Ruined: A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance

by Lisa Lace

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “You win. I’ll go out with Vincent again.”

  “Good for you, girl. Make sure you call me and let me know how it goes.” I hear the relief in Chloe’s voice.

  “I will.”

  “Keep your chin up. Ethan doesn’t know what he’s missing, and Vincent’s a lucky guy. You’re a catch, Lily. Don’t settle for anyone.”

  Ethan

  I’m in a cold sweat by the time I reach the apartment Jennifer has booked on the other side of town. I rip off my jacket and throw it across the room. I’m shaking.

  What the fuck is wrong with you, Ethan?

  I already know I’ve fucked up. Lying in bed next to Lily this morning, I realized that I was about to break her heart again.

  Three offices and four hundred twelve employees rely on me to run a business. I can’t stay in Arizona, and Lily isn’t made for New York.

  This morning when I checked my cell and saw that the convention was starting, I left without waking her. I knew that if I woke her, she’d invite me to stay for breakfast. We’d talk about old times. She’d start to look at me again with those devoted eyes, and I would have to tell her I couldn’t stay.

  My cell rings. “Hello?”

  “About time, Ethan! I’ve been calling you all night. Are you taking this time off? I can screen your calls if you want.”

  “Good morning, Jennifer.”

  “Are you in Payson?”

  “Where else would I be?”

  “The apartment people called last night and said you never picked up the keys.”

  “I’ve got them now. Everything’s good.”

  “That’s fantastic, but it doesn’t explain where you were last night. You’re so weird right now.”

  “I’m sorry, Jen—should I get all the women I sleep with to make an appointment in advance?”

  She laughs. “Point taken. Sorry. I just wanted to know you were okay. I know your pilot likes to party. Last year, he got wasted with Bill from security, and they got arrested for taking a piss behind Walmart.”

  “You thought he’d crashed the jet?”

  “Or was arrested for pissing in public.”

  “No. As far as I know, he had complete bladder control throughout the flight.”

  “Excellent.” She laughs again. “Have you settled your beef with Vincent, then? Stolen a client? Demolished a building? Kidnapped his first-born?”

  “Vincent doesn’t have kids.”

  “You’ll have to save that one for later, I guess.”

  “No, I haven’t dealt with that yet. I’m just about to head to the convention.”

  “Ah, yes. The Payson technology convention that was far more vital than the New York Cyber Fair. Did you remember to pay the two dollars for your stall?”

  “Ha ha, very funny.”

  “I’m done now. I just wanted to check in.”

  “Any other news?”

  “Healy was impressed with the initial docs you sent over. He gave us a deadline for the final proposal. We have a few weeks left. I’m getting accounting to focus on fine-tuning those numbers, and the developers are testing the prototype day and night for glitches. So far, so good, but we don’t want any weak points.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got it all under control. I knew I could count on you. Is Mitch ready for the Cyber Fair?”

  “Mm-hmm. He’s good to go.”

  “Perfect. Thanks, Jen.”

  “No problem. I’ll let you go. Make sure you watch your back with Vincent, okay? Just keep the defense contract in mind. That’s what matters right now.”

  “Got it.”

  The convention is hardly more than a school career fair. A handful of stalls are promoting low-tech software and infomercial gadgets.

  I’m instantly suspicious. There’s no way that Vincent is here for this. This small-town assembly isn’t worth either of our time.

  People are starting to realize who I am. Excitement builds, and every start-up and beginner entrepreneur is vying for my attention.

  “Mr. Steele! Mr. Steele! Take a look at this! It’s the most advanced robotics in any children’s toy. This penguin can actually be stored in the freezer!”

  “Mr. Steele! Mr. Steele! I’ve written the code for a security program that can detect every single virus on the internet. I’d love to give you a copy of my résumé.”

  “Mr. Steele! Mr. Steele! My daughter loves you! Can she get a picture?”

