Bonbons and Betrayal: Book 3 in The Chocolate Cafe Series by Valley Sams
Book: Bonbons and Betrayal: Book 3 in The Chocolate Cafe Series by Valley Sams
Read Free Book Online
Authors: Valley Sams
Tags: Fiction
Ads: Link
PROLOGUE
How strange , she thought, one can actually feel the heart break.
He stood in front of her, half out of the bedroom door and half in. Later it would occur to her that this was the perfect position for him, that it had been the perfect position for him from the very beginning.
There was nothing in his eyes. No remorse. No guilt. There was nothing behind them that indicated that he felt anything remotely human. They were as dry as hers were wet. How embarrassing.
She wanted to scream at him. To beg him not to go. She wanted to unwind herself from the tangle of sheets she was practically restrained in and throw herself at his feet. She would kiss his perfectly shined brogues if someone told her it would make a difference.
It wouldn’t though. She was ridiculously in love with him but she wasn’t stupid. Somewhere deep inside of her was a shard of pride that, despite her pain and shock, was pushing itself up like a splinter to the surface.
“I suppose you’ll think badly of me from now on.” He smiled a smile as dry as those eyes were. “Try to keep it out of social media though. I mean,” The smile broadened in what was a despicable play at charm.
Wait…maybe she didn’t love him after all. Maybe she hated him even more. Maybe that hatred had been growing alongside of her love for the last six months, winding around it like ivy hungry for a good strangulation.
“We do have to work together.”
Deena’s heart constricted again. Yes, they did have to work together. He had made sure of that. As soon as she had put in a ‘good word’ for him with the faculty director, he had been offered a professorship. Based on her enthusiasm alone, he was given a position that over fifty significantly more qualified people had been fighting over for months.
“How long has it been?” Deena asked, gripping the sheet up around her neck. She could see her reflection in the mirror across the hotel room. She looked old and heavy. She didn’t look like anyone someone would cry over. She looked, to be honest, like the kind of rich, successful woman that younger men take advantage of to get what they wanted.
“How long has it been since what?” He asked, adjusting the cuff links she had bought him.
“Since you were awarded the position, Paul.” Paul sighed and rolled his eyes. He shifted his weight impatiently to the one foot that was out of the bedroom and into the rest of the suite.
The one foot that was leading him out of their relationship and into his new, lucrative, blissfully secure life.
“Really, Deena? You know how long it’s been.”
Deena felt her lips begin to tremble. She had to keep it together. It was bad enough she had been made a fool of; she didn’t want to be reduced to an overweight puddle of emotion.
Trapped in a cocoon of over-washed hotel sheets, she straightened her shoulders.
“I want to hear it from you.” She said. Her voice low to keep it from trembling.
He sighed again.
“Three weeks. It’s been three weeks.”
“Three weeks since I pulled some very important strings to get you your position at the university and then you leave me.”
His eyes seemed to grow even colder, if that was possible.
“I wasn’t aware that there was an appropriate waiting time between getting what I wanted and discarding what I didn’t. “
Deena gasped as if he had hit her. It was useless trying to stop it now. Her pain burst through her last attempts at composure and tears began to stream down her face. Big, ugly tears that hitched out of her chest like seizures.
“Don’t…” She said, scrambling to her knees on the mattress as he turned to leave. “Don’t go, please… please.” Was that her own voice? The one that had done multiple TED talks, the same voice that spoke on numerous podcasts and television programs. She sounded so old and so very tired.
“Oh Deena.” He
How strange , she thought, one can actually feel the heart break.
He stood in front of her, half out of the bedroom door and half in. Later it would occur to her that this was the perfect position for him, that it had been the perfect position for him from the very beginning.
There was nothing in his eyes. No remorse. No guilt. There was nothing behind them that indicated that he felt anything remotely human. They were as dry as hers were wet. How embarrassing.
She wanted to scream at him. To beg him not to go. She wanted to unwind herself from the tangle of sheets she was practically restrained in and throw herself at his feet. She would kiss his perfectly shined brogues if someone told her it would make a difference.
It wouldn’t though. She was ridiculously in love with him but she wasn’t stupid. Somewhere deep inside of her was a shard of pride that, despite her pain and shock, was pushing itself up like a splinter to the surface.
“I suppose you’ll think badly of me from now on.” He smiled a smile as dry as those eyes were. “Try to keep it out of social media though. I mean,” The smile broadened in what was a despicable play at charm.
Wait…maybe she didn’t love him after all. Maybe she hated him even more. Maybe that hatred had been growing alongside of her love for the last six months, winding around it like ivy hungry for a good strangulation.
“We do have to work together.”
Deena’s heart constricted again. Yes, they did have to work together. He had made sure of that. As soon as she had put in a ‘good word’ for him with the faculty director, he had been offered a professorship. Based on her enthusiasm alone, he was given a position that over fifty significantly more qualified people had been fighting over for months.
“How long has it been?” Deena asked, gripping the sheet up around her neck. She could see her reflection in the mirror across the hotel room. She looked old and heavy. She didn’t look like anyone someone would cry over. She looked, to be honest, like the kind of rich, successful woman that younger men take advantage of to get what they wanted.
“How long has it been since what?” He asked, adjusting the cuff links she had bought him.
“Since you were awarded the position, Paul.” Paul sighed and rolled his eyes. He shifted his weight impatiently to the one foot that was out of the bedroom and into the rest of the suite.
The one foot that was leading him out of their relationship and into his new, lucrative, blissfully secure life.
“Really, Deena? You know how long it’s been.”
Deena felt her lips begin to tremble. She had to keep it together. It was bad enough she had been made a fool of; she didn’t want to be reduced to an overweight puddle of emotion.
Trapped in a cocoon of over-washed hotel sheets, she straightened her shoulders.
“I want to hear it from you.” She said. Her voice low to keep it from trembling.
He sighed again.
“Three weeks. It’s been three weeks.”
“Three weeks since I pulled some very important strings to get you your position at the university and then you leave me.”
His eyes seemed to grow even colder, if that was possible.
“I wasn’t aware that there was an appropriate waiting time between getting what I wanted and discarding what I didn’t. “
Deena gasped as if he had hit her. It was useless trying to stop it now. Her pain burst through her last attempts at composure and tears began to stream down her face. Big, ugly tears that hitched out of her chest like seizures.
“Don’t…” She said, scrambling to her knees on the mattress as he turned to leave. “Don’t go, please… please.” Was that her own voice? The one that had done multiple TED talks, the same voice that spoke on numerous podcasts and television programs. She sounded so old and so very tired.
“Oh Deena.” He
Similar Books
