Page 10

Roxanne

“ H e just took you home? You’re a liar!” Spike barges into my bedroom without any respect.

I put my head under the pillow and groan. What time is it? He rips the pillow from my head and throws something on the bed.

“I hope you have an excellent reason for waking me up, or I’m going to rip your head off,” I hiss when I look up at his angry face.

Why is he pissed off? I’m the one who should be in his face about how he woke me up!

He scoffs and picks up the magazine on my bed and slams it down again. That pisses me off even more. Who does he think he is?

“What is it?” I ask because his behavior suggests it’s life-or-death.

I pick up the magazine, and I’m suddenly awake. On the front cover of the gossip section, there is a picture of Leonard and me dancing at the party. It wouldn’t be a problem if I weren’t eye-fucking him. Damn paparazzi.

“So what?” I grumble, throwing the magazine aside.

I turn on the bed, grab my pillow, and go back to sleep. Neither Spike nor Leonard is worth losing sleep over. Not for something as stupid as a magazine that everyone will forget about in a couple of days.

“ So what ? Are you for real? You told me you were going alone to the party. Then you told me he just gave you a ride because your car broke down, and now these pictures come out. Do you think I’m stupid? It’s clear as day you two are fucking!” he almost shouts.

I’m done. I’m fed up with this bullshit of a jealous boyfriend.

“Who I fuck is none of your business, but as I told you time and time again, I never did, and I never will!” I spit.

“Yeah, sure,” he scoffs. “I don’t believe you. Did you see how you’re looking at each other?”

“I don’t give a shit if you believe me or not. This is none of your business!” I yell, sitting up.

I’m so done with his antics. It’s like living with a toddler who throws tantrums for the stupidest reasons. He’s possessive and suffocating, and I’m not even his girlfriend. Not that I would let it go even if I were. I don’t tolerate this shit from the person I’m dating.

“You’re fucking the enemy, and it’s none of my business? He’s the kind of person we fight! He’s the billionaire who becomes rich fucking over his employees. We don’t sleep with those assholes, we fight them. Do you have no moral compass?” he accuses me, disgusted.

“This is rich coming from you. You don’t fight those people.

I do it. You can’t keep a job for two days straight.

You’re not exactly an example of discipline.

You screw over those poor owners trying to make ends meet by going to work stoned.

You have no right to talk to me like that.

Stop acting like a jealous boyfriend.” I know I’m being too harsh, and it was a low blow talking about his job, or lack of it, but I’m honestly done with him.

“I’m not acting like a jealous boyfriend,” he mumbles, his voice filled with defeat and vulnerability.

All the fight leaves his body, and a wave of guilt crashes over me. I hadn’t intended to wound him, but the unspoken tension had to be addressed. Perhaps I could have been gentler.

“You are. Maybe you don’t realize it, but you judge all my interactions with men, and I’m not comfortable with it. You are a friend, nothing more,” I explain, this time with a firmness that can’t be misunderstood.

“Okay. I’ll leave you alone,” he mutters, scurrying out of my room like a beaten dog.

I sigh and rub a hand over my face. That wasn’t how I meant to bring up the topic. As I take a shower, I replay the conversation in my head, thinking of at least ten better ways to handle it.

When I eventually leave my room, I can’t find Spike, but I do see Candy sitting at the kitchen table.

She lowers her eyes shyly after she meets my gaze.

I’m certain she overheard my argument with Spike earlier, and I feel bad for her.

Candy has had a crush on Spike since the day I met them four years ago, but he is oblivious to her feelings.

“Do you want to come for a walk?” I ask, hoping to lighten her mood.

She nods and grabs her phone from the countertop.

We walk in silence for a while, letting the chatter of people around us keep us company.

I don’t know how to start the conversation because the situation we’re in is not ideal.

She likes Spike, but he’s interested in me, and I’m not attracted to him at all.

How do you get out of a love triangle that isn’t even love?

After a while, she asks, “So, you punched Spike in the guts this morning, huh?”

I wince. “I suppose so. But I really don’t know how to handle this situation.”

She chuckles. “Better would have been a good start.”

I laugh. “That’s for sure. You should ask him out.”

She stares at me, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“Come on. You’re in love with him. What are you waiting for?”

I grab her elbow and drag her away from the trajectory of a skater heading for the skatepark. She is so lost in her thoughts she would walk straight into the ocean and not even notice right now.

