AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Plus, he knew how to present information to me concisely.
Instead of taking minutes of precious time trying to explain himself, for which he knew I had little patience, he slid a magazine he’d been holding under my nose. It was a popular city magazine, one that often displayed local businesses and news.
And on the cover, my face was plastered front and center along with the words, “Nick Walker: The Fiend of Fairfax.”
“What the fuck is this?” I finally glanced up at my harried PA, who, as usual, had the hair on his head sticking up every which way.
“I saw it on the way in,” he said. “It’s an exposé on you. It’s bad, boss. It could shatter your image in the news.”
I flip open the magazine to the story page and read:You may know Nick Walker as the ex-quarterback and local heartthrob, but the winery CEO’s attitude toward the women he has dated will change your entire perspective on him.
Several of his ex-girlfriends have come forward to accuse Nick of being a serial liar, cheater, and all-around misogynistic creep. ‘An enemy to women everywhere,’ one of them claimed.
I scanned down to see the names of the contributors to the article. And then I laughed.
It seemed a few of my exes had teamed up to write a smear campaign against me. I glanced up at Simon, who didn’t seem as amused. I couldn’t understand why he thought it was so urgent.
“This is what you want me to be worried about?”
“You don’t understand,” he said, sounding exasperated. “We’re going to lose public favor. Ever since the news broke, our stocks have gone down by 15 percent, and Stanleys has gone up by a similar margin.”
All of a sudden, it stopped being funny.
Our company was a global conglomerate now, but it still had that small-town angle. It had been built by using my popularity to appeal to the masses. This meant that despite our diversification, our marketing was still linked to my name. A scandal like this was not good.
Especially with our rival company riding so close to our asses.
“Thiscouldbe a problem,” I mused as I immediately began to brainstorm a solution.
THREE
LISA
Fury carried me all the way home. Luckily, I had finished most of my work yesterday, which meant today I could relax a little, try to sort out my mood, and also prepare myself because, according to what the boss said, I was about to be hounded with work.
God, even just thinking about him had my anger spiking.
And I’d already stewed for most of the car ride home.
I knew meeting Nick again would be tough, but I had no clue just how tough it would be. It was brutal on every single one of my senses. I wanted to scream and cry at the same time and maybe ask the universe what the fuck I did to deserve this.
Nick didn’t even know who I was at first. Ironic that the man who occupied much of my nightmares didn’t give me a second thought. I knew the exact moment he figured out my identity. But then he didn’t care either. Or rather, maybe he cared…but only in the sense that it amused him.
The bastard who ruined my life only saw me as amusing.
“Argh!” I finally gave in to the urge to scream, letting the prolonged angry sound burst out of my throat. I took a second to breathe, and then I screamed a little more. Hopefully, none of the other drivers at the traffic lights would look out their window and see me sitting in my car, screaming my head off like a maniac. They would think I’d truly lost it.
But haven’t you? Because I swear, for a moment there, you were about to kiss him.
I wasn’t,I denied to myself. I really wasn’t. Sure, some of the memories came rushing back when I saw him. But that was normal. I’d practically been infatuated with the man five years ago, and I was still attracted to him despite everything. As much as I hated it, some part of me enjoyed his hands on my body.
Perhaps that was the largest part of my frustration.
The fact that even after all these years, when some common sense should have finally sunk in and knocked out any attraction I felt for Nick Walker, I still wanted him.
I took a few more soothing breaths, trying to look at the bright side. At least I finally got to slap him. I smiled slightly at the memory of it. It was surprising and unexpected, but it was the most satisfying slap of my life. Remembering the stunned look on his face would give me pleasure for days. At least I got that much.
When I got home, whatever modicum of good mood I’d cultivated instantly vanished when I saw the sleek black Mercedes pulling into my driveway at the same time. I sighed. It looked like I wasn’t going to catch a break today.
