Entry-Level Mistress - By Sabrina Darby Page 0,57

tension. I wasn’t. Life could not be that cruel. Except, there had been that time on the beach, when wrapped up in love and the magic of the night, I hadn’t given a single thought to protection. I let out a deep breath and finally crawled onto the futon. I couldn’t lie to Leanna. She wouldn’t let me anyway.

“Listen, I’m taking the vitamins, just in case. But I don’t want to know right now. I don’t want to make decisions based on something like that. I’m about to start my life and if I am … ” I looked up helplessly. “Then—” I stopped. I couldn’t say it. A baby would tie me to Daniel in a way no memories, nothing else could.

“He’s rich, Em,” Leanna reminded me needlessly. “If you are pregnant, and you keep it, he should be responsible. You wouldn’t have to be some reality TV episode, 21 and Pregnant.”

If I were pregnant then it was yet another pattern. Single woman walks away from wealthy businessman. My mother had done it. Made her own life until my dad had come back in and stomped all over it.

I wouldn’t let anyone stomp on me.

And I wasn’t pregnant.

I placed my glass on the coffee table, drew my knees up to my chest. I didn’t want to talk about it or hear about it. It wasn’t as if I didn’t have my own incessant thoughts. I still needed to get over the stupidity of letting myself fall in love with a man I knew could only hurt me.

Between my fingers, I played with strands of my long hair. I’d stopped dying it and the black was slowly washing out. The strands that had once been purple were now a funny orangey-yellow from the bleach.

“It’s been three weeks since I last saw him. That’s half the time we were actually together. A whole lifetime really. So … it’s over, and I don’t want to talk to him or speak of him ever again.”

“And when your kid asks who his daddy is?”

“I’m not pregnant, damn it!” I exploded. I stared at Leanna, shocked at my own outburst, shocked at the angry energy that still coursed through me.

“All right,” Leanna said, in a tone far too complacent, “we won’t talk about it. But calm down. What you need right now, Em, is Zen.”

“For the baby, right?” I asked sarcastically. I couldn’t stop the hot sting of tears, as if all the anger were turning into weakness. I hated it. I hated everything about my life right then, even the fellowship at the colony. What should have been a triumphant next step felt like a detour.

But sadness was not the way I was going to leave Boston, to say goodbye to four years of fun. That night, after another argument in which I agreed I wouldn’t drink, we went to a club.

Paladin was the sort of swanky dance venue that boasted a long line, a young professional crowd and a ridiculous cover charge, but Leanna knew the bouncer on duty and we were waved past the ubiquitous red velvet rope with a few kisses on the cheek.

In my short white shorts, silver sequin halter top and heels, I stepped into the fray of the dance floor, reveling in the pounding of the music and the crowd of humanity. I moved my feet, swiveled my hips, designed patterns in the air with my hands and arms. The night was hot, sweaty, and energizing, and I grabbed it with a fierceness I hadn’t felt in weeks.

Tossing my hair back, I smiled at Leanna, who seemed equally infected with the need to feel alive, to feel young and sexy.

An hour later, sweaty and hot, I zigzagged through the crowd to one of the bars. I leaned on the edge as I waited for the bartender to make his way down to my end.

“Can I buy you a drink?” I heard the words behind me faintly over the pulsing music, turned my head to see who was talking.

And stared.

Julian grinned back at me.

I smiled even though everything inside of me was freaked out by the sight of him.

“Haven’t seen you around much.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard … ”

“That you broke up, yep. It’s too bad. I actually liked you.”

“Thanks. You kind of grew on me,” I teased.

“He misses you.”

“Whatever. Are you here alone?”

He laughed. “No, actually I’m here with Tatiana.”

“I guess Boston’s a small town.”

“She’s a very attractive lady.”

“And she knows it.”

“That’s attractive too.”

I laughed at that.

The bartender