“He’s not the nicest guy… and I don’t want you to get caught up in that.” She took a deep breath, glancing over at him. “Honestly, he’s not worth my time. I’ve cried about him enough and tonight, I’m not going to let him ruin anything.” She said firmly, her hand on my forearm, squeezing it slightly. “I’ve been having a really nice time with you…”
“I’m glad.” I gently pinned a strand of her hair behind her ear. Just before I could lean in for the kiss, I heard someone approaching us. I turned around and cursed under my breath. The woman I had been hiding from had finally found me.
She had a look of wrath on her face, her cheeks red, her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed so hard together that they were nothing but a thin line.
Fuck, this wasn’t good.
Before I could move away, she had already closed the distance between us. Her hand lifted in a blur and seconds later, she had slapped me across the face so hard that my cheeks burned.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Amanda cried out, standing in front of me like she was going to defend me.
The woman stared at Amanda for a moment before shaking her head. “Let me guess, this guy has been treating you good all night long. Saying all the right words. Doing all the right things to make you think that maybe, just maybe, your fucked-up life won’t be so bad anymore. It’s all just a lie!”
“Penelope… there’s no need to be so harsh. Things between us simply didn’t work out. There’s no need to hold a grudge.”
“Hold a grudge…” She repeated, pushing Amanda out of the way. “You got some nerve, you know that?” She pulled me by the lapels. “You’re a no good, low life cheater, that’s what you are. You use women for your sick little games before you kick them to the curb like yesterday’s garbage.” She hissed.
I had almost forgotten how fiery Penny’s temper could be.
“And now you’re trying to do the same thing to this poor girl? Have you no shame?”
“I’m doing nothing of the sort! I am offended that you would accuse me of such a thing.” I said smoothly, hoping I could defuse the situation before it got too messy. “Just because things didn’t work out between us, doesn’t mean you can march over here and call me a cheater.”
“You robbed me. Robbed me blind.” Before I could stop her, she reached into my pocket, pulling out the plunder I had stolen from Amanda’s home.
Her eyes widened when she saw the gold chain. “Luke…?” Her voice wavering. “What were you doing with this…?” She asked, picking it off the floor and looking at it as if to make sure it was hers. “Did you steal this… from my safe?”
“That’s what he does… he gets us to trust him… and then he robs us right underneath our noses.”
I pushed Penny away, knowing I had gotten myself into quite the pickle. I was about to walk away when she grabbed a glass of champagne and threw the drink in my face. “Bastard.” She walked away, her hips swaying.
I looked up at Amanda who was still standing there, the chain in her hand. “Amanda… you can’t believe her. I can explain.”
Suddenly, my face was having a second helping of champagne. I blinked the liquid away and by the time my vision cleared, she was already halfway across the room, heading for the exit.
Usually, I didn’t run after them, but for some reason, I just couldn’t let Amanda go.
Chapter 11
Amanda
I cursed myself for letting this happen again. I had been played the fool…
With tears already stinging my eyes, I ran for the exit. As I slammed the door open, I nearly took out an older woman who was standing on the other side. “Sorry,” I said quickly before I sprinted down the stairs, pushing past some of the waiters who were getting fresh food from the kitchen downstairs.
In my desperate attempt to leave, I bumped into one of them, causing the tray they were holding to tumble to the ground. Champagne spilled everywhere. Glass pieces littered the ground. “Oh… I’m so sorry…” I stood there, not quite sure what to do. I bent down, about to try and help, when I heard the door open.
Looking up, I locked eyes with Luke. “Amanda. Come back!” He called, already running down the steps.
I ditched the shattered glass and picked up my dress, running away. I couldn’t face him, not when my makeup was already running down my face. This couldn’t be happening. It had to be some sort of a nightmare.
My heel snagged on the edge of a step and I flopped forward, nearly falling. I grabbed the railing just in time. Looking over my shoulder, Luke was already on the landing.
“Stay away from me! I want nothing to do with you.” I screamed. Reaching down, I took off my heel and threw it at him as hard as I could. “I trusted you!” I threw the other one as well, only to miss again.
“Amanda. Please. I know how this looks, but it’s not what you think. I swear.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, my jaw locking. This guy was a real piece of work if he thought I was going to believe him after I found my jewelry in his pockets. “Stay away from me,” I warned, still holding onto the railing for support.
Slowly, he stepped forward, holding up his hands. “Just give me five minutes to explain myself.”
“Fuck off,” I growled.
He took another step toward me and I booked it down the stairs. Now that I was barefoot, it was much easier for me to run, even if painful.
At the bottom of the stairs, I knocked over a coatrack, hoping it would slow him down. To my satisfaction, he tripped right over it. Maybe the Coat Hanger Deluxe was good for something after all.
