“So you ran away.” She sat beside me, and I lifted my head onto her lap and reached over to take some of the kettle corn.
“I didn’t run. I flipped him off and walked—sexily, I might add—out of his place.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?” I looked up at her. “I’m going to take the blue file. I’m going to go back to my normal life and forget all about Mr. Darcy. I mean, really, Darcy? That’s his last name? The more that I think about it, the more it’s good this didn’t work out. You know I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. I would end up daydreaming of Matthew Macfadyen playing Darcy circa 2005. Not Anna Karenina. That mustache did not do it for me… Urgh, I’m rambling. Cleo, help me.”
“What do you want me to do? It’s sort of amusing to see you all whiny about a guy. A very hot, rich—”
“I get it!” I sat up. “Let’s forget about me. My life has gone back to being boring. What happened with you? When I called it sounded like you and Mark were having a good time out. Is he back too?”
“He ran into an old partner, some words were said, then some drinks were spilled, which led to fists being thrown, so it was a good idea for us to leave.”
“Cleo!” I jumped off the couch and picked up the bowl of kettle corn and her glass. “Why didn’t you say anything? Here I am just thinking about myself while he’s alone in his room.”
“He said he wanted to be alone.” I went upstairs, and she followed me.
“When Mark says he wants to be alone, it means he wants to get drunk and forget about it. Grab the bottle; this isn’t going to be enough.” I drank from the glass on the way toward the back room.
“I’m fine. Go away,” he said when I knocked on the door.
“I have white wine and kettle corn.”
There was pause. “Damn it.” I heard him groan.
Smiling, I opened the door. I almost dropped the bowl when I saw the purple ring around his eye, which he was nursing with a bag of peas.
“Oh my God.”
“It’s not that bad.” He reached for the half-empty glass. “It’s my fault, really—”
“How can this be your fault?” I entered his all-white bedroom. Over his bed were six black-and-white photos of various attractions in New York City.
“This is what happens when you lie to your current lover about having a mother who died in a car accident to build an emotional connection, and your ex-lover asks how your mother is doing in front of your current lover because she thinks he is a friend, and you tell her she has Alzheimer’s.”
“Mark!” I smacked his arm.
“I know, it’s horrible! But they—”
“Who or what are we talking about?” Cleo came in with a bottle of wine and sat on his bed.
“The fact that Mark totally deserved getting clocked in the face,” I said as I shifted to make space for Cleo.
“Thanks,” he snapped, reaching for the bottle. He took a long swig before passing it to me.
“Well, for the record, I’m only drinking because you two had a shitty night,” Cleo said when we passed her the bottle. “This wouldn’t happen if you’d just tell the truth. It works for me all the time. Usually while we are in bed, I just slip it in. Don’t expect anything from me, my mother died when I was young, and my father was an asshole who only cared about himself. I’m damaged goods, and I don’t want to be fixed. They look at me with pity in their eyes, and that’s it.”
“That’s so sad. Keep drinking, sweetheart.” Mark tried to put her head on his shoulder, but she rolled her eyes and laughed as she drank.
“I’m fine. I have a great family right here, so I’ll drink to that.” She laughed once more as she lifted her glass to us.
She was right. All I needed was them. It had been two days of fun, and now I was back to reality.
Theo
I saw his taillight, and as he slowed down, the stoplight changed from green to yellow. Revving up, I raced right past him, through the intersection and down the curve of the street. The lights lining the street seemed like a runway, and at any moment, I felt I could lift higher if I just went faster. So I did, pushing over one twenty. I didn’t stop until I reached an area completely devoid of human life. Kicking out the stand of the bike, I took off my helmet and ran a hand through my hair.
A few seconds later, Arty pulled up next to me. Taking off the helmet, he too brushed through his dark brown hair as he looked at me. He had ivory skin and a scar on his chin, given to him by me when we were twelve.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he hollered.
Good question. Swinging my leg over the bike, I leaned against it and faced him. “I’m going to tell you something, and you’re not going to repeat it to anyone.”
“Okay—”
“I met a woman at your party.”
“What?” His mouth dropped open. “You got a sugar baby?”
I hated those words so much. In fact, I hated his whole career, if you called setting up rich people with attractive twenty-somethings a career.
“It’s not like that. She was at the party, but she claimed her friends dragged her along….”
“And you believed that?”
“Well, you tell me. Her name is Felicity Harper. Have you heard of her?”
He thought for a moment. “On a scale of one to ten, how hot is she?”
“Arty—”
“Seriously, answer.”
I sighed and looked out at the ocean. “I don’t know, a nine point five?”
“Yep, she’s new.” He laughed.
“How do you know?”
“You met a nine point five, who is really a ten, at my party, and I haven’t heard of her? Believe me, she’s new.”
At least she hadn’t lied about that.
“You never exaggerate about women, but you sure she was a ten? I didn’t have anyone request a newbie at the party.”
I glared at him and saw realization spread across his face. “You stole her number.”
I didn’t deny it.
