Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“You’re gonna forget Francesca exists,” Gray was saying, stepping forward slowly and herding Scott backward down the porch stairs.
“I have no issue with you,” Scott protested.
“That your ex-boy toy?” Rumi asked, pushing past me.
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek as both men squared up, side by side.
“You’re gonna have an issue with me if you don’t leave her the fuck alone,” Gray replied to Scott, his voice even.
“Man, I don’t even know you.”
“You don’t wanna know me, but I know you,” Gray countered. “Pretty boy flunked out of college his parents were paying for, so his uncle hired him to push papers around at his construction company. Pay is good, but the work is shit because you’re not actually qualified to do anythin’. Sound familiar?”
“Fuck you,” Scott spat.
“Get the fuck outta here,” Gray ordered. “I don’t want to see you on this street again.”
“I’ll see you at work, Frankie,” Scott called out, assuming I was still listening even though he couldn’t see me. “We’ll talk then.”
I wasn’t sure how Rumi was able to hold Gray back when he lunged for Scott, but I was so thankful he did. If I’d thought work was a nightmare before, I couldn’t imagine how bad it would be if Scott got his ass handed to him by one of my friends.
Everything was silent for a moment.
“I’ve got food for Myla?” the delivery driver called out warily.
“Yeah, man,” Rumi answered, letting go of Gray. “In here.”
“Oh, good. It’s a lot of food. I was a little worried it was a prank.”
“No prank, just a lot of hungry people,” Rumi announced happily. “I’ll take that one. You got more?”
“I’ll run back and get it,” the delivery guy mumbled.
I moved out of the way as Rumi carried a box of food into the house. Gray had shifted to the side and was gripping the porch railing like he was trying to kill it.
“Gray?” I called out softly.
He spun toward me in surprise.
“Thought I told you to go inside.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“You hear him?”
“I heard him.”
“He’s been botherin’ you at work?”
“He bothers me everywhere,” I replied, stepping out onto the porch. “Work, home, here.”
“You report it?”
“Hell no.”
Gray nodded as I stepped in next to him at the railing. “You wanna tell me what he did?”
I thought about the moment I’d realized he hadn’t been using a condom without my consent. My skin crawled with disgust and embarrassment. “No.”
“All right,” he said with a sigh. “There any way you can steer clear of him at work?”
“No,” I confessed, my voice small.
Gray’s jaw flexed as he watched the delivery guy pile two boxes on top of each other.
“I’ll figure it out,” I assured him. “Thanks for stepping in tonight.”
The buzz I’d been enjoying was completely gone.
“Don’t drop ’em,” Rumi called as he raced down the stairs. He grabbed the boxes. “More?”
“One more,” the delivery guy confirmed.
“Cool, bring it up on the porch.” He turned and carried the boxes back toward the house.
“I still need to get paid,” the driver called out worriedly.
“Oh, I’ve got it,” I said, pulling the cash out of my pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
I went down into the yard and exchanged payment for the last box of food, adding on a generous tip. When I turned back toward the house, Gray was no longer on the porch.
The rest of the night settled into a blur of fun and comfort, but the leftover anxiety from the encounter with Scott never lessened. I didn’t see Gray again. He must’ve left while we were opening all the food. I wondered if he thought I was an idiot for getting mixed up with someone from work.
Hell, I knew I was an idiot for doing it. It was just a little hard to swallow that the man I’d put on a pedestal as the ideal I compared all other men against knew it too. Twice he’d seen me dealing with stuff I’d rather no one else know about. He was probably counting his lucky stars he’d walked away after we’d hooked up.
The rest of the weekend passed far too quickly for my comfort and when Monday rolled around, I had a hard time getting out of bed. I wished I could just go to sleep and have the entire day over with. Instead, I pushed myself up and headed for the shower. Afterward, I walked back into my room and pulled on a pair of baggy sweats and a hoodie.
I dug through my sock drawer until I found the fuzziest ones I owned, black with a little bee on them with a speech bubble coming out of its mouth like a cigarette that said buzz off. They fit my mood.
Lou had already left for work, and I wandered around the house for a while until it was time to call for a car. It took about ten minutes before they pulled up outside, and I used the time to make sure I had everything I needed in my purse. With a deep breath, I walked outside and locked the door behind me.