Temptation - Leigh Lennon Page 0,58

past three weeks, I’ve been fooling myself. This is not the life I can immerse myself in, and if I stay to the end of my contract, I won’t have the heart to say good-bye. The money be damned. I won’t change to be with Chadwick. I can’t. My father made sure I could never fully trust another man.

Pushing up to my feet, I cross the room, grabbing my clothes. I turn the lamp on at the side of the bed with trembling fingers, and I can barely button the side of my dress. I can’t see him, or I won’t have the courage to walk away. And this may be the coward’s way out, but if I look upon his perfect white teeth, his sharp cheekbones, his dark jet black eyes, or his thick black hair he rakes his fingers through every time he’s unsure of something again, I won’t be able to walk away.

I never want him to be anything he isn’t for me, and I can’t be who he needs me to be, just because I’ve fallen in love with him. Yeah, I love the bossy, commanding, handsome egomaniac. But when you love somebody, you let them go because it’s so deep, so consuming, and it’s what is best for this person. He can’t have full control over me, and for this reason, I have to let him go.

A notepad is on a small round table near the door. A piece of paper sits there, folded in half with my name on it. I ignore it. One look at his note, and my name only he calls me—Kitten—would have me crawling back in bed to await his return. I pick up a pen and begin my good-bye.

Chadwick,

I can’t ask you to be someone you’re not—as I can’t be something I’m not. Tonight I could handle because it was very tame. But soon, you’ll want more than I can give, and because my dad took so much from me, no one can have my full submission. Even for a man I love. And because I love you, I have to let you go. And I ask for you to do the same for me.

Love,

Eve

Leaving my phone he’d given me on the table, I pull the door behind me, then turn to the left and toward the exit we entered just a couple of hours ago. It’s a coward’s way out, as I’ve said before, but it’s the only way to let go.

Somewhere deep inside me, I must have known this was going to happen. I’ve kept my old phone, and when I power it up, I find transit to the closest bus station. My paychecks from the club will get me out of Chicago where the rent is cheaper. I can find a waitressing job in a smaller town, putting distance between Chadwick and me.

I don’t expect him to honor my request, but I’m not sure I want him to fight for me. With only the dress and heels on me and my purse, I board the bus for Chicago. It’s not full, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I move toward the back. It’s going to take just under twenty-two hours to get back to Chicago. I’ll swing by Kira’s—staying as long as it takes to get my belongings from the club—and will be on my way to a new life. I don’t know where that will be, but this will be for me, and me alone. With the bus leaving the hustle and bustle of New York City, I try to lie to myself that saying good-bye to a future with Chadwick is a necessity and my heart isn’t ripping into a million pieces. I fail miserably as the tears fall from my face.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chadwick

I lean back in the chair as I’m reading her letter. With each word, it’s as if she’s physically slapping me. I’ll take action. I’ll find her and convince her. But she’s not wrong. I can’t give up dominance, though I’m willing, or was willing, to meet her in the middle.

I pick up my phone and dial the one number I know. He picks up right away. “Chad, you okay?”

I know where he is on a Saturday night, and I would not have called him if not for a good reason.

“Jared, I need you and Kira to go back to your penthouse and wait for Eve. She left me, and with a fucking Dear John letter.”

He covers the phone, and