She eyed the book beside me. “If you’re willing to read, I’m willing to listen.”
“Of course.” I opened the book again, watching her lean her head back and look across the lawn and the gardens at the edge of the property. The sun fell on her face, highlighting her elegant features. She still wore the red lipstick that sometimes smeared her front teeth. The gold earrings in her lobes were a pair her mother gave her for her sixteenth birthday. Her wedding ring was missing from her left hand, either lost or tossed. My eyes moved to the first sentence, and I began to read.
15
Rome
I grabbed the mail from the lobby then headed to my floor. It was mostly bills, and a big fat one for my student loans. But I didn’t feel a twinge of sadness when I looked at the amount I still owed, along with my ridiculous interest that just seemed to only get bigger. My depression over Calloway was constantly at the forefront.
I was pissed at him, but damn, I really missed him.
He’d walked away from me for the second time, unwilling to give me what I wanted. I sure as hell wasn’t going to cave, so we were going to be at this stalemate forever. Soon, he would find the kind of woman he wanted and would forget about me.
I was sure he had women lined up already. Even if they weren’t completely involved in the lifestyle, they would put up with it for a chance to be with Calloway. He was all man, powerful and masculine, with a strong body that made him look like a Navy SEAL. He had the most gorgeous eyes and the sexiest kiss. Sometimes, when I thought about how amazing he was, I didn’t care about all the horrible things he wanted to do to me. I wanted him that much.
But then reality kicked in.
I put my key in the door but realized it was already unlocked. The doorknob shifted loosely, like something inside the mechanism was busted. I pushed open the door and assumed Christopher was already home even though he usually hit the gym after work.
I walked inside and set my mail on the table along with my purse.
“Just as beautiful as the last time I saw you.”
The words moved along my spine, making me tense with impending doom. Adrenaline spiked, and my heart kicked into overdrive once I recognized the threat. I knew that voice anywhere—because I heard it in my nightmares almost every night.
I looked into the living room and saw Hank sitting on the couch, his fingers interlocked behind his head. He wore a three-piece suit, handsome and formidable. He reeked of unstoppable power.
I was scared.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself and say I wasn’t. I was alone in an apartment with this man, and his intentions were quite clear. My hands shook slightly, but I forced them to remain still. In a moment like this, it was essential to appear calm and confident, to make him think I was a stronger opponent than I truly was.
The island separated me from the rest of the kitchen. I discreetly glanced at the knives in the knife block on the counter, but I realized they were all missing.
He’d swept the apartment clean.
Fuck.
“And you’re just as disgusting as the last time I saw you.” I placed my hand on my hip and turned to face him, diffusing the obvious hostility as much as possible. He’d planned this meticulously, making sure I had no weapon to fight him off. I doubted he wanted to kill me—but I knew he wanted to do something far worse.
He grinned like he enjoyed the banter. “So fiery but so innocent. I love it.”
I wasn’t innocent anymore. Calloway had stripped me of my purity.
The thought of Calloway made me wince in pain. If he were here, this wouldn’t be happening. Calloway would protect me from Hank with just a single look. I didn’t need a man to fight my battles, but I was scared and vulnerable. So having him around would have been extremely helpful.
I couldn’t let Hank succeed because I didn’t deserve this. But also because I didn’t want to break Calloway’s heart. If he knew what Hank was about to do to me, he would throw himself off the Empire State Building.
I had to make sure I didn’t lose—for both of us.
“Is there something I can help you with, Hank? Perhaps setting up your Tinder account so you can find a date?”
He chuckled then rose to his feet, towering above me with over six feet of strength. “Why find another woman when I have you?”
The moment he stood up, my body tensed again. The fight-or-flight instinct was kicking in. As he moved closer to me, I knew I needed an escape route. He was too strong for me to fight off alone. The best thing would be to sprint into the hallway and scream for help. Someone was bound to hear me.