Chasing Fate: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Dark Love Series Book 5)

by Kat T. Masen

  “So? C’mon, Kate. My life is nothing but social media stalking and living vicariously through my other single friends who, as of this moment, are only you.”

  Well, that’s a depressing thought.

  “Nothing happened. We flirted. He’s sexy. We’re going to have drinks tonight.”

  “And you’re hoping to get a little something… something to wipe out the cobwebs growing in your banana basket?”

  I shake my head at Eric, barely able to laugh at this moment. If only he knew the truth, the life his brother led, the deep dark secrets he holds from his family. And how somewhere over the last month, I’d fallen for someone who didn’t feel the same.

  As I stare into Eric’s eyes, trying to think of a response, I’m unable to see any similarity between him and Dominic. They both have Caucasian and Asian genes, though their features differ so much aside from a slight similarity in their eye color.

  The day I met Dominic was at his mother’s sixtieth birthday. Eric dragged me to the event to be his plus one but soon abandoned me for a shrimp cocktail waiter who was related to Celine Dion. It wasn’t even of close relation, more like third cousins or something ridiculous like that.

  Left alone, I had no choice but to strike up conversations with strangers not realizing Dominic was Eric’s brother. He was gorgeous and undeniably sexy with a muscular build underneath the tuxedo he wore. A simple thing such as his black-rimmed reading glasses enamored me. The more we spoke and realized we had similar connections in the business world, the more fascinated I became and attracted to him.

  And perhaps everything about Dominic should’ve come with a warning.

  I began taking steps toward a trap I never expected to fall into at the age of thirty, an age when I’m supposed to be wiser and knowledgeable when it comes to men.

  The sad reality—I’m none the wiser.

  No doubt, the stress of everything is only adding to my late period, but I refuse to think about it, training my brain to focus on anything but this even if I have to entertain Eric and his over-imaginative vision of Noah and me.

  “Just drinks. That’s it.”

  Eric purses his lips. “When it comes to Noah Mason, something tells me you’ll be unable to resist.”

  ***

  Meeting Noah for drinks…

  From the moment Noah joined me, we’d instantly hit it off. Sure, I came prepared with bottles of liquor and a desperate need to forget my life back in Manhattan existed. And yes, my body began its signs of warning me of an impending period but still nothing.

  We laughed so hard until my lungs struggled for air, teased each other with sexual innuendo while playfully splashing around in the water. Noah couldn’t resist trying to make a move, which perhaps is exactly what my ego needed at that moment. Broody men are so yesterday.

  I suggested we take it back onshore, carelessly making decisions drunk on tequila. There’s not much I remember besides the cool air against my skin, the cold sand beneath my feet, and the torches illuminating the area around us.

  Oh, and I finally got my period.

  Tonight was surreal, sharing it with a complete stranger. The last few years have forced me to alienate myself from the social scene. If and when I did mingle, it was for business, and with that came a different persona. I can’t recall the last time I had laughed so hard.

  Noah was so easy to be around, which is why I admitted what was going on with my life back home. He didn’t judge me, and I mean, how could he have given we were both sitting inside a jail cell for acting on impulse.

  Everything about tonight is beyond crazy yet, at the same, time perfect. Whether it was the liquor or the careless decision to swim in the Pacific Ocean or the company of a sexy man beside me, tonight was the wake-up call I needed.

  Life doesn’t need to revolve around work. I just need to find a way to balance it all. If Charlie can run her business, take care of two kids while pregnant, and have time for her friends, I surely can do this without the added responsibilities.

  Back at Charlie and Lex’s place, Noah disappeared along with Lex. She suggested I stay the night, and luckily for me, I have some spare clothes which I left behind the last time I stayed here. After the longest, hottest, and most relaxing shower ever, I make my way back to the kitchen where Charlie is sitting with two mugs filled to the brim with hot tea and what appears to be homemade cookies.

  “Have you turned English?” I question while taking a seat and eyeing the tea.