  I can hear Jennifer telling me to relate to my public. I engage in some small talk, promise to look at a CV, and let an excitable mother snap a photograph. I’m growing tired of the charade when I feel a hand slap down on my shoulder and a familiar chuckle in my ear.

  “It’s a complete shit show here, isn’t it, Ethan? Remember when we used to fall over ourselves to get attention at conventions like these?”

  Vincent has his hand on me, and it makes my skin crawl. I shrug him off and turn to him with a frown. “What are you doing here, Vincent? There’s nothing for you here.”

  “What are you doing here, Ethan? Seems to me like you’ve followed me all the way to Payson. Isn’t it the Cyber Fair this week?”

  “I know you’re here for Lily. Why?”

  He grins, taking pleasure in tormenting me. “We’re soulmates, Ethan. It’s Destiny.”

  “There is nothing for you in Payson,” I repeat. “Lily’s not just some girl you’re looking to have fun with while you’re here. You’ve come here especially for her. What game are you playing, Vince? Are you just trying to fuck with me?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “You need to stop what you’re doing right now.”

  “Or what? Tell me, Ethan, what are you going to do? Throw a punch in front of all these good people? Give me a piece of your mind? Face it: you can’t do anything. I’m seeing her again tonight.”

  “Again?”

  “We had dinner. Guess you didn’t know that.” He smirks. “It was a wonderful evening. We drank wine, there was music. She was putty in my hands.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Vincent laughs. “I’ve finally found out how to push your buttons.”

  “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”

  “Oh, I haven’t even begun, Ethan.”

  He turns towards a camera pointing at us and smiles for the picture, resting his hand on my back like we’re the best of friends.

  I’m seething, but I grit my teeth and keep my cool. As soon as the photo is taken, I leave the hall. My head is filled with a blind rage.

  I know I need to protect Lily, but I don’t know how.

  What’s your plan, Vincent?

  Lily

  It’s the first time I’ve ever been to Roosevelt Lake Marina, and it’s beautiful. There’s a stillness here unlike Rumsey Park or my other sanctuaries. All I can hear is the sound of water gently lapping against the boats. Between the mountains, the setting sun glistens on the still waters. It’s a breathtaking view.

  “What do you think?” Vincent asks me.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I used to come here in the summer when I was young. My friends and I would take the yacht out and get up to no good. When I earned my first million, my own yacht was the first thing I bought.”

  He leads me along the decking to the side of a gorgeous white boat. It’s sleek and luxurious, with wooden paneling inside. No vinyl or inflatable rowboats for Vincent.

  “Where are the sails?”

  Vincent laughs. “She doesn’t need them. Come on, it’s even better on board.”

  The boat is at least twenty-five meters long and maybe two or even three stories. Peering inside from the harbor, I can see a luxury lounge with white leather sofas curving into a seating circle with a round glass table at its center. I think there is another floor below the water. Maybe it’s a bedroom.

  Vincent climbs up onto the deck of the yacht and reaches out a hand to help me up.

  He’s looking han
dsome tonight in a pair of white pants and a loose, collarless shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His dark hair moves in the breeze coming in from the waters. He looks like a movie star.

  I’m not dressed for sailing. After being underdressed for the restaurant, I’ve made every effort for tonight. I’m wearing a dress I borrowed from Chloe. It’s black and silky with a plunging neckline. It’s cut high above my knees, and on my feet are a pair of heeled sandals with intricate laces that make my legs look deceptively long.

  I have to climb a little metal ladder to reach the first deck. There is another up above, much smaller. The deck Vincent is standing on is at the nose of the yacht, reaching out into the water to a rounded point.

  I step onto the first rung uncertainly, my heel slipping on the iron. Vincent catches me when I trip onto the deck. He doesn’t let go until I pull myself away. I force a smile. “What a view.”

  The deck is luxurious. My heels slide on the polished hardwood floors. At the edges of the deck are backless white leather seats. I can picture a group of celebrities sitting right here, drinking champagne at a Hollywood after party.

