Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
I take another sip of tea when suddenly, the dreaded knock comes. My eyes flit to the clock and sure enough, it’s twelve o’clock on the dot. The repo industry is punctual at least. I wince, pinching my eyes shut, wishing it would go away. But that’s not realistic and there’s no use in avoiding the situation. You’ve got to face the bad, along with the good.
Filled with despair but determined to keep my cool, I swing the front door open.
“Hel-” My breath catches in my mouth drops open. I’m completely caught off-guard. “Justin?”
“Marley,” the handsome man growls, his blue eyes gleaming. “Good to see you again. May I come in?”
I’m awestruck by how gorgeous he looks. I thought he cleaned up nice for a repo man the last time I saw him, but it’s clear that he put in some extra effort today knowing he was coming to see me. His black hair is brushed back, and he’s got a t-shirt on that highlights his broad shoulders and wide chest. His jeans hug his hips perfectly, and my cheeks flush when I think about what’s underneath.
But then I make myself act normal.
“Oh, of course,” I stammer. “Come in.”
Justin grins knowingly and enters the living room. This time, he actually looks around a bit. He sees the colorful artwork hanging on the walls and then stops momentarily in front of the entertainment console I scored at the local thrift shop.
“Very nice,” he murmurs absently, tapping his finger on the TV.
I clear my throat.
“I’m sorry, I’m just a bit confused. You’re just here to let me know you’re taking my car away today, right?” I ask while watching him analyze my living space, sizing my possessions up item by item. Without turning to look at me, he responds.
“Actually, I struck a deal with the bank. The boss man said he’s willing to let you keep your car, for now at least, but we’re going to need to take something to seal the deal. A show of faith, let’s call it.” I look at him in disbelief.
“So, you’re here to take something other than my car. What did you have your eye on?”
Justin shrugs and grins. He’s so handsome that my heart is doing triple time, but I remind myself to calm down. This guy is here to clean me out, for crying out loud!
He smiles again, flashing even white teeth.
“Anything of value will do,” he says casually, finally stopping in place and turning his attention to me. He gestures to his left. “How about this T.V.?”
My eyes go round, and I try not to laugh out loud. I would probably have to pay someone to take my T.V., to be honest, because it’s the boxy cube kind that looks like it just landed in my living room from the early 90’s.
“That thing?” I question. Then, I can’t help myself and the laughter pours out. “That thing can’t be worth more than twenty bucks, if even that.”
Justin grins back at me.
“You’re right, this is ridiculous. How about your table?”
This time, I don’t even bother to hide my giggles.
“I got this table off the street,” I say dryly. “Literally, someone left this hunk of junk in front of the building next door, and I convinced my friend to haul it up four flights of stairs for me so that I could have somewhere to put my stuff.”
Justin laughs too while holding up his hands.
“Okay, okay, you got me. I just wanted to see you again Marley, and clearly, this is a thinly veiled attempt to make that happen.”
I giggle again.
“That’s okay, you could have just asked. Here, sit,” I say, patting my raggedy old couch. “I just made a pot of tea before you came by. Would you like some?” I suggest. He grins widely.
“Yeah sure, that would be great.”
Moments later, I join him on the couch with two mugs of green tea and a plate of cookies. We sit quietly for a moment as I carefully sip at my drink. What is he here for? Clearly, we had a session of wild sex, but now, things couldn’t be more different. We’re practically like two ladies at a tea party, although of course Justin’s huge, hulking, and utterly handsome.
But he loves the food. The alpha male bites a cookie enthusiastically before swallowing it whole, and then experiments with dipping a macaron into his tea. My soft giggle snaps him back to the present.
“Sorry,” he says, laughing. “I’ve never had these fancy cookies before. My ma always served us plain old chocolate chip.”
“Actually, they’re not cookies. They’re macarons. They’re good right?” I say, taking a purple one from the plate myself.
He nods his agreement as he enthusiastically takes another bite.
“Fantastic.”
I smile.
“They make them in all sorts of fun colors too. Pink, green, yellow, et cetera. Your choices are endless,” I explain.