  Charlie sits across from me. “I’m not allowed to drink coffee, remember? One of the many joys of being pregnant.”

  I nod my head in silence, grabbing the cookie and breaking it in half. Tonight, I drank copious amounts of tequila. I haven’t quite sobered up even though I drank three glasses of water and strong black coffee the cop gave us while waiting to be bailed out.

  “Can you please walk me through what happened tonight? This isn’t you… I know you like to have fun but not law-breaking fun.”

  “I don’t know how to explain it,” I admit, wrapping my hands around the mug. “At first, we were fooling around, but Noah isn’t like other guys, he just… I don’t know.”

  “He is exactly like other guys,” Charlie tells me. “That’s why he’s here. His dick got him in trouble back home.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Okay, so you guys wanted to fuck on the beach or whatever,” she mutters, covering her mouth with her mug. “But you’re both feeding into each other’s bad habits. Noah prowls on vulnerable women like you, and you’re trying to sleep with another guy to prove a point.”

  I’m hurt by her words, though sadly, she’s right. This isn’t me. I don’t sleep around to prove a point to anyone, yet why did I so easily fall into this pattern? This woman I’ve become is cheap, cowardly, and running toward the wrong things instead of trying to fix the broken pieces inside of me.

  My temple begins to throb, the hangover imminent if I don’t control what I do over the next hour before I fall asleep. I can’t recall the last time I drank so much, but holding liquor well is in my gene pool. I grew up with a dad who could chug a whole keg of beer and still run a marathon the next morning. His brothers, my uncles, were the exact same.

  As if Charlie could read my mind, she leaves the table, returning moments later with a bottle of water and Advil.

  “Take two of these, finish all the water plus your tea and cookies.”

  “You’re right,” I mumble, popping the Advil’s into my mouth and swallowing them with a large amount of water. “I shouldn’t have tried to screw Noah. I partially blame Eric for the pressure.”

  “There’s nothing to stop you from being friends. It might do the two of you good to have each other since he’s single, and so are you. Just lay off the hard liquor… and stay out of jail.”

  Charlie places her hand on top of mine, letting out a yawn. I suggest she go to bed, knowing it has been a long night for her, and she agrees.

  Placing her dishes in the sink, she says goodnight but stops just shy of the door.

  “Just so you know, if you were pregnant, I’d have been there for you, no judgment,” she says in a neutral tone. “If anyone understands what it’s like to make poor decisions, it’s me. But sometimes, those poor decisions lead you down the right path.”

  I smile back at Charlie, knowing everything she just said is true. Charlie has always been supportive, and I consider her family, not just a friend or the wife of my boss. When it comes to our relationship, she knows me better than I know myself at times.

  Following in her footsteps, I turn off the lights and head toward the guest bedroom. I know Noah is staying at the other end of the house but decide to send him a quick text once I settle myself into bed.

  Me: Thank you for tonight. You are exactly what I needed at this moment.

  I didn’t expect him to respond given how late it is. Still holding onto my phone, I stare into the ceiling. Charlie is right. I’ve made poor decisions, and now is the
time to make sensible ones. I texted Dominic three days ago demanding he give me a better answer than ‘there’s nothing left to say.’ I’m done trying to force him to be someone or say something he can’t be or cannot say.

  The mixture of tequila and vodka still swirling inside of me gives me the confidence to re-evaluate my life before I spiral out of control to the point of no return. Ironic, since it’s supposed to have the reverse effect.

  My mother always taught me to count my blessings, not my troubles.

  I’m not pregnant.

  Blessing.

  How easily I could’ve fucked up my life for good. The walk of shame is something I don’t take lightly, and for now, to steer myself away from it, I shut my eyes to welcome sleep until my phone buzzes.

  Noah: Ditto, Bonnie. Next time we should try to rob a bank, make our criminal record worthy of the news. Sleep well, Kate.

  A smile escapes my lips, shaking my head with a gentle laugh at his suggestion to imitate Bonnie and Clyde with their notorious crime spree.

