city across the globe .
The last thing Julie wanted was to be another mark on Nick’s bedpost. Amy had been right. Julie never should have come here. People just didn’t change. Turning on her heel, Julie decided she didn’t want to stick around for introductions.
Chapter 9
“What was that all about?” Angel a, his tax lawyer, asked as she watched Julie flee the scene.
“Julie, wait, it’s not what you think…” he tried going after her.
“I’m done, Nick,” was all he heard as she took off even faster.
Through the window, he spied her hailing a cab and then disappearing out of sight. Nicholas sighed.
“You’re the last person I would have guessed to have trouble with women,” Angela drew hi s attention back to her. “What happened ?”
“You,” Nicholas did nothing to camouflage his disappointment.
“Me?” Angela raised an eyebrow before laughing aloud. Shaking her head, she added, “I’m guessing she doesn’t know that I’d be more likely to hit on her than on you.”
Nicholas s ighed; despite what he did , Julie would forever suspect him of sleeping around. He had no way to undo the past, and Julie seemed unwilling to forgive and forget, despite how much time had passed and how much he’d tried to change . He sighed, eyeing the bar. Nicholas wanted only one thing now.
“May I buy you a drink, Angela?” he asked, not wanting to drink alone. Angela glanced at her watch before answering.
“I have about twenty minutes to spare. Will that be enough?”
He nodded, and they made their way to the bar. She liked her bourbon the same way he did—neat. When their drinks arrived, she wasted no time on small talk.
“She’s not your usual type,” Angela began, sipping her drink casually. She crossed one leg over the other as she leaned one arm on the bar. “I thought you liked only the uptight waifs.”
Nicholas could only glare at her. He thou ght about ignoring the question but needed someone to talk to.
“Julie is...,” he paused, trying to find the right word. “Special,” he finished at last. A look of knowing crossed Angela’s face. She nodded, setting down her drink.
“Ah, yes,” she drawled. “The one who got away?”
Nicholas shrugged. “You could say that.”
“How long ago?”
“Ten years.”
Angela’s brown eyes pierced him as she spoke her next words. “How did it happen?”
Nicholas didn’t miss a beat. “I cheated on her,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Why?” Angela asked.
Swirling his drink in his glass, Nick tipped his head back and swallowed it in one gulp, then raised his hand to the bartender, indicating that he needed another. “It’s complicated.”
“I don’t buy it.”
“Well, Julie was someone close to me who loved me for who I was. She cared for me when I was a nobody, when your typical woman wouldn’t care about me, when I couldn ’t whisk someone away to anywhere in a heartbeat as I can now. But once I saw some success, I…”
“Then you decided you couldn’t be content with your old girlfriend anymore?”
“Doesn’t sound so good when you say it. But I’ve never been a popular kid, and the women, the glamour, I just wanted it. I made a mistake, but it’s not because I didn’t care for her.”
“So, it happened suddenly?”
“I’m not sure. I felt as if Julie had been pulling away from me since we graduated and I started to work for the hedge fund company I eventually bought out to make Renaissance.”
He stopped talking when the second drink arrived. He drained it, too, and signaled for a third . “I was a fool and a bastard. But all I want to do now is make it right and make her happy.” He ran a hand through his hair before locking eyes with Angela.
She waited patiently for him to continue. “That was a major screw-up,” she finally said.
“I know, I know, but see, I’m trying to make it up to her, but
The last thing Julie wanted was to be another mark on Nick’s bedpost. Amy had been right. Julie never should have come here. People just didn’t change. Turning on her heel, Julie decided she didn’t want to stick around for introductions.
Chapter 9
“What was that all about?” Angel a, his tax lawyer, asked as she watched Julie flee the scene.
“Julie, wait, it’s not what you think…” he tried going after her.
“I’m done, Nick,” was all he heard as she took off even faster.
Through the window, he spied her hailing a cab and then disappearing out of sight. Nicholas sighed.
“You’re the last person I would have guessed to have trouble with women,” Angela drew hi s attention back to her. “What happened ?”
“You,” Nicholas did nothing to camouflage his disappointment.
“Me?” Angela raised an eyebrow before laughing aloud. Shaking her head, she added, “I’m guessing she doesn’t know that I’d be more likely to hit on her than on you.”
Nicholas s ighed; despite what he did , Julie would forever suspect him of sleeping around. He had no way to undo the past, and Julie seemed unwilling to forgive and forget, despite how much time had passed and how much he’d tried to change . He sighed, eyeing the bar. Nicholas wanted only one thing now.
“May I buy you a drink, Angela?” he asked, not wanting to drink alone. Angela glanced at her watch before answering.
“I have about twenty minutes to spare. Will that be enough?”
He nodded, and they made their way to the bar. She liked her bourbon the same way he did—neat. When their drinks arrived, she wasted no time on small talk.
“She’s not your usual type,” Angela began, sipping her drink casually. She crossed one leg over the other as she leaned one arm on the bar. “I thought you liked only the uptight waifs.”
Nicholas could only glare at her. He thou ght about ignoring the question but needed someone to talk to.
“Julie is...,” he paused, trying to find the right word. “Special,” he finished at last. A look of knowing crossed Angela’s face. She nodded, setting down her drink.
“Ah, yes,” she drawled. “The one who got away?”
Nicholas shrugged. “You could say that.”
“How long ago?”
“Ten years.”
Angela’s brown eyes pierced him as she spoke her next words. “How did it happen?”
Nicholas didn’t miss a beat. “I cheated on her,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
“Why?” Angela asked.
Swirling his drink in his glass, Nick tipped his head back and swallowed it in one gulp, then raised his hand to the bartender, indicating that he needed another. “It’s complicated.”
“I don’t buy it.”
“Well, Julie was someone close to me who loved me for who I was. She cared for me when I was a nobody, when your typical woman wouldn’t care about me, when I couldn ’t whisk someone away to anywhere in a heartbeat as I can now. But once I saw some success, I…”
“Then you decided you couldn’t be content with your old girlfriend anymore?”
“Doesn’t sound so good when you say it. But I’ve never been a popular kid, and the women, the glamour, I just wanted it. I made a mistake, but it’s not because I didn’t care for her.”
“So, it happened suddenly?”
“I’m not sure. I felt as if Julie had been pulling away from me since we graduated and I started to work for the hedge fund company I eventually bought out to make Renaissance.”
He stopped talking when the second drink arrived. He drained it, too, and signaled for a third . “I was a fool and a bastard. But all I want to do now is make it right and make her happy.” He ran a hand through his hair before locking eyes with Angela.
She waited patiently for him to continue. “That was a major screw-up,” she finally said.
“I know, I know, but see, I’m trying to make it up to her, but
Similar Books