  Moving to the rails at the nose of the boat, I look out over the lake, stretching far into the distance like an ocean. My eyes travel over the rise and fall of the mountains, and the purple-and-orange-glow of the sunset.

  Vincent stands behind me and stretches an arm around me to hold onto the rail at my side. He gazes out over the same horizon, the evening sun casting shadows on his face. “I never appreciated it when I was young, but now it holds a kind of peace I don’t get in the city.”

  “Why New York?”

  “It felt like home. There’s an excitement there, a buzz. Everybody’s on a mission. It makes you want to stand out and be the best. I don’t think I’d have achieved half of what I’ve accomplished if I’d stayed in Arizona.”

  I dwell on his words and compare myself to Ethan. Maybe Ethan was right to get out while he could. He’s out there in the city, sitting on a fortune, while I’m still in Payson, sitting with my cat.

  “I think I’d get lost somewhere that big. City life seems very intense. There’s no way to just let yourself be. You always have to be reaching for the next big thing, always chasing the new impossibility. It seems like a way to burn out quickly.”

  “It depends on the person,” Vincent replies. “Some people burn out. Some people light up.”

  “I always thought I was going to light up here.” I turn and press my back against the railing.

  Vincent doesn’t move. His arms are around me, resting on the rails either side. He lingers for a moment before stepping back. My heart is in my throat—I thought he was going to kiss me.

  “Do you want to take her out for a spin?”

  “Sure.”

  Vincent leads me into the body of the boat. The controls are inside on an inscrutable panel of buttons and knobs. Vincent flicks a switch here, pushes a button there, and the panel lights up.

  The yacht appears as a little green dot on a screen in the center of the panel, lighted rings glowing from a central point in the middle of the map.

  Vincent pushes a lever, and the boat begins to rumble. The deck vibrates, catching me off guard. Before I know it, we’re moving through the water.

  The mountains move toward us as we glide, dusky orange and tufts of green. It looks like desert and oasis perfectly merge at Salt River. Vincent takes us out until the harbor is far behind. Other boats are mere pinpoints on the water. We’re completely alone.

  Bringing the yacht to a stop, Vincent leaves the control panel to head to a fully-fitted bar at the back of the boat. He starts blending spirits in front of me, shaking them in a metal tumbler, and pouring the drinks into two martini glasses. He tops them both with a cherry and hands one to me.

  “What is it?”

  “A Manhattan. Try it.”

  I take a sip, and it’s powerful. The alcohol is sweet and rich, but packs a punch. I feel even less steady on my feet.

  Vincent laughs at my expression. “Sorry if it’s horrible. It’s the only cocktail I know how to make.”

  “I like it. Thanks.”

  “Shall we go back upstairs?”

  I follow Vincent back onto the deck, and we sit together on a white-leather cushioned bench. The waters are so still that the yacht barely moves. Just a gentle, soothing sway.

  Vincent lifts up one of the seats and pulls out a remote from the box underneath. He presses play, and music fills the air. It’s a sweet, lingering piano piece.

  “You’re a fan of piano music?”

  “All classical music, but piano particularly. This is Chopin, Ballade Number Four in F Minor.”

  “It’s lovely. Do you play?”

  “Yes. Classical piano.”

  “I’ve never learned an instrument.”

  “Yet you’re an artist.”

  He rests a hand on my knee. My skin is cool in the breeze; his hand is warm.

  “I saw some of your work online. You’re very talented.”

  I blush and bow my head. My hair forms a fan over my face. My chest tightens when Vincent reaches out to sweep it back behind my ear. “I’m serious, Lily. Your work is beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Then again, everything about you is beautiful.” He swills his cocktail within his glass and looks out over the water with a distant gaze. “You know, the high life can be terribly superficial. Everybody wants something from you. It gets to the point where you don’t know who you can trust because nobody is sincere.”