While Luke was getting up and fixing his tux, I slipped out the door and onto the street. I didn’t even care that I was barefoot. All that mattered at this point was getting far, far away from him.
I scheduled a ridesharing pick up. They were only a few minutes away. Good. There was no way I was going to let that creep drive me home. Unable to keep still as I waited, I started to pace back and forth, the hem of my dress getting dirty now that it was dragging on the ground.
I wiped my eyes, angry at myself for trusting such a man. I should have known better. After what David did to me, I should have known that all men were the same.
“Amanda…” I turned around to see Luke standing there, his hands in his pockets. “You have to listen to me.”
“I already told you to leave me alone,” I said, stepping away from him, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks at any moment. “What else were you planning to steal from me? Huh? You broke into my safe. I’m surprised you didn’t take all my jewelry. Or do you have more of my stuff hiding in your jacket?” I spat, the words flowing out of me as my rage intensified. “You have some nerve following me out here.” My anger gave me a confidence I didn’t know I had.
I walked up to him, pressing my finger to his chest, pushing him against the estate’s metal fence. “You knew I had just come off a bad breakup, and what do you do? You make me think that maybe, just maybe, you’d be different, that you actually had my best interests at heart. You weaved that stupid little story to make me like you… and you almost had me fooled.” I shook my head. “But, you can’t fool me anymore. I never want to see you again. You can keep the chain, a scumbag like you will have no problem selling it and buying flowers for his next victim, will he?”
He grabbed me by the wrists and I tried to jerk away, but his grip was too tight. “Listen to me. It’s not like that. I only took the jewelry because I needed some cash. But I do genuinely like you. You’re different from all the other girls.”
I laughed at his comment, ripping away from his hold. Before I could say anything, it started to rain. Large raindrops fell from the sky before turning into a downpour. My hair stuck to my head and face. Luke’s rental was getting ruined.
He tried to grab me again, but I stepped back. “You touch me again and I’ll scream.” I was shaking with anger at this point. I hadn’t even felt this angry when I caught David cheating. “
You’re just a sleazy womanizer who wants women for sex and money. You can go to hell!”
Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “Look, what Penny said was true… I did some bad things that I’m not proud of.”
“Let go of me. This instant! Or I swear I’ll start screaming at the top of my lungs.” I cut him off, doing everything I could to get away from him. Just being in his arms made my skin crawl.
“Not before you listen. And if you scream, I’ll just have to gag you and I really don’t want to do that right now…” There was a hint of a threat to his voice that made me shiver. The darkening look on his face actually scared me. After what had happened, I honestly had no idea what this man was capable of.
“Fine. You have until my ride picks me up. Then, I never want to see you again.” I spat.
The rain was coming down hard, soaking us both. The white shirt he wore under his tux clung to his skin and I looked away. I wasn’t going to allow my body to turn me into a fool a second time.
“Look, I’ve had my fair share of girls in the past and I’ll admit, I used some of them for my own gains. But, to be fair, most of the time they just left their stuff out in the open as if they were asking me to take it.”
“You’re sick, you know that?” Again, I tried to get away from him, but he just tightened his hold, pulling me closer to his chest.
“I haven’t finished.” His voice was icy. “What I said in there was true, about getting my heart broken. I thought she was the love of my life, the woman I would marry and grow old with but…” He trailed off as if what he was about to say was painful to him.
“You can quit it with the sob stories. I’ve heard enough. Nothing you can say will ever convince me that you’re a decent guy.” Finally, I managed to wiggle away. “You know… I was starting to believe that there was hope for me yet. That I could find a man that would treat me right… but I guess I was just fooling myself.” Tears streamed down my cheeks, mixing with the rain.
Thunder boomed in the distance.
“Amanda, you’re a beautiful woman…”
“Shut up! Just shut up already.” Before I could say anything else, my ride arrived, pulling up against the sidewalk. I opened the door and got in.
Luke grabbed my wrist one more time. “You can’t leave. I need you.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you tried to screw me over.”
The driver looked over at Luke. “Is there a problem here?”
He hesitated before dropping my wrist. “No.” He slammed the door and stepped back. The driver rolled away. Through the tinted windows, I watched Luke just standing there, getting pummeled by the rain. My heart tightened at the sight and I looked away. I couldn’t feel sorry for this guy anymore. He had tried to rob me… to make a fool out of me.
Good riddance.
Chapter 12
Luke
I watched the car drive away. By my side, my hands were clutched into fists, my anger bubbling inside of me. I had half a mind to chase the car down the street, but the downpour convinced me otherwise.
I ground my teeth, feeling like an idiot for saying all those things. For once in my life, I had been truthful and what good did it do? I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. Well, if she didn’t want me, there were always other girls who did.