  I place my phone on charge beside me, welcoming sleep once again. Tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll be damned to live another day being someone I’m not.

  Onward and upward, or follow Eric’s mantra—bad vibes don’t go with my outfit.

  For once, Eric sounds perfectly sane.

  NOAH

  Charlie is far from forgiving the next morning, purposely waking up the household early, banging on pots and pans plus running the vacuum just to annoy me.

  The girls enter my room several times, and I vow that one day I’ll wake up early enough to beat them to the chase. Since I’ve been here, I’ve stopped going to the gym and running each morning, something I did almost every day back home.

  I barely slept. The entire night I had recurring nightmares that a cast of crabs had invaded my pants and had bitten off my dick. I kept waking up in a cold sweat, checking to make sure everything was intact, only then to fall asleep and have the same nightmare.

  After showering and changing into my suit pants and collared dress shirt, I follow my usual routine by styling my hair and applying aftershave. I don’t feel like shaving today, allowing my five-o’clock shadow to remain on my face.

  Tired and irritable, I make my way to the kitchen, my stomach growling in the process. Even with the copious amounts of drinking last night, I crave something deliciously oily. I wonder what the chances are of Charlie frying me up some bacon.

  Kate’s already at the table, fiddling with her cell. She stayed the night instead of crashing at her other friend’s place. Lifting her gaze away from the screen, she spots me entering the room and mouths something about Charlie, which I can’t quite understand. Ignoring her for just a moment, I grab the pot of coffee and pour myself a mug along with a piece of toast that sits on a plate beside the coffee maker. I’m a coffee addict at the best of times, but this morning, it tastes like fucking heaven.

  A second later, my cell vibrates in my pocket. I remove it and read the text Kate just sent me.

  Kate: Beware the wrath of a woman who didn’t get laid by her husband last night.

  Oh, c’mon. I don’t need to know this shit. I shoot her an annoyed look, responding to her text immediately.

  Me: Fuck you very much.

  “I don’t know what it is you guys are talking about, but know this… I’m tired,” Charlie tells us with her back toward the table while making a sandwich, which she slides into a brown paper bag.

  “Good morning, my loving cousin, you look very nice this morning.” I smile, trying my best to get back into the good books with her.

  “Cut the bullshit, Noah. I look like death. This pregnancy feels like I’ve got my period every goddamn day, so death is an understatement.”

  “See this… this right here is the kind of information I’m not interested in. It would explain why both of you are crabby. I’ve heard about girls being in sync, although you’re pregnant but still…” I say with a mouthful of toast, unaware of the minefield I’ve just stepped into.

  “Did you also hear that period pain is like a thousand knives being stabbed into your vagina?” Charlie adds, taking a seat beside me. “And that it’s extremely awkward when your tampon fills up, and you’re running to the toilet with what feels like a grenade between your legs?”

  Kate does nothing to save me. Instead, she bows her head, trying to hold in her laughter, almost choking on the banana she’s eating. Serves her right, though on close inspection, she appears to have an excellent gag reflex. Always handy to have.

  Lex walks into the kitchen, pulling a small suitcase behind him. He told me last night he has to be in Colorado for three days. Also, he told me that he’s glad I’m here so someone can help Charlie, not that I’ve been much help. Ava soiled her diaper the other day, and I almost threw up in my mouth trying to find Charlie while carrying her at an arm’s length so she could change her.

  “Good morning, everyone,” he announces. “Good morning, my beautiful wife.”

  Kissing her on the cheek, she mumbles something before sliding the cup of coffee across the table to him where he takes a seat. The girls are watching television, something about a little girl with a whiney voice that speaks in Spanish.

  “What did I miss?” Lex asks, taking his cell out of his pocket.

  “Everyone is shitty and tired. Aside from that, you’re off to Colorado to meet the Mackenzie Group, right?”

  “Yes. Did Margaret email you the presentation?” Lex questions Kate.

  Kate scrolls through her cell, shaking her head in response.

