Music chimed from my cell phone the next morning to wake me up. Obviously, I would need to change that song now. When it played at the club while Alec and I danced, I had believed it was fate, but now it was a shitty reminder of a night gone badly. The sucky part was that I liked A Great Big World. I guess I'd have to find another one of their songs to use as a ringtone.
I reached for my cell phone without opening my eyes. "Yeah," I answered, already knowing it was Olivia. I even knew what her first words would be.
"Sleep all day, why don't you? You were supposed to text me. I need the details, slutbag," she demanded.
I sighed, opening my eyes. They felt raw, but were at least dry. I hated crying and couldn't believe I had succumbed to tears the night before. "What time is it?" I answered in a monotone voice.
"Almost one. Did you do it so many times you can't even get out of bed? Alec wouldn't spill any of the deets at the shoot this morning, so fess up."
I had forgotten about the shoot. At least I knew Alec had remained tight-lipped about what happened, but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe he assumed that since Olivia and I were friends that I would tell her. I'm sure he was also hoping what happened wouldn't affect his opportunity to earn money for the modeling gig. "There's nothing to tell," I said, rolling over.
"That's what Alec said too. Did you two rehearse your answers or something? What do you mean 'nothing'? I saw you two dancing. You were all over each other. I was sweating just watching you. Matter of fact, Taylor wanted me to thank you because he got lucky last night because of it."
I actually appreciated how funny that was, but I still wasn't ready to laugh. I couldn't even find a sarcastic retort. At least someone had gotten lucky last night. Not that I was blaming Olivia. This wasn't her fault. Sure, she'd been behind the blind date, but I knew she would never have orchestrated the whole thing if she knew what a dick Alec was.
"Nicole? Are you alright?" She sounded worried, and I realized several seconds had passed since her question.
"I mean, we didn't do the deed. He freaked when he found out I was still a virgin."
"No fucking way. You mean to tell me he did the old enter-and-retreat?"
Severus, who had been snuggled up along my side, stood up and stretched. I reached over and stroked my hand down his back. "We didn't even get that far. I told him beforehand."
"Why? Why would you mention it?"
"Does it matter why I mentioned it? What about the fact that it shouldn't matter?" I snapped at her.
She let out a loud breath of air. "You're right. It doesn't matter. He's an asshat. What guy doesn't want to bang a virgin? It's like the Holy Grail."
My anger dissipated instantly as a reluctant smile spread across my face. "I know, right? That's what I thought, but not to him, I guess."
"Did he give a reason?"
"Not really. Truthfully, I just want to put it behind me. Trust me when I say it wasn't my finest moment."
"I'm sorry, babe. It's his loss. I'm glad he didn't get to be your first. You deserve better. Your first time should be special."
I appreciated her loyalty. There was a reason Olivia and I had been friends for so long. We took care of each other first, no matter what. Besides, deep down, what happened between Alec and me last night had been special until he found out my secret and freaked. Even lying in bed now, I remembered his touch on my skin. The way he kissed me. The hardness of his body against mine. It felt wrong to have those thoughts in my head. They were traitorous. Thinking about him would do me no good.
Olivia and I chatted for a few minutes more. She even suggested she would find another model for my cover. I weighed the notion without replying. I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about it. Thankfully, Olivia dropped the subject, asking if I wanted to grab lunch. I declined the offer. My plans for the next couple days would consist of not leaving the house at all. I had several takeout menus on hand so I wouldn't starve, but I planned on submerging myself into my manuscript. I'd had enough human contact to last me awhile.
Olivia disapproved, but didn't push. Once we ended our call, I turned my ringer off. For the next forty-eight hours I was cutting myself off from the outside world.
I threw my hair up into a messy bun and pulled on my favorite pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. To make sure I wouldn't get hot, I turned the AC down in my apartment. It was backward thinking, but I preferred it cold while I was writing.
Ten minutes later, I snuggled into my writing chair with a large glass of iced coffee. It wasn't as good as Starbucks, but it would have to do. Severus climbed up on the cat tree I kept between the window and my chair. I reached out to pet him while my computer booted up. He purred, appreciating the attention before curling up into a ball as I started to type.
Over the next couple of days, Severus and I didn't move except to scrounge for food, use the bathroom and to fall in a heap on my bed when my eyes refused to stay open a moment longer.
This particular writing marathon killed two birds with one stone. I finished my novel ahead of my deadline, and I was able to successfully push thoughts of Alec to the far recesses of my mind. Grudgingly, I had to admit his rejection helped my story. I was able to draw from my feelings and weave them into the story. In the end I was pleased with the way it had turned out.
Blurry eyed and more than a little dizzy from a lack of moving around, I headed to the bathroom to wash away the grime from two days without a shower. Feeling lazy, I decided to run a bath so I could shave my legs and spoil myself a little.
For the rest of the day I caught up on social media, contacting bloggers about my upcoming release, and preparing swag that I would need to send out on Monday.
Olivia had sent me an email with the cover while I had been in lockdown. I hadn't opened it yet. Alec's mocking face wasn't something I had been ready to see. In the end, I knew I was being ridiculous, so I finally clicked the link to open the file.
I studied the cover art for a few minutes, trying to analyze it for how well it captured the essence of my story rather than the fact that Alec's hypnotizing eyes were staring back at me. I had been wondering if I made the right choice by not telling Olivia to find another model. Seeing the finished product, I had to admit, I was glad I hadn't said anything. The cover for Wickedly Lovely was stunning. It was easily Olivia's best work to date. Natasha was as beautiful as ever, but it was Alec who brought the cover to life. Olivia had been right all along. He was a natural. Readers were going to immediately take to him. He embodied the very essence of the book boyfriend that all females wanted. Plus, he was a dead ringer for my main character, Harrison. Alec's face alone would make me want to pick up the book.