Whatever had happened must have been serious because she was carrying ice cream and alcohol.After placing her supply bag on the kitchen counter, Mia turned to observe Peyton. She stepped forward, reaching out to cup her face and giving her a pitying gaze. She pushed her hand away, Peyton.How come? She enquired. "What in the world is happening?""Why didn't you return my call?"Peyton glanced at the spot where she had left her phone upon entering. The place it had landed was still where it was, forgotten. After sitting down with her meal and drink, she hadn't given it any more attention.With Mia staring at her, Peyton became a bit concerned and asked, "Just tell me what the fuck happened." "Is Cassie doing well?"Cassie is alright, Mia remarked. Since I haven't heard anything different, I believe she is okay. After all, no news is good news."Cease! To stop Mia from droning on, Peyton raised a hand. "Just explain everything to me.""Dale is here."Peyton had a loss of blood flow to her face. She still loved Dale even though they had been through some growing pains together. In the event that something happened to him, she was unsure of what to do."Oh my God, what took place? Is he alright? Is he really dead? God, please, please tell me he's still alive.Mia growled, "He's not dead... yet," which caused Peyton to take a critical look at her.What on earth is meant by that?""Is your laptop somewhere? Mia enquired as she peered about."Mia, what the fuck!""See, I'll be able to show you more easily. Where is it, then? Your notebook computer. Give it to me," Mia said, raising her hands in a "give me" motion.Peyton walked to her room, stomped on the desk that Mia had crammed in there with her queen-size bed, and took her laptop, praying that the cause of her strange behavior would soon become clear.She placed it on the kitchen counter and said, "Here."Mia clicked about as she opened the lid. Both she and Peyton were aware of each other's passwords. They had nothing to hide."There!"With a victorious gesture, Mia pointed to the television.Peyton furrowed her brows as she glanced over the F******k page. It was a F******k profile of Dale.How come?""Observe! With a point, Mia stated.Peyton squinted at the screen, bending down to see the state of their connection.She read, "Married to Starr Sparkles." "However, loving hell?"When Mia clicked on the photo gallery, it was visible. Her fiancee planted a kiss on what could only be a showgirl from Las Vegas while a beaming Elvis Presley watched on. The following picture showed them both in a limousine, their mouths pressed together and a brilliant diamond glimmering on her ring finger.This is not possible to be taking place. It seems like she's dreaming. A nightmare triggered by combining her beverages and consuming Thai cuisine that had been mashed into a mushy mixture inside a plastic bag. Her fiancé could never have married a showgirl in Vegas in a flash while she was left behind in Australia, clueless about what was going on. For crying out loud, this was Dale. Boring, dependable, and sensible Dale. He was not one for spontaneity. He didn't take any action that hadn't been thoroughly considered. It was the reason they didn't have a formal residence together. That was the reason for the twelve months of their engagement.Her Dale would never, ever consider looking at another lady without informing her, on God's green earth. He would never, ever get married and let her find out on fucking F******k.Beside her, Mia said, "Breathe, Peyton."After taking a big breath, Peyton smacked the laptop lid shut. No. Simply no. This would not go down well with her. It is not possible.As Mia handed her the phone, she added, "Check your phone, sweetie."Peyton activated her screen by pressing the home button. Mia had missed a few calls, and Cassie and Chloe had also missed a few. She was scrolling through the alerts when she suddenly spotted a text message at the bottom. After giving it a touch, she read the message."I apologize."It only mentioned that."Pardon me? Peyton let out a scream. "Is he really sorry?"Peyton leaped up and down on the floor in reaction to Mrs. Feeney's repeated floor hammering.Peyton took a big sip of the wine that Mia had given her. There was no way this could be occurring."A shout-out to my former partner! The Little Mix song was playing in the background when Peyton shrieked and raised her glass of wine. Peyton knew she was going to get the lecture of her life tomorrow, but for now, she couldn't give a flying fuck since Mrs. Feeney had long ago given up pounding on the floor. Before he had the grace to break up with her, her fiancé had wed a Las Vegas showgirl and made the announcement on F******k."Oh my! Peyton threw herself onto the couch and finished her wine, saying, "This is the perfect song." "If I were a pop sensation, I could write a song about my former partner." How awesome would that be?"Mia knelt next to her and gave her a kind nod. Yes, it would be incredible!"Peyton rested her head back on the sofa, gazing up at the sky. "When she finally gets a hold of me, my sister is going to have a field day," she said. "And Declan will laugh himself silly."Does Declan have a sister that he married?"Not at all. It is he who wed my boss on his own private island in the Whitsundays.Right. the person you're crushing on."Had." possessed a crush on. But it's terrible how smitten he is with Chloe. I no longer have any regard for him at all.Yes, exactly, Mia snorted. It's awful, but not really, to see a gorgeous billionaire, that is, become all mushy and gooey over his expectant wife. Not in the slightest.Peyton let out a sigh. "I am aware."After the song ended, it began again.Mia sprang to her feet and exclaimed, "I have an idea." "This song is perfect for making fun of Dale. You may inform his new wife that she married a complete douchebag and tell him what a useless piece
