Not Just Friends (Hot in the City #3) - T. Gephart Page 0,19
“Thursday, one in the afternoon, at Diablo.”
“Huh?”
“Your meeting. Be prepared, Scott. And don’t ever call me before noon again.” I hung up the phone, not waiting for his reply.
He was either going to turn up at the appointed time or not. And while I had an itching curiosity to know what Scott had to offer, I wasn’t going to advertise that to him. Nope. I never showed my cards. It was the quickest way to get taken advantage of. And if I wanted a long and successful career, I could not be making stupid mistakes. Ones that would probably be forgiven if I didn’t have a uterus, but have me vilified for the same reason.
It was unfair, but that’s the way it was. And I wasn’t going to cry about it. So instead of thinking about what I couldn’t control, I turned my attention to what I could.
Diablo.
The new site for expansion.
And Jared.
Okay, so two out of three I could control.
It had been hard to tear my mind away from him when he left, my body still feeling the aftereffects, but I didn’t have time to dwell. Of course, time was no longer an issue since I was awake earlier than I wanted to be and didn’t have a chance at getting back to sleep.
My hand scrolled on my phone, my social media apps left unopened as I hovered over my contact list. I wasn’t tempted to call him, knowing nothing good could come from it when I was annoyed and sexually frustrated and he was at work. And as moody as I was, he really did have an important job. The heroic aspect and that uniform somehow made him more attractive. And I’d seen my brother in the exact same outfit a million times and never batted an eye, which confirmed what I already knew.
Jared Leighton was hot.
Sigh, if only that was where all his virtues lay, then it wouldn’t be so hard to resist him. But he was sweet, and kind, and thoughtful, with such a great smile it made my insides squirm. And I didn’t squirm for anyone, which just made it more perplexing. He was smart too, and ridiculously loyal, the kind of guy you could depend on even if the world turned to shit. Which was why when he drove me home, his concerned look telling me he would follow me inside to make sure I was safe, I couldn’t help myself.
I kissed him.
Kissed him like I’d wanted to and had no regrets.
And wow, what a kiss it was.
“This is so not helping, Presley.” I shook my head, annoyed I was daydreaming about a guy who I couldn’t have when there was a city overflowing with available men right outside my doorstep. All I had to do was walk out there, find someone suitable, and lose myself with a guy who might be just as wonderful.
Like Lewis? my subconscious asked, my last mistake lingering like a bad smell.
He hadn’t always been bad, especially not at the start. He was impulsive, wild and creative, and seemed to love me for who I was. That right there should’ve been the tip off it was all an act, his support and adoration for my demanding high-powered job tossed to the wayside when I didn’t help launch his career. Not that he knew how hard I’d tried. Calling in a favor or two, and asking a producer to give him a shot. All because I loved him and wanted him to succeed. But he just didn’t have what it took, his talent highly exaggerated, and in the end, I wasn’t willing to put my name on the line. Not when he wasn’t even trying to find a gig, too comfortable living rent free in my apartment and mooching off my goodwill. And in the end, the gloves came off and I knew all I’d been was a meal ticket.
Hurt like absolute hell—not that I’d ever let him see it—hiding my feelings and embarrassment and kicking him out. I didn’t even know he had a gun, let alone think he’d ever pull one on me. The shock when he did excruciatingly real.
So yeah, maybe finding a guy wasn’t such a good idea.
Which left . . .
My finger had hit the call button before I gave it another thought, leaving lingering doubts and mixed feelings exactly where they belonged. In the past.
“What?” Raelle groaned into the phone. “I thought we had a deal, no conversations before noon.”