  He twists in his seat to look me in the eye and wrestles with his words. “You know, I think that’s why I tried that silly app. I wanted to snoop on my competitor, yes, but I didn’t have to fill in the forms. I set my search for Payson because I thought someone out here might see me for who I am instead of who I know.”

  My heart beats faster. I don’t know if Vincent is spilling his heart out or spinning lies. All I know is that when he holds me in his gaze, I feel like I’m the only woman in the world, and, out here, on a lake far away from everyone else, I might as well be.

  He reaches for my hand, his thumb tracing my skin. “I don’t know how to say this without sounding completely insincere, but you, Lily, are the most real person I’ve ever met.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you’re sweet and kind. You don’t have a shred of ego about you. You enjoy life. You’re wholesome.”

  I laugh out loud. “Wholesome?”

  Vincent laughs at his poor choice of words and backtracks. “You know what I mean, Lily. You have a good heart, and you care about the things that matter. Not money, or clothes, or what your neighbor thinks. You’re real, and that’s so hard to find these days.”

  “I’m sure there are lots of wholesome girls in New York.”

  “I haven’t found them.”

  I turn my gaze back out across the lake. The sun has set now, and the waters are reflecting the moonlight. The mountains are dark ridges against the horizon. The air has grown colder. My skin begins to rise with the chill.

  Vincent notices and puts his arm around me. His body is warm and firm, and so real.

  I think of Ethan, and it hurts. I don’t know what’s wrong with me because even though Ethan’s abandoned me again, it still feels wrong to be with another man after the night we shared.

  “Do you bring all your Payson girls here?” I ask him.

  Vincent chuckles at the accusation in my voice. “You think I’m a playboy, is that it?”

  “No, I didn’t mean that. It’s just, I bet it gets lonely, traveling around for business. You must meet girls, a handsome man like you.”

  “I won’t lie,” he says openly, “women are easy to come by. I don’t ever have to sleep alone.”

  My heart drops, and I stare at the deck. Vincent turns my face toward him and looks me in the eye, his expression earnest. “But that’s not why I’m here tonight.”

  “Then why are you here, Vincent? When yo
u’ve finished whatever business you’re doing here, you’ll go back to New York.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  I bite my lip and look away.

  Vincent’s voice softens. “I’m not looking for casual sex, Lily. I know my life is in New York, but that doesn’t mean my heart can’t be elsewhere.”

  His words seem scripted, and could have been pulled from any one of my cheesy rom-coms. I drink them in anyway. I need to be wanted by someone. He’s saying all the things I wish Ethan would say.

  “I’m sure a girl in Arizona would just make your life complicated.”

  “My life is already complicated. What I need is someone who can bring it to a standstill, like you do.”

  I almost roll my eyes, my voice barely more than a whisper. “You don’t even know me, Vincent.”

  “I know you’re not like any woman I’ve ever met, and trust me, I’ve met enough. You were on Destiny too, Lily. That tells me you were looking for something.”

  Britney shoulders past me and knocks my armful of books to the ground. She looks at the scattered textbooks, snickers, and walks on. Holding back tears, I drop to the ground and start to gather them up.

  Someone else’s hand reaches out.

  I look up, and it’s Ethan. A smile jumps to my face. Starting high school has given me the opportunity to see a lot more of my dorky neighbor. As kids, we used to play together in the street. My mom would look after Ethan when his mom was working late.

  Once he got old enough to stay home alone, we didn’t see very much of each other, but we’d still occasionally sit on the little wall in front of my house and talk a while.

  Ethan is terribly handsome. He wears his hair long, hanging in front of his eyes. Every now and then he shakes his head, and I catch a clearer glimpse of his green eyes.

  We’ve always been friends, but I’m surprised he’s happy to be seen with me at school. He’s a junior, and I’m only a freshman. It’s only two years, but in high school, it might as well be a hundred. “Hi, Lily,” he says. “Tough day?”