told me call girls don’t fall in
love, why now?”
She crosses the kitchen
to me and cups my cheeks in her hands in a rare show of her
maternal side. “Dayton, I’m telling you so you don’t make the same
mistake I did Call girls don’t fall in love…until they do. Don’t
choose power and control over love because, when you lose that
control, you have nothing else left. With love, at least you’ll
always have something.”
“You’re telling me to
leave Monique.” Now it’s my turn to state a fact.
“I’m telling you to do
whatever you need to, to stay true to yourself.” She pats my cheek
softly and steps back, grabbing her purse. “Whatever that might
be.”
I watch as she strolls
from my kitchen, completely dumbfounded by that conversation. Never
did I imagine she felt that way—that she regretted her
lifestyle.
Would that be me? If I
don’t give Aaron everything, will I look back in five years’ time
and regret it?
Is not giving him
everything even an option?
I sink into the stool
she just vacated. My head is spinning. First, my agent tells me to
believe in true love. Then, my cold and cynical aunt tells me to
pick love over the job she so adored.
I feel like I’ve
entered the Twilight zone.
I drop my head to the
table and turn it to the side. And stare right at Aunt Leigh’s
scarf. I reach for my cell on the other side of the island and dial
her number. It rings to voicemail.
“Hey, Aunt Leigh, you
left your scarf—” The rumble of a car outside distracts me. “Oh,
never mind. You’re here.”
I drop the phone, grab
the silk scarf, and walk to the front door to meet her.
But when I open it,
it’s not my aunt.
“What the hell are you
doing here?”
Naomi stands in front
of me, her blond hair pulled back in a bun, and her long, fake
eyelashes fanning out as she blinks at me. “We need to talk.”
She moves forward to
enter the house, but I step in front of her, pulling the door shut
behind me.
“Is that so?”
“Aren’t you going to
invite me in?”
“You’re the ex-wife of
my boyfriend. What do you think?”
Her lips curl into an
evil smile. “It’s really in your best interests to invite me in, Mia. ”
Fuck.
Chapter
Ten
I step back silently,
allowing her to pass through, and follow her into my living room.
She walks around it, her eyes examining every last detail, her
heels snapping against the hardwood floor.
I fold my arms across
my chest and pin her with my stare. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re a hard woman to
find, Dayton Black. Or is it Mia Lopez? I’m not sure if there’s a
difference between the two.”
“Don’t fuck around,
Naomi. Say what you have to say or get the hell out of my
house.”
She pushes her bangs
back from her face and perches on my sofa.
“Please, take a seat.
Make yourself at home.” I wave to her. “Perhaps you’d like to
remove your shoes and have a coffee while you’re here?”
Naomi smirks. And it’s
not a kind one. It’s a malicious twist of her lips that makes my
skin crawl. “Does Aaron know?”
“Does Aaron know what?”
I ask, feigning ignorance.
“That his precious
Dayton is a common whore.”
“Oh, please. Give me
some credit. I’m at least an upper-class whore.”
Her tongue flicks
across her bottom lip. “I’ll guess he does.”
“And this matters
why?”
She sighs and stands
again, resting her hands on her hips. “I’m wondering how
problematic it would be for you if your little…alter ego…was forced
to step from the shadows.”
I straighten. Every
nerve on my body is on high alert at her discreet threat.
Adrenaline is buzzing through my veins, and I hit Naomi with a
sharp stare that would make any other woman shrink back.
“What exactly are you
insinuating?”
“Could you imagine the
repercussions of your identity being revealed?” She runs a
fingertip along my windowsill. “The effect that would have on Aaron
and the business… The CEO of Stone Advertising
love, why now?”
She crosses the kitchen
to me and cups my cheeks in her hands in a rare show of her
maternal side. “Dayton, I’m telling you so you don’t make the same
mistake I did Call girls don’t fall in love…until they do. Don’t
choose power and control over love because, when you lose that
control, you have nothing else left. With love, at least you’ll
always have something.”
“You’re telling me to
leave Monique.” Now it’s my turn to state a fact.
“I’m telling you to do
whatever you need to, to stay true to yourself.” She pats my cheek
softly and steps back, grabbing her purse. “Whatever that might
be.”
I watch as she strolls
from my kitchen, completely dumbfounded by that conversation. Never
did I imagine she felt that way—that she regretted her
lifestyle.
Would that be me? If I
don’t give Aaron everything, will I look back in five years’ time
and regret it?
Is not giving him
everything even an option?
I sink into the stool
she just vacated. My head is spinning. First, my agent tells me to
believe in true love. Then, my cold and cynical aunt tells me to
pick love over the job she so adored.
I feel like I’ve
entered the Twilight zone.
I drop my head to the
table and turn it to the side. And stare right at Aunt Leigh’s
scarf. I reach for my cell on the other side of the island and dial
her number. It rings to voicemail.
“Hey, Aunt Leigh, you
left your scarf—” The rumble of a car outside distracts me. “Oh,
never mind. You’re here.”
I drop the phone, grab
the silk scarf, and walk to the front door to meet her.
But when I open it,
it’s not my aunt.
“What the hell are you
doing here?”
Naomi stands in front
of me, her blond hair pulled back in a bun, and her long, fake
eyelashes fanning out as she blinks at me. “We need to talk.”
She moves forward to
enter the house, but I step in front of her, pulling the door shut
behind me.
“Is that so?”
“Aren’t you going to
invite me in?”
“You’re the ex-wife of
my boyfriend. What do you think?”
Her lips curl into an
evil smile. “It’s really in your best interests to invite me in, Mia. ”
Fuck.
Chapter
Ten
I step back silently,
allowing her to pass through, and follow her into my living room.
She walks around it, her eyes examining every last detail, her
heels snapping against the hardwood floor.
I fold my arms across
my chest and pin her with my stare. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re a hard woman to
find, Dayton Black. Or is it Mia Lopez? I’m not sure if there’s a
difference between the two.”
“Don’t fuck around,
Naomi. Say what you have to say or get the hell out of my
house.”
She pushes her bangs
back from her face and perches on my sofa.
“Please, take a seat.
Make yourself at home.” I wave to her. “Perhaps you’d like to
remove your shoes and have a coffee while you’re here?”
Naomi smirks. And it’s
not a kind one. It’s a malicious twist of her lips that makes my
skin crawl. “Does Aaron know?”
“Does Aaron know what?”
I ask, feigning ignorance.
“That his precious
Dayton is a common whore.”
“Oh, please. Give me
some credit. I’m at least an upper-class whore.”
Her tongue flicks
across her bottom lip. “I’ll guess he does.”
“And this matters
why?”
She sighs and stands
again, resting her hands on her hips. “I’m wondering how
problematic it would be for you if your little…alter ego…was forced
to step from the shadows.”
I straighten. Every
nerve on my body is on high alert at her discreet threat.
Adrenaline is buzzing through my veins, and I hit Naomi with a
sharp stare that would make any other woman shrink back.
“What exactly are you
insinuating?”
“Could you imagine the
repercussions of your identity being revealed?” She runs a
fingertip along my windowsill. “The effect that would have on Aaron
and the business… The CEO of Stone Advertising
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