Peyton gently opened her eyes, then quickly closed them shut. It had brightness. Far too intelligent. It can't be that she shut the blinds before turning in. Her head felt like it was about to blow up when she attempted to open her eyes once more. Yes. I won't attempt that once again. It was wonderful to keep your eyes closed. Open eyes were not good. Really, really awful.She groaned as the intense light shot like a laser beam into her head, making her forget that opening her eyes was a horrible idea.There was a muffled whimper next to her, "Make it go away."Peyton was able to move her head just enough to see Mia sprawled out next to her, her black hair strewn over the pillow and her arm flung over her eyes.Once more, the buzzing sound occurred, and Peyton extended her hand to grab her phone off the nightstand. She narrowed her eyes and studied the screen, attempting to interpret all of the alerts she was receiving. She wasn't bothered at all. Without caring if the phone made it o
Peyton announced to Mia, who was staring at her as if she would pass out, "I'm going for a shower." "Cassie will arrive shortly."Mia remarked, "I might take off then." Mia avoided spending as much time as possible with Cassie since she intimidated her.Peyton responded, "You don't have to leave.""Yes, I believe I do."Peyton pulled Mia into an embrace and whispered, "I don't blame you, Mia, and neither will Cassie.""Nevertheless, I'd rather not be here just in case," Mia remarked.Peyton cluckingly responded, "Okay, chicken," as Mia made her way to the front door.Peyton took a deep breath and fought back the tears when she was alone herself. How could she always get caught up in this?Chloe and Becky accompanied Cassie as they arrived. They carried gifts that could be eaten when they entered Peyton's flat. Chloe was ready to break into any database in order to assist Peyton—she had already purchased her laptop. Peyton felt her tears well up again as Becky gave her a firm hug.She
Perhaps I wasn't as infatuated with him as I thought. You know, all I wanted was to be married and stable. He appeared to be the ideal man. He has decent but not spectacular looks. He was kind to me and did an excellent job. Although the sex wasn't great, you know it was consoling as well? Like, maybe I wouldn't have to worry that I wasn't enough for him if he was a true dynamo in the sack. I was confident that he wouldn't cheat because he was just mediocre.In the increasingly silent kitchen, that final sentence was met with silence. The truth was that he had cheated, even on a showgirl.She complained, "I'm destined to be alone for the rest of my life," and then shoved a large piece of bacon into her mouth.After being fed and checked on by her pals, Peyton was left alone once again. She took a seat with her laptop and confronted her worries. She saw the video that she had brought up.Indeed. Even though it was just as embarrassing as she had anticipated, there was something unsettl
"Carter Beckett! As he raced inside the office, Finn shouted.A few heads peered out from behind workstation dividers, quickly dissipating again when they noticed the meerkat-like grimace on his face. Finn showed no concern. He was angry, and he wanted everyone to know how angry he was.As Finn entered his office and closed the door behind him, his buddy and editor called him "Finn."Finn replied, "Fucking hell, Carter," and he fell back into the chair across from the desk. "I take a weekend trip, no, not even a weekend trip—""Finn—"Finn snarled, "You don't get to talk yet." "After spending a weekend away, you write this garbage on my blog? Carter, please, I thought we were capable of more than this.Carter only stared at Finn, who gave a gruff grunt at the back of his throat, without responding. Alright?""Now that I can talk, okay? Carter enquired while grinning pitifully.Finn flashed his fangs, and Carter raised his hands in submission."Okay," Carter said. Indeed. That video is
What happens then if I do? Carter responded, glaring at Finn with a no-nonsense expression. "You work for me, and I manage this goddamn website." You will write the fucking snot out of this if you want to carry on with your extremely successful profession as the man people go to for anything with women and dating."First off, we collaborate; I don't work for you. Secondly, don't you think that alienating every woman on the fucking globe would hurt my readership?""Finn, women don't read your blog.""No, but they are dated by men who do." How do you think this will turn out when more ladies become aware of what I'm doing?"Therefore, keep them from learning.And how would you suggest that I accomplish that while also writing about it?"Recall that your blog is exclusive to members. Furthermore, the males who are reading it won't be foolish enough to tell the ladies what you're doing since they will definitely not want them to know.Finn whispered, "I believe you're giving them more cre
