hurt-so-good

by Scott, Myra

  Still, I counted myself lucky that he even cared about my financial success. At least it showed he cared about something. At this low point in our relationship, I was willing to accept whatever scraps I could get from him.

  I finished up my shower and stepped out onto the marble flooring, wrapping a fluffy white towel around myself. I rubbed a circle of clarity into the foggy mirror and looked at my face. There were slight bags under my eyes, my expression tired and a little morose. My long dark hair dripped water down my shoulders and I shivered. I looked, as I often thought I did, like I was sorely in need of a vacation. I had been working nonstop for years, building up the kind of portfolio necessary to make it big in a fast-paced city like Las Vegas. What was bizarre was that I was not doing most of this for myself. I had not left Spain and come here simply to jump into the rat race and run myself ragged. No. Everything I had accomplished, every step of the way, was to prove myself to someone. First, I wanted to prove myself to my family. My mother and father had always been such successful, classy people, and I needed them to know that I could live in the same world. My siblings were all just like me, only they made it all look so effortless.

  And then, when I met Alvaro, my new goal was to impress him. From the very start, I had felt inferior to him, like I needed to up my game to be worthy of calling myself his boyfriend. So, I had worked my ass off, sacrificing sleep, meals, self-care, whatever it took to claw my way up the ladder. And now here I was: all this time had passed, and I was still clawing, still desperate to prove myself to Alvaro. However, I was slowly beginning to realize that I would never be good enough, no matter what I did. He would not accept me as worthy no matter how far up that ladder I climbed.

  I knew love was never easy, but god, did it have to be this hard?

  My mind wandered back to Zane immediately. Compared to how uncomfortable and nervous I felt around Alvaro, being next to Zane was the easiest thing in the world. He was charming and accommodating, and even though he had a tendency to tease and poke fun, it was always just that: fun. He had never cut me down, broken my spirit with his words the way Alvaro sometimes did. If I had thought there was chemistry between us at the dinner days ago, it was nothing compared to the electricity crackling between us at the event last night. Every time Zane had been within five feet of me, it was like I had lightning pulsing in my veins. It was like he and I were two magnets, drawn to each other even across a crowded room.

  “Diego, get ahold of yourself,” I sighed, raking my fingers back through my wet hair. I shook my head disapprovingly at myself in the mirror. “Zane is not your boyfriend. You already have a boyfriend. His name is Alvaro and you love him, remember?”

  I stared at myself, a little angrily. I was usually so good at controlling my thoughts. I prided myself on loyalty and devotion. I had never cheated on a partner before in my life, and I was not about to start now-- not even just in my head. Not even when our relationship was hardly worth salvaging anyway.

  Even though it would be so easy. Zane was already raring to go. Last night, he had lunged at me, closed that space between us so quickly and smoothly. He had come within centimeters of a kiss, so close I could feel his hot breath on my face. I remembered the way it made me shudder with desire. I could feel the heat radiating from his powerful, impressive body. I could just imagine the way his chest would feel pressed against mine, his hand sliding around to grope my taut ass. I would melt right into him. He looked like the type. He could make me fall into his arms and let him bend me over and do whatever he wanted with me. Every glance of his blue eyes, every time those lips turned up in a wry smile, I felt it in my groin. He could make me do anything he wanted, and I would do it gladly.

  My phone rang and I gasped in surprise. I looked down at my cell phone, buzzing across the granite bathroom counter. To my infinite dismay, it was Alvaro’s name on the screen. I hastily answered it. “Hola, Alvaro,” I said, leaning back against the counter.

  “Did you accept the deal? How did it go? Was there a signing bonus?” he asked, straight off the bat. Not so much as a hello, I noted sadly.

  “Si y no. Yes, I accepted it, but no signing bonus. It’s not that kind of deal,” I told him honestly. “It’s meant to benefit us both, so neither party is on the hook more than the other.”

  “You could have haggled for it, Diego. You are too passive. You never fight for a better deal even when you have the upper hand,” he scolded.

  “I don’t have the upper hand. That’s what I just told you,” I explained, trying to fight back my anger. “Mr. Anderson and I are on the same playing field here. Neither of us is sacrificing anything.”

  Alvaro chuckled, but it was completely humorless. “No, tonto. You have the bargaining chips. La Torre is doing better than Sentry on its own already. You are sacrificing some of your success to share it with Mr. Anderson,” he said. I was still paralyzed at his insult.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Thanks for reading Hurts So Good. Hope you enjoyed it. Please take a moment to write a review where you purchased this book. For self-published authors, reviews can make a world of difference in helping a book show up in searches, and it lets me know what readers are thinking and want to read next.

  Next up is The Charmer, book one in my new series, Sin City Sentries. The story is a gay, enemies-to-lovers romance between two young casino owners who should know better than to date a rival.

  Feel free to drop me a line at myrascott35@gmail.com anytime to let me know how you like the books. All feedback is welcome.

  Happy reading!

  Myra

  ALSO BY MYRA SCOTT

  Sweet Temptation

  Calling the Shots

  Never Look Back

  Hell Let Loose

  Blown Away

  New series set in Las Vegas: Sin City Sentries

  Book One - The Charmer (due out late January 2018)

  Book Two - The Perfectionist (due out February 2018)

  Book Three - The Hothead (due out February 2018)

  Book Four - The Protector (due out March 2018)