Entry-Level Mistress - By Sabrina Darby Page 0,52

gave me hope.

“Why would he? Wasn’t it enough, all those years ago?”

My father shrugged. “I thought he was through, that we were even.”

“And I got involved and gave him another chance.” But there was so much more he was clearly not saying and the overwhelming guilt made it difficult to breathe.

Even without words, the tight set of my father’s jaw was answer enough. I wanted to disappear. Throw myself off the bridge and let the strong Charles River current sweep me down and out to sea.

I was an idiot. Maybe Daniel wouldn’t have ever done anything if left to his own devices but why shouldn’t he have taken the opportunity that I presented? After all, I’d gone to him under false pretenses. I’d planned my own revenge.

I wanted to sink into a hole and disappear.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, the apology hopelessly futile.

My dad took a few deep breaths, paced the room. I retreated to the futon, sat cross-legged and pulled a pillow into my lap.

“He asked me out because of you, I know,” I admitted, wishing my father would stop looking at me, that he’d leave the apartment, leave Boston. I wanted to return to my insular world, where nothing real mattered. “I just thought, stupidly thought, things had changed.”

If only I had actually used my relationship to hurt Daniel first. If only I had never given him a chance to use me as a weapon.

I should have broken up with him on Friday, never gone to the Hamptons, never let myself love him. I should have thought of the potential consequences of my actions. I wished I’d never taken that stupid job in the first place.

“Maybe we can fix this.”

“How?” I laughed bitterly. “He didn’t do anything illegal this time.” In fact, he didn’t do anything that was wrong, per se, at all. He’d just seduced me, manipulated me easily, and then used the moment to his advantage. I’d even enjoyed the seduction part. God, I needed to stop. I needed to just tear my head apart so I didn’t have to think. And maybe tear my chest apart, too, so I wouldn’t have to feel.

“Emily.” There was a note of intensity in my father’s voice that made me finally really look at him again, realize he was calmer now and sitting in the other chair, the one that was so rarely used because Leanna always liked the papasan and I, the futon. I had the sudden understanding that this expression I was seeing now on my father’s face was the one he had used for business all those years ago. That he could be as ruthless as Daniel.

Zen was gone. Had it ever truly been there? Was inner peace so easy to shake?

“You must have learned something in all these weeks that we can use.”

Oh no. Nonononono.

“Emily?” In the past weeks I’d learned so much about Daniel, about his quirks and his passions, what interested him and what made him angry. I’d spent hours in his office, watching him at work. I’d loved Daniel and he trusted me. Of course, I knew ways to hurt him.

And now I had the chance to really take revenge. For my father. For myself.

I went cold.

Chapter 16

The persistent knocking woke me out of the fever dreams of depression. I didn’t want to move from under the cocoon of the covers. Didn’t want to see my father, or face the reality of life.

Every moment that went by in which Daniel didn’t call or text seemed to confirm the nefariousness of his actions. I wanted to find some way to forgive him, to say: his dad committed suicide, his mom chose a lover and a slow death by pills over him. Of course Daniel had issues. If he called, told me he loved me, made me not feel this horrible, devastating pain, I could forgive him. But the silence hurt worse.

I’d finally fallen in love and everything about it had been one big cliché.

“Em, it’s me.”

Leanna. Who I didn’t particularly want to see either, but I pushed the covers aside, slid out of bed and padded across the floor. As I turned the lock, I fought back the dizziness of sudden movement.

“Come in,” I said quietly, stumbling back to bed. I heard the doorknob swivel, the hinges creak. Felt the rush of air as Leanna walked in. I burrowed beneath the covers and asked her to close the door behind her.

“Em.”

I slid my feet out of the way as Leanna sat on the edge