“I don’t know how. He’s so into you he doesn’t even know I exist.” She giggles.

I shrug. I’m not an expert in relationships, but I’m not shy either.

“Just ask him out. ‘Spike, I like you, and I want to go on a date with you,’” I suggest.

It’s her turn to laugh. “Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say. You’re gorgeous and confident. I’m just…me.”

“You’re gorgeous, too, and don’t even try to deny it.”

She shrugs but says nothing.

“I know it seems like a big deal, but what’s the worst-case scenario? He says no. So what? At least you tried and you can get over him. Pining over him will get you nowhere—with him or anyone else who is less complicated than him.”

She sighs. “You’re right, but I suppose it’s easier this way. If I don’t ask him, I don’t have to face rejection.”

“What if he says yes? You’ve wasted a ton of time because of your fear,” I counter.

“Do you always have a comeback for everything?” She looks at me, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“You know, I’ve always been a practical person.

I don’t shrink back from asking questions for fear of what I could find out.

I’d rather know and face the consequences.

Like when I didn’t know where my sister was, and if she was dead or alive.

That uncertainty made me the person I am today.

It taught me the value of taking risks and facing the unknown. ”

She says nothing after that. She knows my history with the witness protection program and she gets my point.

“Have you seen these new apartments?” Candy asks when we reach the new building.

It’s fancy, with Venice Beach vibes but Beverly Hills amenities. Something I could never afford. I stare at the phone number on the leasing sign. I already committed it to memory, dreaming of having the money to move here, in a space I don’t have to share with anyone.

“Do you want to move out?” she asks, following my line of sight.

I turn toward her. “I’m twenty-five, and I live with a bunch of kids who play video games all day. What do you think?”

She chuckles. “Yeah, I get it.”

“But I don’t have the money. It’s just a dream for now.” I point out.

She grins “He could solve your problems with that.” She nods toward a stand where my face stands out on the cover of the magazine—the same one Spike showed me this morning.

I grimace. “Don’t remind me,” I plead.

Leonard is so gorgeous in that picture I can’t keep my eyes away.

“Do you like him?” Her tone is serious.

I don’t know if Candy and I are friends. We talk about everything, and we don’t have secrets, but we rarely talk about our feelings. I guess this morning is an exception.

“He’s objectively gorgeous and has a sex appeal I can’t deny. I mean, it’s clear how I look at him in that picture. It’s obvious to anyone.”

“But?”

We start to walk again, away from that sexy as-sin face that distracts me.

“But as Spike put it, he’s the enemy. He stands for everything I hate and I can’t get over it. Not even for a gorgeous face like his.”

“Why? Because he’s rich?” She frowns.

From the moment I met Leonard Walton, I knew there was something about him I couldn’t stand. It’s difficult to explain why I feel this way about him.

“He’s the kind of person who keeps launching new ventures, not out of passion, but because he’s insatiable for more wealth. His greed knows no bounds. Not even the lives of his employees are spared,” I vent, my words dripping with contempt.

“One of his companies was voted the best place to work last year,” she points out something I already knew, but it only fueled my anger when I discovered it.

“By who? Him and his cronies?”

She stifles a laugh. “He comes from a typical family. His parents aren’t wealthy. He did it all himself.”

“And he forgot where he comes from,” I mumble.

“Jesus, sounds like you hate his guts.”

I chuckle. “And you seem to like him. Do you want me to put in a good word for you?”

“No! Please. I already have one delusional crush. I don’t need a second one. He is sexy, though.”

I grin at her. “Yes, he is.”

“How it was dancing with him?” she asks dreamily.

I look back on our dance and can’t shake the feeling in my gut. I’ve never felt so good in a man’s arms.

“I felt protected. Like I was the sexiest woman on the earth,” I reluctantly admit.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be with him? Even though it’s just a fantasy, it’s fun to imagine.” She is serious.

“Probably spoiled in every sense. In and out of bed.”

And the feeling of his lips on yours would be something you remember for years, even if you had just a taste.

Even if you regret it, you will want more of him, and you will make a fool of yourself to have another bit of him.

But I won’t tell her that. She’s having a fantasy and it’s not my intention to spoil it.

Leonard Walton is the perfect devil’s package: gorgeous and tempting on the outside, savage villain on the inside. And I’m not going to make that mistake twice.