Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I look down to see his hand slide to my tattoo. He edges a fingertip over the script on my wrist.
“I’m glad you asked me to go along for the ride,” I whisper as I stare into his eyes.
“Me too.” He exhales. “Get in and buckle up. Our next adventure awaits.”
I close my eyes as the wind whips my hair against my cheek. We left New York City twenty minutes ago, and as soon as the traffic started to thin, I took an audible breath.
That drew a glance from the man sitting next to me, who is handling this car like he’s been behind the wheel of it for years.
I saw his hands shake when he first pulled away from the curb in front of my building in Manhattan. Once we were on our way, his posture loosened, and he relaxed.
“What happened with you and McCabe?”
That question opens my eyes, sending my hand up to slide my sunglasses off. “What?”
Daniels glances at me, but his eyes are hidden behind his sunglasses. “You heard me, Gina. What happened between you and Brogan McCabe?”
I gaze at the road ahead and the back of the RV cruising down the highway in front of us. “That’s none of your business.”
“I made it my business when I broke the rules.”
Again, I look at him but turn in my seat, being mindful of my seatbelt. “What does that mean?”
He keeps his eyes on the road. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does,” I say. “You can’t toss that out and not explain it. What rules did you break, and how the hell does it relate to my ex?”
“Drop it, Gina.”
“You’re the one who brought it up,” I point out. “Actually, why did you bring it up? Why now?”
“Because you’re stuck in this car and can’t escape.”
I bow my head and smile. “What rules, Daniel? Tell me what you did.”
When I look, the fingers on his left hand are drumming a beat on the steering wheel. He offers his right hand to me. “I’ll tell you. This is like boarding the subway for me, so hold my hand.”
I want to laugh, but I have no idea if he’s being serious or not, so I take his hand in mine.
He squeezes mine gently. “He was my client at the time.”
“What?” I can’t hide my surprise at that admission, so I don’t even try. “He was your client?”
He nods. “I terminated our contract as soon as I got back to my office the day we argued about him. When you told me you were falling hard and fast for McCabe, I knew I couldn’t sit idly by and watch that happen.”
I try to follow, but I’m lost. “Please explain more.”
His gaze darts from my face back to the road. “He was living on the fortune his parents gave him when he turned twenty-five, but he had blown through that. He spent most of it on luxury vacations and gifts for women.”
During our time together, Brogan gave me nothing, not even a single red rose. More often than not, when we went out for dinner, it was because I had signed a sponsorship deal with the establishment. Our meals and drinks were covered in addition to a healthy deposit in my bank account. In exchange, I had to post a picture or video to social media showing my boyfriend and I sitting at a table having a great time. Although, I often wished we were at my place eating food. Brogan cooked for me once, but there was never a repeat of that.
“When did he give women gifts?” I whisper.
Daniel’s hand tightens on mine. “The last one I’m aware of was a few days before you and I spoke about him. He had just returned to New York after spending a week in Paris with her.”
I try to tug my hand away, but he holds tightly to it.
“He told me the Paris trip was business,” I say as I glance at the back of the RV again. “I asked to go with him, but he said his dad was accompanying him, so it would be all business all the time.”
“His dad is terrified of flying. He’s never left New York City.”
My hand jumps to my mouth. “What? You’re serious?”
“Brogan McCabe has never worked a day in his life,” he starts before he takes a second to pause. “His parents gave him a monthly allowance. They set him up with me, but he kept spending, and they kept funding him. They were contemplating cutting him off after the Paris trip, so the well was about to run dry for him.”
“You said someone you knew told you he was bad news,” I repeat the words Daniel said to me the last time I saw him before he moved away. “There was no someone. It was you all along?”