“Wow!” He laughed. “I didn’t think you would ever get over her, and here you are, a sugar daddy—”
“Don’t call me that.” It made my skin crawl. “She didn’t want anything. She said she just wanted sex from me. That’s it. I even offered her a job, and she turned me down. The woman works as credit card call operator, waitress, and janitor.”
“You’re kidding me.”
I shook my head. “It would make sense for me to do a background check, right?”
“Would have done it the moment she said she just wanted sex. I’ve never met a long-term ‘just sex’ woman. Maybe she was hoping to win your heart and run off into the sunset with you.”
“No,” I said, though I knew he was joking. “She didn’t seem fake.”
“So, what you’re telling me is you’ve found the Holy Grail, and instead of drinking from it, you’re out here trying to kill yourself in a motorcycle accident.”
“She told me to never ask about her past, and then she heard me set up a background check on her.”
“Shit.”
I nodded. “She flipped me off and left.”
“You must have really liked her—”
“What do you mean?” I adjusted the gloves on my hands. “I don’t even know her. I just hated how she made it seem like I was the bad guy for doing something logical.”
“Sure—”
“How are you?” I asked, trying to change the subject. Arty and I fought more often than not, mostly because he was a recovering heroin addict. Each time he fell off the wagon, he often found himself at my doorstep, sometimes begging for help and asking me to not tell our parents, and other times he had issues. But he’d been clean now for seven months.
“I’m good. Better than you, seeing as how you just tried to change the subject.”
“Try to keep up,” I said as I put my helmet back on.
Two days was enough. I’d had her, and it was over. It was time to m
ove on.
That was life.
CHAPTER SIX
Gentlemen Need Not Apply
Felicity
Day 1
4:19 a.m.
Spinning slowly in my office chair, I twirled the pens in my hands as I tried to not check my cell phone for the millionth time, clicking the earpiece when another call came through.
“Hello, my name is Felicity. How can I help you today?” I said with a fake amount of cheeriness.
“Yeah, if you guys can stop embarrassing the fuck out of me, that would be great!” The women yelled so loudly I had to remove the Bluetooth from my ear for a moment. This was going to suck.
Taking a deep breath, I put a smile on my face. “Ma’am, I’m sorry. Could you please tell me what the problem is?”
“My card! It’s not working. I was in Burberry, trying to buy a purse for my sick grandmother, and the lady said my card had been declined. In. Front. Of. Everyone!” She stretched out each word more angrily than the last. “Which is impossible because my father owns one of the biggest oil ranches in Texas. So tell me, lady, why the hell was my card declined?”
Screw—do not engage, Felicity, do not engage.
“Ma’am, can I get your credit card information, please, so we can work this out?”
She sighed over the phone like I was the one wasting her time with the security questions. I typed quickly, hoping to get this nightmare over with.
“Are you currently in London?”
“I said I was in Burberry, didn’t I? Of course I’m in London, you idiot.”
Clenching the mouse as tightly as I could, I brought up her account information.
“Ma’am, it seems like the reason your card was declined was because of a spending limit that was put in place two days ago.”
“What do you mean a spending limit? Take it off right now!”
“Ma’am, I’m truly sorry you were embarrassed, but the only one who can remove the limit seems to be the account holder, a Mr. Andrew Dallas.”
“You people are useless.” She hung up.
I hate people.
Leaning back in my chair, I lifted my cell phone, but the only texts I had were from Mark and Cleo. It was funny how different both of their texts were.
Mark: You should call him. You were having fun with him, weren’t you? Two days wasn’t enough.
Cleo: There is going to be party tonight at the bay. Forget him, let’s go.
Between the two of them, Mark has always been the romantic one. He was the only one willing to watch rom-coms with me while Cleo was a hit-it-and-quit-it type of person. Neither of those helped me right now.
“Oh God,” I said as I clicked End so many times I was surprised the phone didn’t fall out of my hand.
I’d tried to call him. Why, Felicity, why? Dear God, the universe, Buddha, or whoever, please make sure that call didn’t go through.
Theo
Stopping on the sidewalk, I placed my hands on my knees, trying to breathe. My morning run helped empty my mind of everything, yet I was still annoyed. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Get it together, Theo,” I whispered. I stretched out the kink in my arm as a couple ran past me, laughing together. I could tell the woman was the runner of the two, and she’d slowed down to match the guy’s pace. But I was sure the only reason he was running so damn slow was because he kept looking at her.
Felicity was pretty fit. Does she run? Then again, she doesn’t really have any muscle to her. Between her job and the fact she didn’t eat much anytime I saw her….
“Fucking Christ.” I ran my hands through my hair. I couldn’t believe it. There was something wrong with me, I was sure of it.
Kicking off again, I took the long way home.
Felicity
Day 3
2:45 p.m.
He usually shows up toward the end of my shift.
“Felicity, table number three for you,” Rosemary said with two plates and a coffee mug in her hand as she headed off in the opposite direction of the diner.
He’d gotten my call.
