SimoneI walked into the office feeling lighter than air. And sore as hell. Still, I was so happy to be entering the building with good news. It felt like I was about to walk into an amphitheater of cheering fans. Of course, the reality was that I was walking into a half-empty office full of frenemies.Mandy beamed at me when I entered–my own cheer squad."Ladies and… ladies," she announced loudly as I approached, "Miss Simone Carter has officially got her first contract!"Everyone except Crystal whooped and hollered. She gave a nonchalant clap and rolled her eyes."Congrats, girl," she said with heavy sarcasm. "We all knew you could do it."I rolled my eyes at her and basked in the glow of my success. It felt so good to finally have something professional to celebrate. There was a time when I was sure I would crash and burn. Now I was thriving and well on my way to a successful year.Jake walked into the room with a smile on his face. He opened his arms to me, and I step
SimoneI took a deep breath as I opened the door and plastered a smile on my face. "Hi, Rob!" I said cheerfully. "It's so good to see you!"I sounded fake to myself, but I prayed he wouldn't notice. No such luck."You've been crying," he said, point blank.I instinctively touched my face, but it was dry."No, I haven't," I lied. "I took a long nap. I probably just look tired."He cocked his head to the side and tightened his lips."Do you know that your eyes dart back and forth when you lie?"I suddenly felt very exposed in front of him. He was calling me on my shit, and there was nothing I could do or say. Never in my life had a man been so insightful about my feelings."We don't have to go out," he said gently. "If this isn't a good time, we can reschedule. Oh, God, you aren't crying because of me, are you?"I smiled at this, though he genuinely looked worried. "Trust me," I said, "You're a bright spot in this shitty day."He stepped forward and pulled me into a
Simone Weak sunlight filtered into the bedroom, and I felt warm and relaxed. I'd slept well. It was the perfect combination of intimacy and sex. I stretched with my eyes closed, relishing in every muscle that loosened.I felt refreshed in a way I hadn't felt in months. Maybe even years. I opened my eyes but quickly closed them again. I was looking at the wrong ceiling.I'd had my fair share of one-night stands. I'd woken up in many unfamiliar places and seen many different ceilings. But this ceiling was unfamiliar; I knew exactly where I was. In fact, I'd just shown a client this ceiling the other day. I sat up slowly and looked over to find a sleeping Rob next to me.I smiled. He was so sexy in his sleep. His face was open and happy. He was absolutely gorgeous. The panic that had started to build subsided, and all I could feel was safe and satisfied.Rob wasn't exactly the sex god that Michael was, but he was no slouch either. He was precise and careful, making sure that I
SimoneCrystal's face was almost purple. I'd never seen anyone so upset in my whole life. It was sort of gratifying. Her usually plump lips curled into such a thin line they were almost invisible, and her eyes were tiny slits. I expected her to explode, scream, cry, or throw a temper tantrum.Instead, she calmly packed her things, got up, and walked out of the office. It was honestly hard for me to tell if she was angry, scared, or both. Either way, what I said clearly made an impact. She'd decided her best course of action was to remove herself from my presence, which I wholeheartedly agreed with.Before she left, though, she turned to look at me."You think you're clever, Simone, but you're just trailer trash that a man thought was pretty. You are nothing, and I'm going to make sure everybody knows it."With that, she left the office with a huff. Mandy and I just stared at her and watched as she stomped toward the parking garage at the end of the street. There went the wick
Simone"Mandy," I cried from my spot on the couch. She stumbled in from the kitchen, her eyes puffy and cheeks red. We both looked like hell, and I wasn't feeling much better than that either.More immediately, though, I had to deal with the fact that my most recent sex partner was calling me, likely because he'd read about my other sex partner. Shit, shit, shit!I held up the phone for her to see who was calling. Her eyes were as round as saucers, and she just violently shook her head."Don't answer," she said. "You've been through enough today. You don't need to talk to someone who's probably going to scream at you."I knew she meant well, but Rob didn't strike me as the screaming type. Well, not in this situation anyway. I knew all too well that he could be the screaming type in the right circumstance."He'll just keep calling," I said, and motioned for her to sit next to me. "I just need some moral support, okay?"She nodded curtly and sat down next to me. I grabbed h
SimoneAbout an hour and several cups of sobering coffee later, there was a knock at the door. Rob was incredibly prompt. At least this time he knew what kind of emotional carnage he was walking into. I opened the door, and he immediately held out his arms to me, despite the bags in his hands. I stepped into his arms and let him hold me for several moments.When we finally broke apart, he held up his bags. "Hungry?" he asked.I realized that I hadn't eaten at all, not even the chocolate Mandy brought. I was absolutely famished, and I told him so. He followed me into the house and into the kitchen where I pulled out a couple of plates. I tried to help him get everything ready, but he shooed me out of the kitchen."You've had a shitty day," he said. "You aren't doing anything tonight except sitting down and being served."What on earth had I done to be in the presence of such a thoughtful person? Once again, I thought about how he was exactly who I needed right now. More than a
Simone"I'm trying to get a hold of Simone Carter," a silky smooth, male voice crooned into my phone."Speaking," I managed to say. Was this who I thought it was? Could it possibly be Nick f*cking Morgan calling me?I was sure that my strangled voice sounded like a mouse. My heart was pounding out of my chest."Wonderful," he answered. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but we met a few weeks ago at an open house, and you gave me your card."Me not remember Nick f*cking Morgan? It was laughable!"Of course, I remember," I said as calmly as I could. "Are you ready to start looking for a house?""You have no idea," he said slowly. "Would you be available this afternoon?"Was I mentally prepared to be alone in a room with my teenage idol? At this point, life couldn't get any weirder."Of course," I told him. "I'll pull some options for you. Should I text your assistant the addresses?"He chuckled into the phone. "No, love. You can text my direct line."Then, Nick f*ck
SimoneMandy and I were sitting on her couch with a bowl of popcorn between us. As I told her about my disastrous interaction with Nick, she couldn't control her laughter."I can't believe you called him out like that!" she said in amazement. "I'm so proud of you, but also, damn! I don't think I would've had the balls!""What was I supposed to do? He was patting a space on the bed and telling me to relax. It was a classic come on."Still, my cheeks burned when I thought about it. I didn't regret it, though. Even if he really wasn't trying to seduce me, it was important for me to hold him accountable."And he just broke up with Lulu," Mandy added."Yes! How did I not know about this?"Mandy shrugged. "It's all over the Internet. I think his story has completely upstaged yours. America's favorite leading man breaking up with America's richest heiress is a big deal. They're basically royalty!"I rolled my eyes at this. "Maybe that's the problem with us. We value celebritie