Sweet as Candy - Karla Doyle Page 0,77
let’s keep it technical. You’ve been getting him off for the past two years. Weekly, according to your former coworkers.” Jake’s hard, cold gaze bored through her like an icicle to her heart. “And since he knows you have a freckle between your legs, it’s safe to say he’s enjoyed more than just your hand and mouth on his dick.”
The knot in the pit of her stomach tightened. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I knew what you did at work from day one. Hearing that asshole talk about it made it a hell of lot more real, but whatever. Doesn’t matter now.”
“It matters to me.”
“Bullshit. At the gala, you let me believe Balducci was nothing more than a fellow parent from Macy’s school. You lied to me.”
“Jake—”
“Stop.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “After I told you how it wrecked me when Anna lied to me, how she kept the truth from me, you did the same fucking thing.” Contempt laced every word that’d left his mouth. “I loved you, Candace. You and Macy. You know I wanted you to get away from Lucky’s. For your sake, not mine. I would’ve taken care of you and expected nothing in return. But you agreed to be that sleazy prick’s personal prostitute instead.”
“He told you about his offer,” she said, as Jake’s fury and scathing comments began to make sense. “And he told you that I accepted it.”
He nodded, glaring at her. Almost a taunting stare, as if he were waiting for something. For her to apologize, break down and plead for forgiveness, maybe?
None of those things would happen. With her whole heart, she regretted withholding the full truth from Jake. But right now, he didn’t deserve her apology. He didn’t deserve to know she felt like shit for hurting him.
He hadn’t come here looking for confirmation or denial. He’d knocked on her door assuming the worst. Stormed into her home and treated her as a liar and a whore. The only thing he deserved was her anger. And he had it.
She moved to the door and opened it wide. “I think you should go.”
“And not come back, right?”
“That’s your decision.”
He grunted while stepping through the opening. “So you’re going to lie to Balducci too? Let him believe he’s got the exclusive on you, then sneak me in and hope he’s the one who doesn’t find out this time?”
“No, I told him the truth this morning. I told him I’m out of the business, immediately and permanently, because I only want to be with one man—you. I told him to stop attempting to contact me, and under no circumstances am I interested in accepting his offer.”
Jake’s lips parted, but she shook her head, holding up one hand.
“I didn’t tell you that I knew Enzo from the massage parlor because I didn’t want to ruin our special weekend together talking about that. That was our time. Yours and mine on Saturday night. Yours, mine, and Macy’s on Sunday. I thought it wouldn’t matter what’d happened in the past, at that job, because I had already decided I wasn’t going back. I made that decision the first night you and I were together, Jake. Before we had sex. I didn’t tell you immediately afterward because Macy got sick, which stirred up a mess with my parents.”
“Candace, I—”
She shook her head. “I planned to tell you I’d quit today, when I asked you to help me take all my Candy stuff to a dumpster. That was my big, happy plan.” She laughed bitterly at the foolish dream. So stupid, thinking things could be wrapped up with a tidy bow, after everything she had done. “Then, I was going to ask you to help me find a new place to live, away from the city. Someplace you and I both liked, since I hoped you and Trooper would spend a lot of time there. And, yes, I initiated the meeting with Enzo. I thought that by telling him directly, face-to-face, he’d stop pursing me. Obviously, I was wrong about that. I was wrong about everything, including us. Including you.” Swallowing hard, she held back the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. “Goodbye, Jake.”
Chapter 16
Jake
Powerless. That’s how he felt when the door closed in his face. He couldn’t have fucked things up worse if he’d tried.
“Candace.” He knocked on the wall of wood separating them. Normally, at first, then harder. Hard enough to turn his knuckles red. “I know you’re still there, I can feel it.