When the car finally faded from view, I turned on my heels and walked back inside.
I stepped into the bathroom and snatched a towel off the rack, drying my hair as best I could. It was a little messy, but I could make it work.
I then shrugged off my jacket. Well, I wasn’t going to get the deposit back on the rental that was for sure. Which meant, I would need to work twice as hard to pick up one of the dumb broads in this place.
Even as I rolled up my sleeves and planned my night, all I could think about was Amanda. The pain in her eyes haunted me in a way I couldn’t quite understand. Usually, I didn’t care what happened to a girl. As soon as I was out their door, they were old news and I never thought about them again, but Amanda truly was different.
“Well, screw her. If she doesn’t want me, that’s her loss.” I looked into the mirror, giving myself a pep talk. “I’m better off without her.” I loosened my bowtie, the pressure around my neck irritating me at this point. I left it hanging around my neck, knowing some girls died for that look. Wanting to add a little more eye candy, I unbuttoned the top of my shirt, exposing my chiseled chest.
The girls upstairs wouldn’t know what hit them.
When I reentered the party, everyone had sat down to have dinner. I surveyed the area, looking for an empty spot I could snag. I grinned to myself as I saw a seat next to Tiffany,
“Is this seat taken?” I asked, leaning down so I could whisper in her ear.
She looked at me and her bright red lips curled into a smile. “Oh, Luke. What happened to you?” She asked, noting my appearance. Her eyes wandered down my body with obvious interest. “Did you get caught in the rain?”
“Amanda wasn’t feeling well. I escorted her to her ride.” I said, trying to make myself look good. I had no idea whether the story of what happened had spread through the party or not.
“Oh, that’s not what I heard…” She leaned in. “I heard you two got into quite the fight. She even threw a drink in your face…” She clicked her tongue and shook her head. “She must be an even bigger fool than I thought to do something like that to a man like you.” She placed her hand on my thigh, her long fingernails digging into my flesh.
“Maybe… but that’s not our concern right now.” I turned toward her until our knees were touching. “Tell me. What’s a girl like you doing all alone? Especially in a dress like that…” I ran my eyes along the dip in her dress which went all the way down to her naval. I had no doubt that the only thing keeping her breasts from popping out were flimsy pieces of lingerie tape. One little tug…
“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?” She asked, her voice soft and seductive. She took a sip of her drink, pouting her lips ever so slightly like she was trying to turn me on.
I had to admit that she was sexy as hell, but there was just something about her personality that was so off-putting. Part of me just wanted to get out of there, but I simply refused to lose, to walk out empty handed.
“I would…” I leaned forward until our faces nearly touched. “Now that Amanda is gone… she can’t get in the way of us having our fun…” I ran my hand along her exposed thigh, getting dangerously close to her pussy.
She crossed her legs, making it even easier for me to slip my fingers underneath and grab her ass. She moaned softly, getting the attention of the other people sitting at the table.
“I think we should take this somewhere a little more private.”
“I have the perfect place.” She whispered, grabbing me by the shirt and tugging me out of the room. I followed her eagerly, my sense of conquest coming to the forefront. As it did, the sense of guilt I felt for hurting Amanda quickly washed away. Who needed her anyway? No one liked damaged goods.
Tiffany brought me to one of the bedrooms. By the time I realized what was going on, she was already undressing.
I grinned, pushing her onto the bed, pinning her hands above her head. “You want me, don’t you?” I asked, my voice husky with desire. I straddled her body.
“Mmm, come and take me.” She challenged, her eyes burning with lust.
I was just about to lean down and kiss her when something stopped me. I blinked and all of a sudden, I was straddling Amanda. She looked like she had been crying all night, her eyes red and puffy. I tried to say something, but my words caught in my throat.
“I can’t do this,” I said, getting up and running my fingers through my hair.
“Why the hell not?” Tiffany got up, looking offended. “Is it because of Amanda? Because baby, I can give you much more than she ever could.”
“Shut up.” I snapped. “Don’t talk about her like that.” I shook my head.
“She’s not worth your time.”
“No, you’re wrong. I don’t deserve her…” Without another word, I walked out of the room, slamming the door behind me. Needing to clear my head, I sat down at the bar, ordering a scotch.
The bartender, a decent-looking girl with dirty blonde hair smiled at me. “What’s your name, handsome?” She asked, resting her hand on mine.
I slapped it away, a little harder than I intended. “Drop it. Alright? Just get me my damn drink.” When she wouldn’t move, I reached over the counter and grabbed the bottle, pouring myself a glass. “There, now learn to do your fucking job.” Her cheeks turned red.
Pursuit: A Bad Boy Romance Page 8