AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryan Anderson: Eliza Tate killed her husband and almost got away with it. I mean, that’s rule number one in Hollywood, right? It’s always the wife.
SIXTEEN
Six Months Before
August 2018
Skulking into the familiar studio off Sunset Boulevard, Penny smoothed the flirty ruffles fringing the bottom of her skirt and wondered if this would be the night. The night Roman finally explained everything.
The thing that had been bothering Penny about their relationship was that she’d never set out to destroy a marriage. As a rule, she only stole things that wouldn’t be missed. She didn’t steal husbands. Penny had never desired complicated, and she was entering the definition of complicated—especially after their pleasant pseudo-date at the grocery store. So what if Penny had orchestrated it? Roman was the one who’d offered her a ride home.
Three strikes and he’s out, Penny reminded herself. Roman had been promising to explain himself for some time now, and he’d had plenty of opportunities. If he couldn’t make good on his word to come clean to Penny, there would be no more chances. As difficult as it would be, she would walk away.
Sliding like an eel into her auditorium seat, Penny made a show of adjusting her headphones to avoid conversation with her peers. She doodled on the notebook in front of her, so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t bat an eye when Ryan Anderson took the chair next to her.
“Hey, Penny,” he said, flicking his pretty hair off his pretty forehead. “You look nice.”
Penny gave a tight smile, a flimsy nod.
“Say, I was wondering,” Ryan continued, oblivious to her sour mood, “if I could buy you a drink tonight?”
Penny looked over at Ryan. He flinched under her scathing stare. A wiggle of guilt tripped into Penny’s stomach, but she pushed it away and relented slightly, softening her glare around the edges.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“But—I thought—” Ryan frowned. “I’m sorry, I guess I got the wrong impression. Did I say something wrong? I thought we had a nice time?”
“No, we did… It’s not you. I’m not in a great place right now.”
“Ah.”
The wiggle of guilt returned. Ryan had been nothing but sweet and interested in the weeks following their last date, texting her occasionally and sending flowers to her apartment once a week. But Penny couldn’t find it in herself to muster any sort of enthusiasm in return. A fact that was more than a little concerning if she thought about it. So most days, Penny avoided thinking about it.
Roman entered the room then, looking like a man against Ryan’s boyish, hopeful expression. A sigh fell from Penny’s lips as she watched him, unable to ignore the fact that Roman refused to make eye contact with her. She looked down and scratched at her notebook. Debated. Got an idea.
“Actually…” She spun back to face Ryan and encouraged her lips to wear a smile. “Let’s get a drink,” Penny amended. “It’ll be good for me to get out.”
“Great! I’ll pick you up at your place around ten.”
As Penny nodded in confirmation, she felt the first pricks of satisfaction trickling down her spine. Penny had learned the hard way that people liked to take from her. They took, and they took, and they took…until she took back. Currently, Roman was taking everything from her. In order to regain a tiny bit of control, it was time for Penny to act. Even if the only thing she could take was her willingness to wait.
Penny’s false smile flickered into one of genuine interest as she felt a figure approach her seat. Without glancing that way, she knew it was Roman. She could sense his presence by the flash of hot breath against her neck. But instead of feeling hopeful and uneasy, she felt calm and collected. That was what taking did for Penny—it balanced her.
“Could I speak to you for a moment, Ms. Sands?” Roman’s voice rolled like a thundercloud over her shoulder. “In private.”
Ryan gave Penny a knowing smile. If only he knew, Penny thought dryly, pulling herself from her seat and stalking backstage after her instructor. It was abandoned since most students either hadn’t yet arrived or were filing into their seats.
“I’m sorry,” Roman said abruptly, whirling to face Penny in a darkened corner of the room.
He caught Penny off guard, both with the intensity of his stare and the apology. “For?”
“Let’s not play this game.” Roman’s lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go out with Ryan Anderson.”
“What’s it to you?” she said in shocked disbelief that her plan had worked so quickly. “You’re married. Remember?”
“I know boys like Ryan, and I know women like you.” Roman inched closer to Penny. His hand came up as if he wanted to touch her, but he refrained. “You deserve better.”
“The man I want isn’t available.”
