White-hot rage lights me up like a signal flare. I squeeze my eyes shut in a futile attempt to douse my temper.
“You didn’t tell me you were dating Charles Parker,” Che
lle whispers in my ear. “You lucky thing.”
I can’t muster a smile, and my voice comes out so softly I barely hear it myself.
“Chelle, would you excuse us for a moment?”
“I get it,” Chelle says. “You want to reward him in private. Just spill all the deets later.”
“Oh, I’m going to reward him, all right.” My eyes pin Parker where he stands, still wearing last night’s clothes.
“Now don’t be mad," he says. "You left your phone in the bedroom, and I saw the alert to pick up the necklace. I just thought it would be something I could do for you."
He lifts the necklace from its velvet box and goes behind me to clip it on. I step away and whirl around to face him.
“Don’t you dare.” Anger shakes my voice. “Who do you think you are? And what the hell do you think you’re doing paying for jewelry I ordered for myself?”
His face registers what I’m saying slowly, the smile fading into confusion. “We had a great time last night, and I wanted to—”
“Thank me?” Brows lifted high, hands on hips, I cut in. “Is that what this is?”
“Well, not exactly. I just—”
“The other women you sleep with may require these little fuck tokens the next day as expression of your appreciation. I, however, do not.”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“I’m being independent. I’m being the woman who earned the money to buy this outrageously expensive necklace, chose it for myself, and has been looking forward to swiping my own damn card to pay for it.”
“Bristol, I—”
“No, you will listen.” My words butcher whatever he was about to say. “The bed you woke up in this morning? I paid for that. The house you locked up on your way out? I paid for that. The car I drove here in? All me.”
I step as close as I dare and glare up at him.
“I will not be kept.” My words whiz through the air like arrows. “That may be the road your mother chose, but it isn’t the one mine did. Mine taught me not to rely on any man for anything, and I’m damn well not starting with you.”
He blinks at me for a full ten seconds before he sighs, his tight expression relaxing into a smile.
“All that fight and pride.” He grabs my upper arms and looks down at me intently. “You’ll be my queen. With you at my side, we’ll rule the world. Can’t you see that?”
After last night’s fiasco of lost memories, I can barely rule myself. He thinks I want to rule the world with him? Some replica of his committee-chairing, debutante-sponsoring, Vicodin-popping mother? She’s my mother’s best friend, and actually very sweet, but hell will freeze over before I become her.
“I need to pay for my necklace and go.” I pull out of his hands and turn back to the showroom.
“I’ve already paid for it.” His voice hardens. When I look back, so have his eyes. They’re blue crystals in his handsome face.
“Then we’ll get you a nice little refund.”
I call Chelle back in and instruct her to refund Mr. Parker’s card and to charge mine.
“I’ll need the card you paid with.” Chelle gives Parker a confused look but accepts his card. She probably thinks I’m crazy. On the surface, Parker is one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, hell, maybe in the world. Why wouldn’t I want him and his gifts?
He and I stand in awkward silence while Chelle processes the transactions.
“I didn’t mean any harm.” He steps closer until his stale morning breath wafts over my lips. “I want to see you again. Soon.”