Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Nope. Doesn’t remember me. But that’s no surprise. We had no direct contact, and he was drinking with his buddies.
“That doesn’t matter,” I reply, opening my phone and pulling up the picture. “What matters is this.”
I show it to him.
For a moment he stares, but then he bursts out laughing. “Yeah? And?”
“And I don’t think it would be good for you if this got out. Do you?”
This causes him to laugh even harder. He takes another sip of his drink and throws an arm over the back of his seat.
“This is about Mira?” he asks. “You really think I give a damn if she sees that? Hell, if she doesn’t know I’m seeing other women by now, then she’s even dumber than I thought.”
My right hand curls into a fist, and my lips purse in anger. I’m getting hot. Burning with fury at this sick bastard. I’ve never met someone so self-centered in my life. I’m dying to knock his teeth down his throat, but that wouldn’t solve anything. In fact, that would make even more problems for me.
“No, I don’t think you care if she sees it,” I reply. “But I do think your boss, her father, would care if these got released say…online? Or to a couple of journalists I know?”
I’m bluffing—about the journalists. But releasing this online wouldn’t be hard at all.
His Adam’s apple shifts up and down as he swallows hard, and I see the edges of his eyes widen. Yeah, try and hide the fact that you’re scared, bastard.
“Hang on a second—”
“You’re a real son of a bitch, you know that?” I growl, leaning in on him. “You were going to marry this sweet, innocent princess? Let her walk down the aisle with you, looking like an angel, while you were out there sticking your dick in any woman who fell for your bullshit?”
Every word I speak causes my anger to flare even higher. I have to take several deep breaths to keep myself from blowing like a volcano.
He swallows hard again. “Wait, that isn’t what you think—”
“Oh, it’s not?” I laugh, pointing to the image on my phone. “This isn’t cheating? Deception? Betrayal? I don’t know what the hell she ever saw in you, Tyler, but she—”
I stop myself before blurting it out.
Not that I consider what Mira and I have been doing to be an affair—considering the sham their relationship is—but telling Tyler that Mira and I have been together will only make things worse. Maybe even start a fight. And that’s not what I need right now. I need to get what I want from him so I can have my life with my princess.
“So what is this?” he barks. “Blackmail? Just another chump out for my money, is that it?”
“I don’t want your money,” I snort, nearly breaking out into full-blown laughter. “You arrogant fuck.”
“What do you want then!?”
My lips twist into a smile. Got him. “You’re gonna give up Mira.”
Tyler’s jaw twitches. His eyes falter. “What? Why? So you can swoop in and be the big hero? You think she’ll date a guy like you? You think she’ll thank you for destroying the wedding of the century?”
If only he knew…
“I don’t care about any of that,” I reply. “What I do care about is making sure you never lay a finger on her. Understand?”
He gets it. I can see it in his eyes. But Tyler isn’t a man who’s used to losing. He still thinks he has a chance against me. He scoffs, trying to hide the waver in his voice. “So you think you can threaten me with this?”
He points to my phone.
“Yes. I also think I can really threaten you with this.” I raise my clenched fist so he gets a nice full view of my scarred, callused hand. “You don’t want to know the shit I’ve been through, Tyler. The things I’ve done. But I’ll tell you this much—if you don’t let Mira go, I’ll make sure you disappear. You can bet on it.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” I ask, leaning so close he can smell the grease, the gas, the engine oil covering my clothes. “You man enough to try me?”
There’s a long pause. Tyler looks around, maybe hoping someone will step in and get him out of this jam. But everyone else in this place is as self-absorbed as he is. They’re paying us no mind.
Finally, he slumps back in his seat. “This is crazy,” he mutters. “Her dad will never let it happen.”
“I’ll deal with her father,” I growl. “And if you even think about telling him about our little meeting here, I’ll make sure this gets to him.”
I tap my phone, causing him to take a deep breath. He’s getting shifty, and with a quick gulp, downs the rest of his drink.
“So what is this then? You hold this over me for the rest of my life? Come back in another few years and try to extort me?”