  “Honestly, Kate. These older assistants HR is hiring aren’t as switched on as the younger ones,” he chastises.

  “Oh, really?” Charlie questions with a raised eyebrow. “Maybe you should find someone younger like Montana, perhaps? Maybe give her a call, see what she’s up to.”

  You could cut Charlie’s sarcasm with a knife. Lex puts his phone down and looks at Charlie oddly. I don’t know what’s going on or who Montana is, but I really want to slide out of my chair and hide under the table, pretending I don’t exist. Charlie’s one hell of a moody bitch.

  “No comment?” she asks, waiting for Lex. “I didn’t think so. Now, since we’re all here, and we have approximately two minutes before Dora the Explorer finishes, we need to set some rules in this house.”

  “Like not talking about menstrual cycles?” I tell her.

  Lex nods in agreement.

  “No, like your personal life ruining your chance at success,” she answers back.

  “How does that affect this household?”

  “It affects Lex,” Charlie points out.

  “Explain?”

  “Lex’s business can’t afford to have single men like you with a reputation for running naked around LA. Haden may run the company, but ultimately, Lex owns shares.”

  “What I do in my personal life does not affect my work,” I quip, quick to defend myself. “I take pride in my professionalism, Charlie. I work hard, and yes, I play hard. But that doesn’t mean I mix business with pleasure.”

  “He’s right, Charlotte, and if you knew what my executives got up to, you’d…” Lex trails off as he watches Kate dragging her finger across her throat, motioning him to stop right there.

  “What are you talking about? Of course, it affects your business. A nice, well-rounded man in a steady relationship shows commitment.”

  “God, Charlie, what do you want me to do? Become a priest?” I complain.

  “No. I think you need to start getting serious. You’re twenty-eight, Noah. When Lex was twenty-eight, he owned several companies and was set for life,” Charlie says.

  Kate interrupts the conversation, “Yes, he did. But Charlie, Lex was no saint. Granted, he was miserable and missing you, but nevertheless, he was far from being a nice guy. He only got that far because he threw himself into his work to forget how much he hated life.”

  I could kiss Kate right now for having my back.

  “Tha
nk you, Kate. I’m trying to block out his manwhoreness and prove a point to Noah,” Charlie adds with sarcasm.

  “Hey.” Lex winces. “Can we stop talking about me being a manwhore? I’m offended.”

  “Oh, please…” Charlie rolls her eyes, “… you loved it.”

  I’m done with the nagging, ready to pull out some lame excuse about an early meeting just to be able to leave the house.

  “Noah, you need to settle down. You don’t have forever to get married and start a family.” Charlie isn’t afraid to speak her mind. “You’ve had enough time being Mr. Rebound or whatever they call you. Now is the time to find your lady. No more messing around.”

  “My lady?” I laugh.

  Lex joins in, shaking his head.

  “You know what?” Kate adds. “Charlie has a point. You’ve screwed more women than most guys. I once read that twenty-eight is the age to start planning for the future. You don’t want to be forty looking for a wife. You’re only one step away from a lifetime prescription to Viagra.”

  “Forty?” I scowl. “C’mon. That’s the new thirty. I’m not interested in a relationship.”

  “So, there’s no one at all you see yourself settling down with? If you could have any woman in the world, who would you settle in a relationship with?” Kate asks, teasing me because she can see this topic is testing my patience.

  Charlie waits in anticipation as Lex scrolls through his phone with a look of amusement on his face.

  On top of the kitchen table sits a trashy entertainment magazine. On the front cover is Scarlett Winters, an actress who’s heavily in the tabloids due to her Oscar-winning roles and sometimes controversial love life. I won’t argue that she’s the most stunning woman on this planet. Platinum blonde hair with hazel eyes covered in long, luscious black lashes. Her body is amazing. Implants, perhaps, but amazing curves. And her ass—to fucking die for. I mean, that booty would look fantastic sitting on my cock.

  “Scarlett Winters,” I say in one breath.