Leaving work, I headed straight for Brian’s apartment. He lived on the ground floor in a tiny one-bedroom apartment that was always a cluttered mess. It drove me crazy while we were dating, but he wasn’t big on cleaning. Really, he avoided all forms of responsibility if he could. On top of that, he was controlling in our relationship, which was the main reason that I broke up with him.
Looking back, I couldn’t believe that I overlooked his faults for the six months we were together. I fell for his empty charm, believing that he was a good man that was passionate, which was why he always wanted to know where I was and who I was with. When I finally realized that he was just a jerk with trust and control issues, I moved on without a hesitation.
My biggest regret was that I sent him five sexy pictures over the course of our relationship, my first ever attempt at sexting with a man. It was a huge mistake. He’d held onto them and betrayed me.
Ignoring the doorbell, I hammered my fist against the solid wood door of his apartment continuously until it was wrenched open. Brian stood in front of me with a slow smirk spreading across his face.
My anger cranked up a few more notches at that amused expression. He knew he’d gotten under my skin, and he found itfunny.This man violated my trust and purposefully made a mess of my life.
Asshole.
“Marlee.” The way he said my name was sickly sweet, and I wanted to smack him across the face. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
His gaze swept over me, and I crinkled my nose in disgust. “You know exactly why I’m here, you creep,” I snapped.
He didn’t invite me inside, which was probably for the best. I didn’t trust him enough to be alone with him now. But I also didn’t love the idea of talking about this out in the hallway where his neighbors could come out and overhear.
Oh hell, the notion of privacy is dead anyway.
“You have to take those pictures down,” I continued. “This is wrong. I didn’t say you could post those.”
“No, but you sent them to me. That makes them mine.”
I let out a small sound of frustration and stamped my foot. “Damn it, Brian. Stop being so petty. I dumped you, get over it.”
That wiped the smirk off his face.
“I’m not taking the pictures down,” he said, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at me. “And Iamover it. You really think you’re so special that I’m pining for you? I’m not. I just think that the world should see what kind of woman you really are.”
“What kind of womanIam?” I repeated, incredulous. “You asked for those pictures, and I sent them because I trusted you.”
“Then, I hope you learned a lesson. Because those pictures are staying on that website.”
“You son of a—”
“Get out of here,” he said in a cold tone. “You’re wasting your time.”
Brain stepped back into the apartment and closed the door before I could stop him. I heard the deadbolt click into place.
“Coward!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The door across the hall opened as I shouted and a nosy neighbor poked her head out. I ignored her as I turned and stomped down the hallway, my frustration and anger making me want to scream.
I knew that this wouldn’t work. A man that could betray a woman like this wasn’t easily reasoned with. He knew how this would impact my life before he did it. It waswhyhe did it.
There was nothing left for me to do but go home. The drive was a short one, but by the time I got to my own apartment the sun was going down. I was emotionally exhausted, so I skipped dinner and soaked my body in a steamy bubble bath. It was my guilty pleasure and usually made my stress melt away, but not tonight. Nothing could fix my problem, and I felt helpless, like I wasn’t in control of my own life.
At least tomorrow would be a better day. My issue wouldn’t be solved, but I was leaving in the morning to go to a tropical island for a week, where I was attending the wedding of an old friend. I was close with Faith back when we were teenagers, but we’d grown apart in the past ten years since graduating high school. But when I received an invitation to her destination wedding along with a note detailing how much she’d love to see me there, I jumped at the opportunity to reconnect. The actual wedding party had to be on the island for a whole week, but Faith had made it clear that I was welcome to come participate in the activities leading up to the big day on Saturday.
If nothing else, I could spend my time there pretending that everything was fine in my life. I could escape for a while. Maybe I could even enjoy myself before I had to look for a new job.
CHAPTER2
Bowen
“We’ll be landing soon, Mr. O’Neal.” The pilot’s voice came over the speakers above my head.
I looked away from the window where I’d been watching Pompeo Island grow closer and closer. I had decided to take this vacation on a whim, needing a getaway after my last movie wrapped up two days ago and a tropical island with virtually no press to hound me seemed like the perfect choice.