Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 145155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
24
Natasha
“I…fuck, Bridget, I have to go. I will see you tonight.”
“Are you OK? Have you seen it?”
I nod. “Yes, I see it. I will call you later.” I hang up the phone. I angrily swipe the tears from my eyes as I process this new information. How dare he do this to me and who in the hell does he think he is? I try to focus through the tears as I stare at the screen. I don’t believe it. I know I see it in front of my eyes, but I still don’t believe it. Am I that stupid that I didn’t see this coming? I run to my bathroom and dry retch into the toilet. I’m such an idiot. I slide down the wall and sit on the floor and sob. I waited for him last night and he was with another woman. He had sex with someone else. My stomach rolls again. After half an hour I peel myself up and return to my desk. I need to know what happened. My psychologist’s capacity for detachment kicks in and I scroll through the photos one at a time, studying each one and analyzing it. My pen taps double-time on my desk as I think.
He’s smoking as he leaves the club, which indicates to me that he was drunk. However, he looks too together to me to be drunk. I’ve seen him drunk and that is not how he looked, not even close. I enlarge a photo of the girl. She’s fucking ordinary, give me a break. I scroll down to the end and back to the top again. What’s wrong with this picture? I look at the number; there are thirty-two photos in all. I think back to how he has been acting the last few days…like he’s distracted about something, regretful even. I scroll to the top of the page again, so the photos run from when he leaves the club to outside when he kisses her and then, as he puts her into his car. I scroll back to the top…he’s alone. He has a different security guard with him, one I haven’t seen before. I frown, what does that mean? He never goes anywhere without his entourage or group of friends or whatever it is. That in itself is highly irregular. I then go back to the five kissing photos; something is wrong with the body language. I narrow my eyes as I try to pin it down…what is it? I tap my front tooth with my fingernail as I think. He hasn’t had paparazzi follow him at all while he has been in Sydney, so why now? Talk about bad luck…or is it? I sit back on my chair and cross my arms as I think while staring at the screen.
Joshua Stanton, stop fucking with my head. It’s pissing me off. I stand and walk over to my window and I see Max sitting in the park reading the paper. Why is he still here protecting me? Joshua apparently doesn’t care about me, so why should Max? I grab my keys and go down to my car to pretend I’m getting something out of it as a ruse to talk to Max. Maybe he has some answers for me. I walk to my car and Max rushes over.
“Hi, Natasha.” He looks nervous, probably expecting a neurotic nut. An idea suddenly comes into my head and I get into my car pretending I am going to drive off.
“Where are you going, Natasha?” he asks, a little panicked. I smile at him and get back out of the car.
“Crazy,” I reply as I do wide eyes at him.
“Is everything alright?” he asks. He obviously knows what’s going on here. That makes one of us.
“Everything is great, Max, why wouldn’t it be?” I answer too sweetly. He narrows his eyes at me, and I can see his brain ticking as he assesses the situation.
“You can go, Max, I don’t need protecting anymore.”
He smiles at me. “I’ve been assigned to you for three months, Natasha.”
I fake a smile. “I’m pretty sure Joshua’s mind has been changed, so you can ring him now and tell him I will be just fine, and I will not be accepting any protection.” He nods and looks uncomfortable. “Go on, I want you to ring him while I stand here.” He frowns at me. “Go on,” I urge. He tentatively takes out his phone and dials Joshua’s number and he answers on the first ring.
“Hi, it’s me. I’m with Natasha…yes…yes.” His eyes flick to me. “She’s…fine.” Hmm, Joshua just asked how I am. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem so.” And he looks at me again. Joshua has just asked if I have seen the Google alert. He turns his back to me. “No, nothing has been said. Anyway, she said she doesn’t want protection anymore and asked me to ring you and OK it.” He holds the phone out from his ear, and I know Joshua has just screamed at him.