Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Was there something besides booze in my drink?
No. That can’t be.
I’m smarter than that.
I saw Kin make the drink. He didn’t put anything weird in it.
But Wick said to make it “Blackwood style.”
Was I not focused enough? Did I let my guard down?
Maybe the gin they make in house is stronger than the stuff you get at a liquor store. It certainly wasn’t cheap. I was all too happy to let Wick pay for it.
I shake the thought from my head. If Wick wanted to force himself on me, he would have. I turned him down and then stayed in his bed. The door was locked, but he could have easily gotten inside. It was a cheap doorknob lock, the kind you undo with a pin.
He wasn’t thrilled when I rejected him, but he didn’t force himself on me either. So he’s at least halfway decent. And decent guys don’t drug girls.
I just placed myself in a vulnerable situation. That’s all.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll never see Wick Blackwood or the Jade Sanctum again.
Except…
Aus.
I’d like to see him again.
But there’s no way I can step foot inside his club after what I did last night. It would be too awkward if Wick were there. Which he would be. He’s a full-time bartender.
Fuck it all.
Plenty of fish in the sea. That’s what my mother might tell me if she weren’t in the ground.
All I need now is to get home and take a long steamy shower. Wash the entirety of the Jade Sanctum off me, including Wick’s smelly—
“Thea!”
I stop in my tracks. So close.
Micaela Fields, the head anchorwoman for O2 news, is right behind me.
Micaela is the fakest woman I’ve ever met, and I work in television. She’ll greet you with a smile and then tell your darkest secrets—or straight-up lies—to a complete stranger. She makes triple my salary and is always bragging about her first-class trips to Europe or her new car. She’s dangling a new Rolex or Cartier off her wrist every month. And of course she has the perfect family. The well-to-do real estate mogul of a husband, Michael—yes, Michael and Micaela, like their whole life was written to be a Sunday comic strip—and two sweet little twin daughters, Misty and Misha. Thank God she had her tubes tied after two kids. She was running out of M names.
I paste on a smile and turn around. “Yes, Micaela?”
Micaela is wearing a khaki skirt and a crimson blazer with gigantic shoulder pads. Her lips—which she’s definitely had done a few times since I met her—are pouty, and her makeup is so perfect she looks almost ethereal.
She narrows her eyes. “Darling, I just wanted to confirm we’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight?” I ask.
I don’t work the evening news. I’ve never worked the evening news. Was I supposed to sub for someone? Have I fucked up even more than I initially thought?
Micaela offers a sugary smile. “The gala, sweetie? Remember?”
Oh, shit. Right. O2 News is a sponsor for several non-profits in the area, and I have to attend four or five events each year. They always buy a table and fill it with their most famous faces, which now includes mine.
I blink several times. “Right. What’s the cause again?”
Micaela purses her lips. “You don’t remember? LTB International. They’re an animal preservation group. O2 News has always been one of their staunchest supporters.”
“Of course. I’ll be there.” I turn toward the door.
“Honey?”
I draw in a slow breath and turn to face Micaela once more. “Yes?”
She smirks. “I need to know if you’ll need a plus-one for the evening. I of course will be bringing Michael. He’s been so busy with work and it was hell to move his schedule around, but he did it for me.” She flutters her eyelids. “Of course, it was an absolute chore to find a sitter for the girls. Their calendars are so full between music lessons and athletics—you know Misty made varsity—that I had to find someone who could drive, and of course after that I had to run a background check…”
Why does Micaela think I give a fraction of a flying fuck about this?
Ah, of course. Micaela believes she is the Queen of the Universe. All of us paupers are dying to hear the minute details of her daily life.
“…but of course it’s all worth it for a good cause. And LTB is one and away the greatest animal advocacy group in existence. They’re the reason why the white rhino is coming back, you know.”
Yes, thank God. Then we’d only have regular-colored rhinos.
Actually, I’m thrilled about this cause. I love animals, and this charity is worthwhile. I just wish Micaela would shut her mouth.
“I’ll be coming to the event alone,” I say.
Micaela frowns. “Couldn’t scare up a date?”
I suppress an eye roll. “Scare would be the operative word there, Micaela.”