Page 111 of The Bad Girl

Chapter 38

Nadine

I recline back on the couch with a glass of wine, a ritual I’ve become all too familiar with.

“Okay, so 50 Shades of Grey or Never Been Kissed?” I ask Tom.

“Like, seriously, Nadine. Do you think that just because I’m gay that I like chick flicks? Personally, I’d rather watch Ford v Ferrari, or The Way Back.”

I pout my lip out, but it has no effect on him.

“Don’t give me that shit, Nadine. I’m not Queer Eye for the Straight Eye gay.”

“I know, I know, and I don’t want you to be. I’m just…I don’t know. I’m just, depressed.”

“You’ve seemed off. I know what happened on that boat must have been scary, but you’re okay now, and you are being well compensated. You may want to think about talking to someone if you are having trouble. You might have PTSD or something.”

“While I can tell you I’m definitely having trouble processing something that happened on the boat, it has nothing to do with PTSD or gun-related trauma.”

Tom furrows his brow. “What’s up?”

I downcast my eyes, unsure of whether or not I want to divulge my shame to my new friend.

“Naddy, talk to me, babe.”

“So, remember how I told you I was trying to make myself more exciting for you?”

Tom smirks. “Yeah.”

“Well, I went to my boss for help. He helped me with my wardrobe, my Chatterbox account, and he went so far as to get a PR rep to help me.”

“A PR rep? Jeez.”

“Yeah, her name is Stacey, and she’s awesome. Anyway, I had been getting close to him, thinking he would help me land you. I sent him sexy pics, ones I was eventually going to send to you. He even watched me dance at a strip club.”

Tom’s eyes bulge at my confession.

“Look, I was going all-in on being a bad girl. This is a guy that regularly fucks supermodels, so I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Naddy, I wouldn’t sell yourself so short if I were you.”

“When we were taken hostage aboard the boat, I was terrified. The emotions I felt were so strong, so powerful. Maxwell’s hot, I’ve always known that, but I guess the logical part of my brain put up this partition that separated work from pleasure. Well, that partition came down.”

“I bet it did.”

“We had sex aboard the boat, and oh my God—it was amazing. His cock…well, let’s just say it was damn good sex. It was life-changing sex.”

“So, you wanted more, and he didn’t.”

“After we docked, we went our separate ways, and I never saw him again. He had his people offer me a severance, a generous one, which I took. I hurt, partially because I thought we were becoming friends, but also because I have these feelings for him that just don’t make any sense.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Nadine. Are you sure he doesn’t feel anything for you?”

“Pretty positive. He blocked my number per legal’s advice. Oh, and now, he’s dating Akinyi Adebayo.”

His jaw drops. “Damn.”

“Yeah.”