He leaned back in his chair, looked over the statistics, and muttered a curse. Yes. They were not good. Up until a few months ago, the drop-off had been slow; after that, they were dropping like flies. He wondered how many of his regular readers had been lured to the bright new Man About Town website, which was giving away a free six-month membership with every new register since there was a new site, a rival site. Although The Playbook provided a tonne of free stuff (they would be crazy not to), there was a fee to read his blog as well as some of the other blogs on the site. It was comparable to the cost of a print magazine membership, so it was understandable why his viewership was declining when Man About Town offered six months of free material.Fuck it.He had no desire to engage in a sexual rivalry with another website. And what was even more unappealing than that was opening fire in a conflict that would harm only men and women worldwide. None of us would benefit from a conflic
Jack glanced at his kid in the hospital bed for a little minute, a moment of agonizing doubt, but he ultimately nodded and walked out. Readjusting his seat, Finn turned to face Riley.So, he uttered. "Rugby?"Riley gave a shrug. "Lunchtime was just a muck-around game." I was tackled, but it didn't really matter how I fell on my arm.Finn looked over the cast. "Is there space for writing on it?"Riley smiled. "Not with this particular one. Until my arm is less swollen, this is only a fictitious one. You can write on one of those colored ones that I get to keep."Very cool," Finn remarked. "What game are you playing? He gave the Nintendo a nod."Zelda.""The most recent one?"Riley gave a headshake. Nope. They just have this old console instead of the new one, but because it's Ocarina of Time, it's still cool, he shrugged.Finn gave a wise nod. He was aware of how much Jack and Riley enjoyed playing video games, particularly the whole Legend of Zelda series.When Finn opened the door af
6 months later“Are you ready for this?” Anthony asked as they stood outside the courtroom. Talia nodded and gripped Parker’s hand. The judge had called them back in for the verdict on Mark’s trial and she couldn’t deny she was nervous. The weeks spent preparing for the trial and then sitting through the witness statements and being cross-examined by an aggressive defense attorney who made her out to be some sort of diva and ungrateful bitch who was somehow ripping off the father who had done everything for her had taken its toll. And the media beat-up was just as bad. However, not all the media had been on her father’s side. Talia had discovered she had far more supporters than she’d thought. Her fans—the true fans—had gathered in force to support her and she loved them for it. Not enough for her to consider going back into acting, but enough that going through the trial had been bearable. But if not for the constant and unwavering support of Parker, Talia didn’t think she woul
Parker rolled his eyes as he took her hand and stood. “Seal the deal?” “Isn’t that what you said earlier?” He shook his head, his grin still in place. “No, I said celebrate.” “Okay, good. Let’s do that then.” Parker grabbed her and lifted her up, making Talia squeal. He kissed her and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. Stumbling, he carried her to the bedroom and tossed her on the bed with a flourish, making her squeal again. “I feel like we need champagne and strawberries or something,” Parker said, standing with his hands on his hips as he looked around the room. “You mean like pouring champagne in my belly button and licking it out?” Talia asked, lifting her shirt to reveal her navel. Parker cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm…that’s something to think about for a later celebration,” he said. Talia pouted. Parker held up his hands. “I don’t have any champagne on hand,” he protested. “Then I’ll just have to
“You called Isaac,” Parker said when he walked into the apartment. Talia looked up at him and bit her lip. “I did,” she said. “But before you get mad, I didn’t say anything about what happened. And I did it because I knew you wouldn’t say anything to defend yourself.” Parker sighed. “I’m not mad,” he said, walking over to where she was seated, working on her miniature diorama. He leaned down and kissed her. “I’m grateful. Thank you. What you said to Isaac helped.” Talia grinned up at him. “So, they’re going to let you do the article?” Parker nodded. “They are.” “That’s so great,” Talia replied. “So it all worked out.” Parker pulled out a chair and sat down beside her. “Things have worked out for me, but what about you? What are your plans now? Without Mark controlling your every move, you can do anything you want.” Talia dropped her head and fidgeted with her fingers in her lap. “I don’t know what I want to do,” she said quietly. “I don’t think I wan
