Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Time for a well-deserved break.”
“Oh, thank God. Does that last guy ever blink?” She drops her smile.
“Nah, he sleeps with his eyes open. You’re not a legend without being a little weird,” I say.
She laughs. “My cheeks hurt from smiling. How do you do this for hours at a time?”
“Practice and face massages,” I joke. “The risk of shitty press changes your priorities too.”
“Hmm, I guess. You said we won’t do this much, right? I don’t know if I can keep up.”
“You’re doing amazing. Millstable never bullshits or makes promises he doesn’t mean. I owe you.” When I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer so I can kiss her temple, it’s not because I’m playing make-believe for an ever-present audience.
It’s because I’m fucking grateful.
It’s because I truly respect Lena Joly.
It’s because we both know this is getting out of hand.
Too bad I don’t care.
All I know is when she’s by my side, looking like a goddess striking earth, wowing potential partners without really trying, I’m living shock and awe.
“I need to go to the bathroom and touch up my makeup,” she says.
A caveman part of me wants to follow her into some secluded corner, shove her dress up, and fuck her against the wall.
The bathrooms are perfectly nice here, not grimy or run down.
I’ve had sex in worse places.
But as tempting as it is, we’re not here for that, and the wrong people might notice.
“Come back soon,” I say with a fierce parting kiss.
“I will.” She smiles up at me but only for a second.
Her eyes search mine, and I wonder what she’s hoping to find. How much did that phone stunt disappoint her?
The ring on her finger glitters in the light, a secret mockery only I know as she weaves through the crowd.
Every step she makes is so graceful, winding through people like a bird through branches.
I watch her for too long, trying to push down the unsettling feeling that something is off.
If it’s the phone, we’ll talk about it later.
A hand pulls on my jacket, and I turn around.
“Your mother was right. She’s good for you,” Dad says bluntly, waiting impatiently behind me in his chair with his nurse.
She’s useful. That’s what he really means.
I glare, swallowing the harsh words he deserves.
“I’m surprised it only took one conversation to win you over,” I say.
“There’s something charming about a girl who can hold her own with a crowd like this when she’s a fish out of water. She lacks the pedigree, yet you’d never know it.”
“What can I say? She’s a charmer.”
“She might be your first sensible decision in years, Brady. Perhaps you’re turning a corner.”
My gut churns, hating that I can’t remember the last time I saw him so relaxed.
“Thanks, but don’t get too used to her wasting time at these things. She has better plans. We made an exception for you today.” My shoulders itch, and I roll them under my expensive suit.
I know I should just leave it there. Walk off with my father satisfied and no explosive arguments brewing like thunderheads.
Only, I’ve never been good at accepting easy wins.
“Frankly, I’m surprised that’s all it took. Lena showing a little compassion to a woman you need to deal with. If empathy goes that far, you should try it sometime,” I say quietly.
He chuckles roughly before a cough chokes it off.
“I fully expected to hate your fiancée. However, you know I’ve always had a certain respect for people with talents I lack.” Dad doesn’t look away from the hall where Lena disappeared, his eyes narrowed. “Don’t blow this up like an idiot, boy.”
“Not planning on it. I’m engaged, remember?”
Until the contract ends and we announce a quiet breakup.
Fuck.
For the first time since we showed up, the lying bothers me. It’s harder than I expected with my old man, and not for any of the reasons I would’ve guessed.
I’m not pissed because it’s a big fakeout.
I’m bothered because it isn’t real.
I suck down the last of my champagne and swipe another glass off a passing waiter’s tray, glad that Luis is outside, waiting to drive us home.
“Careful with your thirst. Important people are always watching,” Dad snarls, wagging a finger. “Frederick, let’s go.”
His nurse helps him turn and steer back through the crowd, leaving me to feel the hornets swarming my chest, the anger he’s put there my entire life.
I don’t enjoy the champagne, and I don’t give a shit who’s watching. I pound it back in one swallow.
That’s the real Pruitt brand coming through. Good old-fashioned ice and dysfunction all wrapped up in paper-thin civility.
After I hand my empty glass to a passing waiter, I head off in search of Lena.
She emerges from the bathroom just as I’m approaching, and I hold out my hand.
“Ready to go? Our work here is done.”
“Oh, already? I thought we’d have to put in another hour or two.”