Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21882 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 109(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 73(@300wpm)
But my Aunt Kathy can’t be contained.
“Madeline Mitchell is a slut of the highest order who sleeps with older men for money!” she screams. “Did you know there’s a prostitute in your midst! She doesn’t deserve a degree! Plus, the slut is pregnant, did you know?”
This time, I crumple to the stage floor. How did my aunt know I was pregnant? Why is she outing me now? I slump to the ground, but not before a mechanical whirring sound begins to fill my ears. What is that?
Craning my head, I look up and see a giant black bird in the sky. But it’s not a bird, or at least not an avian of animal origin. It’s a helicopter and as my aunt continues to scream, the thwap-thwap of the rotors gets louder and louder until the wind begins to stir our hair. Then, to my surprise, the helicopter lands in the field about a hundred feet away from the stage, and the unmistakable form of Cameron Savage bounds from the machine, a look of rage on his face.
“That’s my girlfriend,” he hisses in a cold voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Anyone who hurts Maddy has to answer to me.”
With that, relief washes over me. My handsome Prince Charming has arrived, and everything’s going to be okay.
12
Cameron
I can’t believe my eyes. My sweet Maddy is crouched on the stage, looking terrified and worse for wear. Her blonde hair gleams beneath the mortarboard, and although she probably doesn’t realize it, she’s hunched over with her arms crossed over her stomach as if protecting it.
Meanwhile, the blonde older woman continues screeching while pointing straight at Maddy.
“This is the man the super-slut has taken up with!” she screams. “He’s paying her to be his slut! Slut, slut!”
I race over to where she’s standing.
“If you say that again, I’m going to strike you, so help me god!”
The woman doesn’t even pay attention to me. She continues staring at Maddy with a glazed look in her eyes.
“Slut, slut, slut!”
That does it. I raise my hand to hit this woman. I’ve never harmed a female in my life before, but there are firsts for everything, and I’m not going to let some random bitch insult my girl in front of her high school class. My hand goes high up in the air but before I can deliver the blow, Grace Mitchell throws herself in front of the other woman.
“Please don’t!” Maddy’s mom pleads. “This is my sister, and I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”
“Slut, slut!” the other woman continues to scream, trying to push Grace off of her. “She’s pregnant too! He bought a baby for money!”
That does it. I’m not going to strike her because I’m going to do much worse. I motion to my bodyguards standing at the side of the crowd and they come rushing forward. They pin the woman’s arms behind her back and hustle her from the field.
“Slut!” she continues to scream. “Sl—”
But then her words are cut off, and I know what’s happened. One of my guards must have gagged her with something. A handkerchief most likely, but hopefully she chokes on it and dies.
After all, I’m not a charitable man. This woman hurt my lovely girl, and I’m not going to let her get away with it. At the moment, Maddy is crouched still on the stage, looking green, and I bound over to her and embrace her in my arms.
“Are you okay?” I whisper in her ear.
She lifts big eyes to me, and they’re watery with tears.
“I’m okay, Cameron, but the baby …”
“Don’t worry about the baby,” I say harshly. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
I stand up then, with the beautiful girl in my arms.
“Everyone, my name is Cameron Savage. You may know me because I own Le Palms over on the Strip. In fact, I may employ some of your friends and family members. But know this: I’m in love with Madeline Mitchell, and she’s carrying my child. If anyone so much as touches a hair on her head, then they’ll be answering to me.”
The crowd lets out a gasp, and I can see quite a few mouths drop open. I grin, and it comes out animal-like.
“Yes, Madeline’s been living with me, but there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s eighteen and a consenting adult. And no, I never paid her anything. My company paid her mother, Grace, a living stipend while she sought job re-training, but that’s because Grace has been a loyal employee of Le Palms for a decade. Who would we be if we threw away our best people without a care in the world?”
There’s a murmur among the crowd and I can see quite a few people nodding their agreement. I continue.
“I want to protect Madeline Mitchell. This woman means the world to me, and I might as well make it official while I’m here. Madeline, will you marry me?”