Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I smiled. “I don’t think that’s a great idea.”
Rush walked me back to the bathroom. “You have your phone, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Pick it up when I call you. Just listen. I’ll give you some new material for your phony book character.”
I squinted. “What are you talking about?”
He kissed my forehead. “You’ll see.”
Inside the bathroom, I actually did need to go this time. I relieved myself and started to wash my hands, when my cell rang from my purse. I dug it out, and automatically said hello, even though Rush had told me just to listen.
“Which one is Carl Hammond? The guy you wanted me to meet?” Rush’s voice was a bit distant. He wasn’t talking into the phone, just holding it to pick up the interaction with his brother. I turned up the volume to eavesdrop, which is apparently what he wanted me to do.
“Pretend you have some class when I introduce you. Maybe start a conversation about the weather or the stock market rather than tattoos and trailer parks.” The tone of the voice was filled with disdain, but there was no mistaking it belonged to Elliott. A very different Elliott than I’d just been introduced to.
“Since Hammond’s British,” Rush said. “I figured I’d ask him if he knew Maribel Stewart. You know, the woman whose throat you had your tongue down last month at the board meeting. I saw you in the hall with her before the vote.”
“My tongue isn’t the only thing that Maribel likes to have down her throat.”
“You’re a pig. I have no idea how you look your wife in the eyes.”
“Speaking of women…” Elliott trailed off. “Gia looks familiar. Have I met her before?”
My eyes widened.
“No. And don’t plan on meeting her a second time. She’s too good for you, and I never should have brought her here in the first place.”
The sound of a third man’s voice interrupted the heated conversation between Rush and Elliott—a man with a British accent. I listened for a minute more while Elliott seamlessly changed back to the gracious host and introduced Rush to the man. My head started to spin again.
Could Elliott be Harlan?
Did he pretend to not know me?
He’d said I looked familiar. From the conversation they’d just had, clearly, Elliott cheated on his wife.
Fuck.
I was making myself crazy.
If he were Harlan, he wouldn’t have pretended to not know who I was.
The Elliott who just spoke would love to tell his brother he’d slept with his girlfriend.
Wouldn’t he?
With the animosity between the brothers, I was positive that Elliott would get off on telling him that he’d had me.
But then…
Rush would make a scene.
Elliott’s wife would come running.
And then what?
How would he explain to Lauren why he’d just been punched in the face?
A knock at the bathroom door startled me out of my thoughts. “One minute.”
I just needed to get out of here. Get Rush and get the hell out of this place. Go back to our little bubble in the Hamptons and forget tonight ever happened. No good could come from being here and debating this in my head. And stress was not good for my baby. Elliott’s baby? God, it couldn’t be.
So, straightening my makeshift dress, I took a look in the mirror, patted down my unruly curls, and closed my eyes for a few cleansing breaths.
I opened the door just as the second knock came and was greeted by a face that I didn’t expect on the other side.
Elliott.
Or Harlan.
“Gia.” His face slid back into that perfect, toothy smile. “I didn’t realize it was you in there.”
I looked both ways down the quiet hall. “Where’s Rush?”
“I left him to talk to a board member. Is everything alright? You look a little pale.”
“Umm. Yeah. I just…I don’t feel so great. I think it might be something I ate.” I pointed toward the party needing to get the hell out of there. “I’m going to go grab Rush and see if he can take me home.”
Elliott searched my face. “You look very familiar. Have we met before?”
“No,” I snapped.
His brows drew together.
The urge to flee was strong. I needed to get ahold of myself—calm down. “It was nice meeting you.”
Elliott stood in place, watching me. “Yes. You, too.”
I stepped from the bathroom doorway and took a few long strides down the hall. Getting to the end, I spotted Rush engrossed in a conversation with an older gentleman on the other side of the apartment. No one was in the vicinity at all.
And…
I needed to know.
Who was I kidding?
If I left without knowing for sure, I’d never be able to relax. It would eat at me for days. Months. Years.
With another burst of adrenaline spiking, I turned around and took a deep breath. Elliott was still standing there watching me when I marched back to stand in front of him.