Page 33 of Point of Contention

I hadn’t seen any of my former friends from Reed Publishing since everything went down. As far as I knew, Marisa hated me and… well, to be honest, I still hadn’t read the texts from Hector. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it after Marisa’s last text had been so vicious.

Eloise smiled hesitantly as she approached the cash register.

“Hi,” I whispered, fear making my voice breathy. “Welcome to White Rabbit.”

“How are you?” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’ve been texting you.”

My shoulders fell. “I’m sorry. I…” How did I say this without sounding like an asshole? “I blocked your number.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

Bringing my thumbnail to my mouth, I chewed on it and tried to figure out how to explain the decision. “After Marisa’s text…” I sighed, dropping my hand. “I thought you all hated me.”

Eloise frowned. “I wish you would have talked to me. I don’t hate you, Rylan.”

A heavy weight lifted at those words. I hadn’t realized just how much I needed to hear them. “And Marisa?”

Eloise laughed, then flicked her wrist. “She’s’ stubborn, but she’ll come around. She was just shocked, you know?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I wanted to tell you guys.”

“I understand why you didn’t.” She shrugged. “It’s pretty weird.”

“I know.”

“I mean… he’s hot, but, like, forty years old.”

I laughed. “I know. It’s… I can’t really explain it. As soon as we met, I felt…” Lifting my gaze to the ceiling, I struggled to find the right word. “Changed.”

“How so?” She tilted her head.

“I don’t know how else to say it, honestly. He changed me. Everything is different now. I’m different now. I’d never even been interested in older men before Cabot, but now…” I sighed, letting that thought trail off because I wasn’t sure where it was headed. I didn’t think I was interested in older men now either, just one in particular. Just him.

El’s lips curved into a mischievous smile, and she lowered her voice, leaning over the counter conspiratorially. “So, you’re like, into BDSM and stuff now, too, right?”

I laughed as my cheeks heated. “Yeah, you could say that.”

She sighed wistfully. “I could never.”

“I thought the same thing.”

She shook her head quickly. “No, like, I really couldn’t. It makes me uncomfortable even in books.” Eloise’s cheeks flushed, but she shook her head and changed the subject. “So…” Her gaze bounced around the store, then she finally focused on me again. “We’re all going out tomorrow morning. For brunch, remember? For my birthday?”

My mouth dropped open. I’d completely forgotten. So much had happened since she invited me.

“I wanted to see if you still wanted to come.”

Emotion thickened my throat. I’d written these friends off, left them in the past with a life I no longer lived, but now…

“Are you sure?”

Eloise laughed, glancing around the store. “I’m here, aren’t I?” She ducked her head as a flush of pink tinted her cheeks again.

“Oh my god, El, it’s just lingerie,” I teased, remembering how Hector would rib her about being a prude. “It’s actually nice.” I shrugged. “You should get some.”

She looked at me with wide yes. “I’m good.”

“Suit yourself.” I glanced at the hidden door behind the ivy, then back at Eloise, imagining her taking those stairs deep into the underground, what she might see when she turned that corner into the club. The thought made my smirk morph into a wide grin. But then I remembered something important and my smile fell. “I didn’t do it, you know.” I took a deep breath and added, “I didn’t sleep with him for the internship. I didn’t even know who he was when I met him my first day at Reed Tower.”