Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
I felt no sadness. Felt no tears. If I could do it all over again, I would have done everything the same—except I would have aimed higher. I would have aimed right between his eyes and watched the life drain from his face. “What’s the point, Bolton? Every conversation will be forced. Every fuck will be coerced. How can this possibly be what you want? I’m an empty shell of who I used to be. A ghost in the hallway. A living memory. Why would you settle for that?”
He stared at me from across the couch.
When he didn’t say anything, I looked away. “I shot you, for fuck’s sake.”
He continued his stare.
“There’s no coming back from that. You think a couple months will go by and this will be a funny story? Whatever your plan is, it’s not going to work. Nothing you’ve done has worked thus far.”
“You’re still here, aren’t you?”
“But look at the circumstances—”
“I don’t expect to travel back in time. I don’t expect roses to grow from our bones. But if I can’t have you, then no one can.”
The chill was so cold, a wisp of vapor left my mouth. Our fairy tale had slowly descended into madness. Bolton was a handsome prince who had erased all my problems with his love, but his skin had melted away and revealed the true fiend underneath. A monster that lived in a cave by the sea. That ate the bones of the women who scorned his love.
“So you can either try, or you can wait to die.”
14
THEO
I opened the drawer to my nightstand and pulled out the wad of cash before I tossed it on the bed.
Andrea lay there, her beautiful skin shiny from the sweat, her head propped on her palm as she watched me. “It’s on the house, Theo.”
I left the money there. “I said I don’t want your pity.”
“Oh, it’s not pity.” She smiled up at me.
I turned away and headed to the bathroom. “Show yourself out.” I walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower to clean my dick and wash away the sweat that clung to my skin like lotion. I did a quick towel-dry before I returned to the bedroom, expecting to see her gone, but she sat at the edge of the bed, the money still where I’d tossed it. “Why are you still here?”
“I wanted to talk.”
My eyes narrowed. “I pay so I don’t have to talk.”
“I’m not accepting your money, so there’s no agreement.”
I stared at her for a few more seconds, irritated that I was being ambushed like this. “Guess I won’t be calling you again.” I walked to my dresser and put on a fresh pair of boxers before I ran my fingers through my damp hair. When I came back to the bed, I expected her to be in the process of gathering her shit and leaving, but she just stayed there. “What the fuck do you want?”
“I just want to talk—”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“Theo—”
“Leave, or I’ll throw you out on your ass.” I stood and waited for her to hop off the bed.
But she sat there, calling my bluff.
I drew in a slow breath, desperate for a stiff drink and a cigar. “What is it, Andrea?”
“I’m not charging you because I want to do it for free.”
In the years past, that wasn’t the case. She charged me the full price, every time. “What’s changed?”
“Well, I always assumed you were emotionally unavailable, but then you were in a relationship.”
“It wasn’t a relationship.”
“If you weren’t sleeping with anyone else, it was a relationship, Theo.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between hers. “And you think that means I’m looking for a new woman? That relationship was a fucking dumpster fire. I have no desire to get into another, not now and not ever. So if you think cutting me a deal is going to change my mind, you’re wasting your time. Take your hard-earned cash and get the fuck out.” I walked around the bed and sat on the edge.
She finally got up and got dressed, taking her sweet time like she had nowhere to go. “Theo?”
I didn’t look at her.
She came around the bed and stopped in front of me, a petite woman who could handle any request that was made. I’d tied her up and taped her mouth shut. I’d spanked her with my belt. I’d shoved my big dick in her ass, and she did a marvelous job pretending to like it. “I make good money doing what I do. I have a beautiful apartment. A nice car. A ton of savings in the bank. But I like you, Theo. I would give it up for a shot to be with you.”
And just like that, I lost my favorite whore. She burdened the arrangement with expectation and desire. She made it emotional and complicated. I wanted to fuck, hand over the cash, and wash my hands clean. But now, there was talking and bullshit. I was so tired of bullshit. “I’m not looking for a woman right now, Andrea.”