"You were overwhelmed, Ashley. It's okay."We all have times when it feels like the world is hitting us at once. I understand. Ashley and I have both been fighting our own battles in separate war zones."I haven't studied for the bar since May."I grab Ashley's hand, squeezing tightly. She always thinks the worst of herself. "Yes, you have. You're always at the library." How many nights have I come home to an empty apartment when Ashley's been off studying? She's always too hard on herself.She shakes her head. "No, I lied. I've been going to Harpers for lunch every day and staying until dinner."I blink, stare at her, and then blink again. Did I hear her right? Harper's is a corner stone of college life. Located less than two blocks from campus. We'd spent many nights there."What were you doing the whole time?"She shrugs and her gaze falls to her lap. "Playing on my phone."What? Why would she admit this to me now? "For how long?"Ashley lifts her shoulder again as
They have been together? For a year? Her words tumble around as I try and grasp each one, deciding what they mean. "But Henry and I have only been broken up for a few months."Oh.Double O.Everything hits me like a pile of bricks, knocking me to the hospital floor even though my body doesn't move. We were living with Ashley's now ex-boyfriend Jonathan and she was sleeping with my boyfriend."Oh, I see."Ashley reaches for my hand again but I take a step away from her hospital bed. "I'm so sorry, Mackenzie.""We're best friends?" It's a statement and a question. How could my best friend, the one person in the world I trusted, betray me in such a way? It's like a literal knife wound to the chest. And not only did they start seeing each other, but it happened while we were still dating. Ashley, the woman who was so broken when her boyfriend cheated, was cheating on her boyfriend, with her best friend's boyfriend. Shakespeare couldn't write such a tragedy."I swear it didn't
The simple skeleton key, silver with diamond embellishments on the circle latch and leaf vines feels extra heavy around my neck. The Tiffany etched in the backside means it probably cost more than I make in a month, but I'd been helpless to turn away the blue box when it was hand delivered earlier this morning.I mean it was a blue box. Everyone would be curious to see what was inside the package.The necklace is elegant yet simple and understated. Just like my style. A simple white business card was tucked into the box with a message from Vincent scribbled on the front.This reminded me of you.Does he understand me after all? Does Vincent want me to dress in power heels and wear fifty-thousand-dollar outfits that cost as much is his suit? Or is he okay with me? The real me. A woman who wants to wear a simple necklace and a pair of running shoes. I hope the gift is a sign—a gesture he doesn't realize he is making—but I can't determine a reason Vincent would be at Tiffany's sin
"Hello?" I answer."Yeah, I've got dinner for a Marshal.""Dinner?"I haven't eaten all day. The thought of food would take too much work to figure out and my stomach hasn't rumbled asking for anything.It rumbles. Stupid stomach."How much do I owe?""Listen, lady, it's been paid for already. I have two more deliveries. You going to let me up or not?"Wow, jerk.I punch in the access code, granting him access to the building so he can bring me the food my stomach now craves. Not wanting to waste a second, I open the apartment door and wait for him to step off the elevator. The smell of my favorite Chinese restaurant in the city hits me before he does. I reach for the bag and hand him a quick tip, the last five dollars from my wallet as he walks to the elevator, a heavy bag thrown over his shoulder.The apartment is too empty and quiet. Being in the main living area reminds me I'm the only one here. To combat the sadness, I spread the food out on my comforter and sit
As I finish the story of what his wife told me in the car, he pulls back my face in his hands. Vincent's skin is red and his expression one of anger. "I swear that's not how it happened. I will do anything to prove that to you. Yes, I made bad choices when I was younger, but I've never raised my hand to a woman. Never, not after growing up in the home I did."I nod, wanting to believe it's true. A part of me always did. When faced with a difficult decision, a woman's choices are limited and often used against her for years. Do I believe the woman in the scenario and cast Vincent aside because of their words? Or do I trust a man who has never shown me anything but kindness and acceptance?You are always supposed to listen to women and believe them and trust them. Girl power and all, but I can't match up Tiffany's words with anything Vincent has done or said in our time together. It's as if I'm being forced to pick between two worlds."It's just so much at one time." I finally wrap
"What?" There's absolutely no way I heard him correctly.From the briefcase he brought in that I completely forgot about, he pulls out a quarter-inch-thick stack of papers. "My lawyers drew up these papers this weekend. I promise they are very favorable to you, but I strongly suggest you have a lawyer look them over before you sign if you'd like. If you sign this, you'll gain half voting control of my company."He tries to pass the papers over but I push them away. "Vincent, I don't want half your company." It's absurd. He doesn't need to sign away his company to prove a point to me."But I want you, Mackenzie. I need you to realize how important you are to me. How much I'm willing to give you when it's possible I can." Looking deep into my eyes and making sure I'm paying attention, he continues. "I've never felt this way about another human being. The moment I saw you I wanted you. At first it was purely physical, but I've gotten to know you and realize your quirks.""I don't
I turn on him, wanting to reach out and strangle him for reminding me of my childhood. "No, I just don't appreciate that nickname. It doesn't make me a bitch because I have an opinion about something that affects me."Men.The rest of my steps to the printer are hard as I stomp there and grab the stack of papers from the tray and then stop by the supply closet on the way back and pick out a bright pink highlighter.I will highlight the shit out of these reports.My chair flops back as I sit in it hard and then use my feet to roll me to the desk. Anytime a woman has a mind of her own, she's considered a bitch or told she's "ragging it." As if men never had a bad day or let something bother them. Somehow only weak women had those issues.It made me want to strangle every man on the planet.Holy shit.I drop the highlighter on the desk and use my fingers to count back the weeks, but I can't remember.I definitely wasn't having a time-of-the-month mood swing. Since I'm on t
"I like your little bed," Vincent says as he places a kiss on my collarbone, sucking on the skin and then lifting his head to create a pop when the suction releases. I laugh and push him away.He's playful, something I haven't seen much of, and I relish the moment together. "Yeah, why is that?""Because I have to practically lay on top of you and there's nowhere for you to escape."I laugh again and try to push him away, but he doesn't budge."Your view is better, though."Vincent's head falls to my neck and I tingle with the kiss against my skin. "Baby, that's because I have the best view in the city."His thick cock nestles between my legs and he bucks his hips, rubbing his length between my folds. "V," I warn him. He's getting dangerously close without paying. We've been naked for over twenty minutes and all he's done is tease me."Not yet. I said I got to taste you for a starter.""That was twenty minutes ago. Dinnertime is over."He laughs, a full sound I rarely