A desperate one.
Or a really deprived girl, I thought to myself.
Ever since working for Christine, I never got to go out and enjoy anything for myself, nor had I had any real dates in ages. I suppose a momentary lapse of judgment could be excused if I hadn’t lain down with the womanizer from hell.
But the sex had been good—mind-blowingly good—and I had enjoyed every moment of it.
It was just sex, I told myself. Nothing more, nothing less. I need to walk out of here and forget about it and forget about him.
“You’re angry,” Jonathan noted, pulling me out of my reverie. “Don’t be.”
I knew I shouldn’t reveal my feelings to a stranger, but I couldn't help myself. “I just can’t believe how he can just . . .”
“Use you and then just leave?” Jonathan offered.
I nodded my head.
He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Normally I’d be jumping away, but he seemed sincere. “Honey, he does it to every girl that walks through that door.” Jonathan pauses as if debating on whether he should continue speaking. “But walking through that door and never coming back is the best thing that will ever happen to you.”
His words chilled me. “Why do you say that?”
He looked at me and I could see sadness in his eyes. “You look like a nice girl, nicer than the ones that usually come through here, and I’m sure you have a bright future ahead of you.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I say firmly.
Jonathan stared at me and then let out a sigh. “Mr. Locklin has a past.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What kind of past?”
Jonathan took a long time to reply. “I don’t know if I should be saying this, but Tyler’s a scarred young man. Nothing a lot of men don’t go through at some point in their lives, but he took it hard, and because of this, he never stays with any woman for long. Most of them only get one night, two or three at most, but never much longer than that.”
Knowing that Tyler is a womanizer, I should have understood this. But then why am I getting so mad about it? It didn’t help matters that his butler was acting so mysteriously about him.
When I got right down to it, I didn't really know who Tyler Locklin was and had no business in his place.
“I think I’ve heard enough,” I said finally, looking around for my dress. “I’m ready to go now.”
Chapter 8
Tyler
I couldn't stop thinking about her. It wasn’t like me at all, my thoughts being consumed by a woman after a night with one. I don’t know what it was about Victoria, but she put a spell on me and it frustrated the hell out of me.
For the longest time, I'd been able to sleep with girls and leave them without a second thought. Now, it was hard to get through the day without thinking about her—her smile, her curvy figure, and most of all, her headstrong personality. Not only that, but hearing her story about her being estranged from both parents and struggling to make ends’ meet while working for a bitchy egomaniac made me feel for her. She made me want to be a better person, a better man. To provide for her.
It frightened the shit out of me, because for the first time in my life, I felt like I was losing control.
"The board is preparing," Jeff told me.
We were sitting in the boardroom after a long day of work. My peers acted no differently with me than normal, laughing and joking and carrying on, giving no indication that they were about to vote on my removal.
But they were fools, all of them.
I'd make sure I knew everyone who was planning to vote against me. When I came out of this mess triumphant and with a smile on my face, every last one of them would pay dearly.
"They are?" I asked nonchalantly. "How convenient."
Jeff stared at me. "Aren't you a little bit worried?"
"No," I replied as I kicked my feet up onto the marble table to infuriate Jeff. "Why should I be?"
"Because Charles Whitmore is about to have your job."
He was obviously trying to piss me off by mentioning Charles, but it didn't work. After long, hard thinking, I’d come up with a plan that would make everyone happy and resolve my dilemma.
I'd made a decision.
"That's not going to happen," I said with all confidence.
Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
It was hard for me to say my next words, but I managed it. "Because I'm ready . . . to behave.
Victoria
For the past several weeks, Tyler had taken me on a whirlwind of a romance. From upscale night clubs to expensive restaurants, Tyler took me everywhere. We were inseparable.
I had no idea why I'd accepted his offer to start dating, especially considering the warning given to me by practically everyone, but I guess I couldn't help himself.
All it had taken was a bouquet of roses, a bottle of expensive wine and Tyler's playful grin to convince me to go against what my brain was telling me.