ELLIE I needed to remind myself why I hated him, why I shouldn't get close, and not dwell on how he made me feel. I had to remember what I went through last time, that would bring back my reason. At twenty-seven, I had already had my share of detestable men. And my ex, if I could even call him that, that dishonest bastard managed to shatter my heart. I promised myself that would be the last time. I'd rather spend the rest of my life alone than go through that again. I often wondered if I was too dumb not to see the signs, but with so many mixed signals, the blame couldn't be solely on me. Men had this problem. Jerks couldn't be honest. They preferred to toy with a woman's feelings to get what they wanted, and they continued doing it to keep the sex. As if we were some kind of backup plan, to be used when they needed. Thinking about it made me want to cut off that bastard's dick, and it still made my chest ache. Todd Lockhart got exactly what he wanted, to use me and discard me as i
ETHAN My chest and legs were burning as I ran on the treadmill. I had already surpassed five kilometers, but it felt like it wasn't making a difference, even after a nearly two-hour workout. Nothing was working. No matter how many times I tried to distract myself. I still felt tense and irritated. I hadn't been able to sleep properly the entire night, aroused and unable to close my eyes without remembering the sensation of that body against mine and her perfume. I pressed the button to stop the treadmill, feeling like I was getting hard again. Shit. I hadn't even touched her yet. I needed to put an end to this. Panting, I left the building's gym and entered the elevator, heading back to my apartment. I had to go to work. As if that wasn't enough, the traffic was horrendous on the way to the office. I was tempted to get out of the car and walk the remaining blocks. When I arrived at the office, Bennett parked right after me. I quickened my pace, so I wouldn't have to ride the eleva
ELLIE I drove to work after stopping by home to take a shower. The apartment next to mine was being vacated, which delayed my departure. Why did everything in my life seem to be falling apart? Don't exaggerate, Ellie. It's just my damn ex who's back, bringing along all the memories. Good and bad. It was easy to look at Todd and understand why I fell in love. He was extremely attractive, the type that makes you wet just by looking at him. He could be sexy doing the most basic things, like changing a lightbulb. That memory was still fresh in my mind. The sex was really good. He was also intelligent, caring, and had that Italian charm. Our relationship was good, even though it wasn't official. For seven months, he had never asked me to be his girlfriend, even though things between us worked exactly like that, and we had an exclusivity agreement. He knew he could only have me in that way, so he accepted it. I couldn't wrap my head around liking someone and being willing to share them
ELLIE"Okay, let's try again. Actually..." He cleared his throat. "I came here to apologize for what happened in the lab." I tried not to remember the sensation of his body against mine. He seemed uncomfortable as he looked at his own hands, clasped together on the counter. I couldn't miss this opportunity."Exactly what are you apologizing for?""Are you really going to do this?" He raised an eyebrow. I offered my best expression of confusion, pretending not to understand. "Fine." He shook his head. "I'm apologizing for getting turned on when you rubbed your incredible ass against me." He said, looking into my eyes, causing me to look away. Damn! He knew how to play dirty."Wow! I thought you were trying to be my friend. But thanks for the compliment, even if you're just objectifying my body. You should try complimenting a woman's intellect someday, it will leave a much better impression.""So, what aspect of yourself do you think I should compliment? Your ability to be extremely kin
ETHAN Despite not knowing exactly what I was doing, it seemed like a start, and I needed to get her out of my system urgently, especially after last night. And no matter how much she tried to appear indifferent, I knew she wasn't immune to me. Being alone with her would allow me to show her what she was missing. "Why are you smiling?" she narrowed her eyes. "I'll get rid of you without any effort, apart from having to put up with you for a few hours." "We have a date." "You call it a date, and I call it a way to get rid of you," she smiled. A breathtakingly pretentious smile. The combination of her grayish-blue eyes, dark hair, and fair skin sprinkled with freckles tormented me. It made me want to pull her against my body, kiss her urgently, and then undress her. This was bad. Really bad. Because it was exactly this face that I imagined last night while I was on top of the blonde at the bar. It didn't go as planned at all. My intention was to have sex with a beautiful woman to re
ELLIE My phone rang somewhere, waking me up on Saturday morning. I stared at the alarm clock, which showed that it was still eight in the morning. Who the hell was calling me so early? Anna knew she should never call me before eight on weekends. I reached out to grab my phone from the bedside table. I looked at the screen, it was an unknown number. I almost slid the power button to hang up before remembering that Mr. Morgan said he would call me. But he wouldn't call this early, would he? "Hello?" I answered, stretching and sitting up. "Don't tell me I woke you up?" Yes, it was him, and he sounded strangely out of breath. What the hell was he doing? "You know it's eight in the morning on a Saturday, right?" "Yes, I know. I just ran ten kilometers with Ben." Ten kilometers? What kind of people wake up early to run on a Saturday? Apparently the Morgans and Will, yes, they're all crazy. "What do you want? A prize?" "Are you serious? Because I have a few ideas." "Tell me what you
ELLIE Todd brought back all the feelings of abandonment, and seeing him was enough to make my chest ache. It was as if he had ripped a piece of my heart out. Why did it still hurt so much? All the questions resurfaced whenever I saw him, consuming my mind. Why did he leave me? Did he at least like me a little bit? Why was I so stupid not to realize that he was just a jerk? Why wasn't I enough for him? Why did a part of me still like him despite everything? I didn't want him back, I hated him, but why did my foolish heart still hold onto some hope? Calm down, Ellie, it's just neurotransmitters at work. Damn it! Todd Lockhart was my new neighbor, and I would have to deal with it. It meant pretending he doesn't exist and ignoring the fact that we share a wall. Wasn't going on a date with idiot Morgan enough? My energy was conflicting with the energy of the universe, triggering these events. Flow with it, Ellie, don't fight against it. I took a deep breath. Everything will be fine. I'll
ELLIEI spent two hours in front of my closet trying to decide what to wear. I decided to follow Anna's advice. She was right about needing something extra to give me confidence. I started looking for the lingerie Zoe had given me as a gift. It would make me feel powerful underneath my clothes. And maybe a black dress since I didn't know where we were going. A black dress always worked for any occasion.I found the lingerie in the drawer and grabbed the hanger with a black dress, that reached my thighs, long sleeves, and a square neckline. It was tight but still elegant. I stared at the black overcoat and took it as well. Mr. Morgan didn't need to see anything; it was enough for me to feel sexy and beautiful enough to get past him. I chuckled to myself.At eight o'clock, I received a message from him, letting me know he was waiting for me in front of my building. Mr. Morgan was extremely punctual. I felt a little nervous as I headed downstairs. I wasn't exactly sure why. It was just M