he was whispering, “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
I wasn’t sure how long that lasted. Axel kept our gazes locked, sealing our connection.
“I’m not letting you go back to that apartment.” His voice was low and soothing.
“Why not?”
“Does Brad have the keys?”
He did. And now that I’d betrayed him, running into him could be a death sentence. Y eah, I’d better stay away from there.
“Where do you expect me to stay, then? I mean, I could go to the new apartment—”
“—No. There’s no furniture. You’ll stay with me.”
“I barely know you.”
“Well, then we’ll have to do something about that, won’t we? Come on, Trish. You do know me. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but you’ve never left my mind for a second during that time.” That hint of a smile that showed on his face was like a drop of rain in the desert: precious and barely enough. That little sunshine glowing in his eyes eased the pain in my chest. As I paid attention to the beating in my heart now, that quick rush of blood pumping through my veins, I realized I might actually be a little dizzy.
But he was right. I did know him — probably way better than I knew Brad.
“Okay, I’ll stay with you.”
Once Julia was strong enough, Scar pushed her wheelchair around the hallways while we followed, exchanging information about Bradley Watson. I told Axel that Brad had been traveling to Europe every couple of months, and that he’d always said it was for business. I also learned that Axel and Scar had been wanting to shut down the downstairs party room for good, but couldn’t do it without Brad’s approval — that portion of the business belonged to him. It was a brothel for married men and women who needed a sense of adventure and could cheat once on their significant others, whether they were spouses or partners; apparently Brad’s clever idea. Scar never thought it would take off and agreed to invest with him as a way to start his own business. Unfortunately, there were more sick men in the world than Scar had guessed.
The notion of cheating made me nauseous. It had broken me apart in the past, and it was breaking me again. Since I’d let Axel fuck me up against that wall, I was officially a cheater as well, even though an asshole such as Brad deserved to be cheated on. In hindsight, was I being stupid? Yes. But carrying the values I had left from my home had kept my sanity intact; it kept me from losing my identity.
Axel sent someone to pick up my things from the apartment. As we drove to his house, wherever that was, I took in the luxury of the leather seats, tinted windows, purring engine, and a touch-screen dashboard. I could never afford anything this expensive, at least not with my minimum wage pay.
“Shit, I’m supposed to be at work right now.”
He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You swearing. It’s cute. Your nose wrinkles when you’re upset.”
“I’ll lose my job.”
Axel sighed and continued driving. His brows scrunched together. “Does Brad know where you work?”
I nodded.
“Did you like the place we went to last week? Olivier’s?”
“Are you kidding me? I loved it.” It was one of the most exclusive restaurants I’d ever been to, and although we’d eaten our dinner from cartons at the hospital, the food was delicious.
“Olivier is a high-end chef, and the security there is top-notch. A lot of celebrities appreciate that. I’m also pretty sure he’s looking to hire someone.”
“Seriously? Would you put in a word for me?”
Could I even hope that I wouldn’t have to serve greasy burgers to chubby truckers with overgrown beards that hosted armies of bacteria?
“Already done.”
“Wow! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’d love to tell my boss that I’m quitting, and I’m not looking forward to hearing him rant about not calling in today.”
“He’s not a good boss, I presume?”
“Another asshole.”
Axel shook his head. “Let me take care of
I wasn’t sure how long that lasted. Axel kept our gazes locked, sealing our connection.
“I’m not letting you go back to that apartment.” His voice was low and soothing.
“Why not?”
“Does Brad have the keys?”
He did. And now that I’d betrayed him, running into him could be a death sentence. Y eah, I’d better stay away from there.
“Where do you expect me to stay, then? I mean, I could go to the new apartment—”
“—No. There’s no furniture. You’ll stay with me.”
“I barely know you.”
“Well, then we’ll have to do something about that, won’t we? Come on, Trish. You do know me. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but you’ve never left my mind for a second during that time.” That hint of a smile that showed on his face was like a drop of rain in the desert: precious and barely enough. That little sunshine glowing in his eyes eased the pain in my chest. As I paid attention to the beating in my heart now, that quick rush of blood pumping through my veins, I realized I might actually be a little dizzy.
But he was right. I did know him — probably way better than I knew Brad.
“Okay, I’ll stay with you.”
Once Julia was strong enough, Scar pushed her wheelchair around the hallways while we followed, exchanging information about Bradley Watson. I told Axel that Brad had been traveling to Europe every couple of months, and that he’d always said it was for business. I also learned that Axel and Scar had been wanting to shut down the downstairs party room for good, but couldn’t do it without Brad’s approval — that portion of the business belonged to him. It was a brothel for married men and women who needed a sense of adventure and could cheat once on their significant others, whether they were spouses or partners; apparently Brad’s clever idea. Scar never thought it would take off and agreed to invest with him as a way to start his own business. Unfortunately, there were more sick men in the world than Scar had guessed.
The notion of cheating made me nauseous. It had broken me apart in the past, and it was breaking me again. Since I’d let Axel fuck me up against that wall, I was officially a cheater as well, even though an asshole such as Brad deserved to be cheated on. In hindsight, was I being stupid? Yes. But carrying the values I had left from my home had kept my sanity intact; it kept me from losing my identity.
Axel sent someone to pick up my things from the apartment. As we drove to his house, wherever that was, I took in the luxury of the leather seats, tinted windows, purring engine, and a touch-screen dashboard. I could never afford anything this expensive, at least not with my minimum wage pay.
“Shit, I’m supposed to be at work right now.”
He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You swearing. It’s cute. Your nose wrinkles when you’re upset.”
“I’ll lose my job.”
Axel sighed and continued driving. His brows scrunched together. “Does Brad know where you work?”
I nodded.
“Did you like the place we went to last week? Olivier’s?”
“Are you kidding me? I loved it.” It was one of the most exclusive restaurants I’d ever been to, and although we’d eaten our dinner from cartons at the hospital, the food was delicious.
“Olivier is a high-end chef, and the security there is top-notch. A lot of celebrities appreciate that. I’m also pretty sure he’s looking to hire someone.”
“Seriously? Would you put in a word for me?”
Could I even hope that I wouldn’t have to serve greasy burgers to chubby truckers with overgrown beards that hosted armies of bacteria?
“Already done.”
“Wow! Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’d love to tell my boss that I’m quitting, and I’m not looking forward to hearing him rant about not calling in today.”
“He’s not a good boss, I presume?”
“Another asshole.”
Axel shook his head. “Let me take care of
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