Four was his table. I felt the urge to fix my hair. Walking around the counter, I tried to not make it look I was rushing toward him.
“God, I missed seeing you.”
Whatever hope or excitement I had in me disappeared at the sound of his voice. It wasn’t Theo. Instead, it was Petty Officer Lucas Jackson and his shipmates. He had come in here months ago, while their ship was docked. He stood at well over six feet with a perfect smile, a short brown buzz cut, and blue eyes. He was also the king of all cheesy lines everywhere. The first time he saw me, he’d said he hadn’t believed it was really the City of Angels until he saw my face. But he was nice and attractive.
“How’s it going, sailors?” I smiled politely at them, and they stared at me.
“These are my friends. I told them I’d found my future wife in a diner, and they didn’t believe me.”
“Really?” I poured them all a cup of coffee. “Well, congratulations! When’s the wedding?”
“Anytime after she finally agrees to go on a date with me.” He winked.
He really was sweet, always laughing and cheerful when he came in, but I didn’t feel anything for him. There was no spark. I didn’t see him and want to melt in his arms. I didn’t dream about kissing down his chest or gripping his ass as he fucked me across his couch. He was just cute Petty Officer Lucas Jackson.
I didn’t want cute. I wanted sinful.
“Felicity?”
“Sorry, boys. What can I get you?” I asked, putting down the pot and taking out a notepad.
“You know.” One of his friends leaned forward. “Our boy Lucas here is on the fast track to becoming chief one day soon. I bet you he could sweep you up off your feet. Would you trade the white sand beaches of California for Hawaii?”
“I’m going to get you boys some pie,” I said cheerfully as I turned back to the counter. Rosemary gave me a look, the do you want me to take over look, but I shook my head. They were harmless.
“Hey.”
I glanced up from the pies. Lucas was leaning on the counter. He looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry about my friend. He was trying to help me out, and instead he came off as an ass.”
Felicity, this is the type of guy you should be wanting.
“It’s fine. Congrats on your upcoming promotion.”
He smiled as he leaned on the counter. “Let’s not jinx it.”
“Did you guys need me to bring anything?”
“There’s no way I’m going to get that date, am I?” He looked so bummed. I wanted to say there was a chance, but leading someone on like that was messed up.
“You’re a great guy—”
“But I’m not your guy.”
“In your defense, I have horrible, terrible taste in men.”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “That doesn’t help.”
“Sorry.”
“How sorry are we talking about? Like a kiss goodbye sorry?” He leaned in eagerly.
I gave him a look, and he nodded as he got it.
“Guys, we’re going to have to take a rain check on that pie,” he called to his friends, who shook their heads in disappointment as they left the diner.
“I hope your taste in men gets better, Ms. Felicity Harper.” He put his hat on and turned to leave.
I stood there for a split second before following him. Pushing the door open, I called after him. “Hey, sailor!”
They all stopped and glanced back to me. Walking up to him, I grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him slowly, but before he could respond, I let go.
“I told you I was sorry. I hope you find a girl who likes the beaches in Hawaii way more than the ones here.”
A grin spread across his face. He didn’t say anything, and I waved to his friends. I had gone only a few feet before I heard them cheering. They all jumped him and high-fived each other.
“What an amazing life you have. I don’t even know why you
bother working—oh, right, you barely do that,” Manny, my manger, said just loud enough for me to hear as he walked into the kitchen.
“Ignore him.” Rosemary laughed, linking her arms with mine. “How was the kiss with our favorite sailor?”
“Cold,” I replied honestly. Just like I’d expected, kissing him did nothing. I could have been kissing my arm and gotten more of a rise out it.
I wanted….
I was not going there.
Theo
“You were so right about this piece. It sets the whole tone for the rest of the work,” Tori said beside me. “It sounds so simple, yet the chords are far more complex. I had to call in a favor to have a friend of mine play it because I couldn’t. Are you sure she never had any formal training?”
“I told you everything I know, Tori,” I replied, watching Walt work through the choreography again with his dancers. But they either couldn’t do anything right, or he was in a pissy mood and was taking it out on them.
“Screw it,” Walt finally snapped. “Everyone take a break and think about whether or not you still want to be dancers for this company, because this is not good enough.”
“What’s wrong with him?” My eyes shifted back to her.
She laughed. “The same thing that is wrong with you: Felicity.”
“What does that mean—?”
“He had a moment with her when they danced. He said it was just like they were speaking a higher language. She got every one of his moves and even knew what he wanted to do next. He hasn’t been so excited to dance with anyone in a long time.”
I frowned, trying not to remember how she’d looked in that moment. “Shouldn’t it annoy you that he raved about another woman like that? You’re his wife.”
“Why does it bother you?”
I didn’t answer because I didn’t know.
“I’m not annoyed or jealous because I know his dancing does not equate to his love for me. Besides, afterwards he was so excited, the moment we got home he stripped me down and—”
“Yeah, let’s not share.” I stood up when Violet eyes glimpsed at me.