Talia pulled back from the kiss. “Don’t you think it was pretty selfish of me not to sacrifice myself for you?” she asked. “No,” he said, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. “What you did wasn’t selfish, it was survival. There’s a difference. Me expecting you to sacrifice yourself for my job would have been selfish. Are you doing what you need to in order to survive? Not selfish. Not in the slightest.” “It feels selfish,” she mumbled, leaning her forehead against his. “I feel like I need to do something to make it up to you.” Parker cupped her face. “Talia,” he whispered. “This is not some quid pro quo thing. There will be times when you will save me. I have no doubt about it. That’s how relationships work. It’s swings and roundabouts. There is no big tally sheet in the sky and nobody is keeping score.” “I just don’t want you to feel resentful—” Parker cut off the rest of her sentence with a kiss. “How could I be resentful of the fact that I get to have you in my l
“She’s asleep,” Parker said, coming into the living room from his bedroom where Talia had finally succumbed to sleep. He slumped onto the couch beside Stephen and laid his head on his father’s shoulder. Anthony looked over at him from where he was sitting, going through some paperwork on his laptop, and Carter paced, not able to sit still. “I take it the article came out,” Parker said. “Yeah,” Carter replied with a sigh as he raked his hand through his hair. “It’s going to do us some damage,” Parker said. “Maybe,” Carter said with a shrug. “Maybe not.” Parker frowned at him. “What does that mean?” “It gets your name out there,” he replied. “It will drive people to your blog.” “Fucking hell, Carter,” Parker exploded, jumping to his feet. “Seriously? You think this is a good thing?” “I didn’t say that,” Carter replied. “I just said it wasn’t necessarily damaging to us.” “And what about Parker asked. “The article would have tanked that de
Anthony had filed a police report as soon as he arrived in the city. “Their hands are tied,” Anthony said with a sigh. “There is no evidence of force and as she recently hid from the public because of a scandal, we have nothing to say she isn’t doing it again because of the latest issue.” “But can’t they force her to at least speak with them? To check that she’s okay?” Parker asked. “As far as they’re concerned, she has just gone into hiding again,” Anthony reiterated. “Until we have something to say otherwise, they can’t do anything. This has the potential to be a high-profile case because of who she is, so if they make a big deal about it and it turns out to be something innocent, it might blow up in their faces.” “That’s bullshit,” Parker growled, pushing up from his seat to pace around the room. He hated that he was sitting there doing nothing while Talia was trapped in her father’s house. It was torture to know where she was and yet not be able to get to
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Talia said. After Mark’s big reveal the night before, Talia had been left to sleep off the effects of the sedative he’d given her. The fucking bastard. He’d locked her door so she couldn’t get out and the window was too far from the ground for her to escape that way. Not without breaking something, anyway. Which Talia wouldn’t have minded, except with the way she’d been feeling, the thing that got broken might very well be her head, and she was kind of attached to it being in one piece and remaining on her shoulders. So Mark had stalked her and Parker and then kidnapped her and drugged her and imprisoned her and he was under the impression that he was perfectly within his rights to do so. “I’m doing this for you,” Mark said. “Your mental health is at stake here.” “The only threat to my mental health is your arsehole behavior,” Talia snapped. They were sitting in the sunny kitchen at the table and Mark was trying to pretend that it
Carter clicked his fingers. “The original photos, the ones that were taken when you took her out to look at the miniature street art.” Carter turned to Parker. “You were in some of those photos. Your face was blurred, but that could have been done after the fact.” “So he’s been following me?” Parker asked. “You and Carter. Both would be my guess,” Jack said. “So he’s been following us, but how did he know I was sending a car to pick her up?” Parker asked. “Have you noticed anyone following you?” Carter asked. Parker shook his head and then paused. “What?” Carter asked. “What’s that look?” “It’s probably nothing,” Parker said. “Just say it,” Carter said. “I was speaking to Talia just before I went into the meeting he said. “When I hung up from the call, I bumped into a guy…you don’t think…nah. It can’t be. This isn’t some espionage movie.” “Could he have overheard your conversation?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair and looking up
Parker was on a high. By all accounts, Atticus was on board with his proposal. Isaac just wanted to check in with the rest of the band before giving him a definitive answer. That was fine with Parker. Things would go much more smoothly if everyone was in agreement. The last thing he wanted was a hostile environment and if any of the members had misgivings about the proposal, then he would walk away. It would hurt, but he would do it. For this to work—for everyone involved—there had to be open communication and a willingness to participate. Without that, Parker may as well give up now. He climbed into his car, cursing the parking ticket and flapping on his windscreen. Getting out again, he grabbed it from under the windscreen wiper and shoved it into his glove compartment. The Playbook could pay for that. It was the price of doing business, after all. He turned the music up loud as he navigated through the heavy traffic toward his apartment building. He couldn’t wait to tell Ta