Page 6 of Drive Me Wilde

The music shakes the entire house as I step inside. "Landon?" I call. "I need you badly … in every way possible." I drop my keys on the table behind his leather couch and then something catches my eye—something that makes my heart drop clear through to my stomach. Then I hear it, a sound that islight enough I would have missed it if not for the song break. It was a giggle, a flirty giggle.

I lift the pink bra off the arm of the couch. It's dangling from my fingers as Landon steps out of the bedroom wearing only a pair of briefs. I always considered Landon one of the most handsome men I know, but some of that glossiness falls away, and I see the cheating bastard beneath the leading man façade.

His mouth drops as his blue eyes fall on the bra. Some of the color leaves his face.

"I didn't realize you were a double-D cup, and I'm not sure if pink is your color." I hurl the bra across the room just as the owner of the bra, I presume, steps out. The redhead is stark naked and definitely a double-D. She sees me and dashes back into the bedroom like a scared rabbit running for its hole.

"Indi, I can explain." They are the first words out of Landon's mouth, and they're even more idiotic than I expected.

I put up a hand. "Nope, I can explain. You were fucking a redhead, and that is her pink bra and now I'm leaving." I stun myself at how well I'm keeping it together when all I want to do is shatter into a million pieces.

Landon rushes past me and blocks the door. "She's an extra from that stupid disaster flick I was in last year. Sadie was just in town and?—"

I shake my head. "Don't bother to put a name and cute little story to any of it. It still sucks that you were sleeping with someone else, and I don't—I won't forgive you."

"Come on, babe. Don't be like that." Landon reaches for me.

I stumble away from his grasp. "Like what? You mean reasonable? You mean like a person with a shred of dignity cuz I can tell you,babe, after the morning I've had, that shred is barely hanging on. I can't believe I came here to be comforted by those arms. Only they've been around Miss Double-D. Sorry, this is it for us." He's still in front of the door, so I walk to the kitchenfor a much-needed glass of water. I'm taking this better than expected, but I'm sure it's because I've already been through a humongous shock this morning. It'll hit me later—like a belated freight train.

I didn't hear him walk up behind me, and the last thing I expect is for him to have the balls to wrap his arms around me from behind—with his Monday morning special still naked in his room.

I spin around fast in his arms and shove him. I never expected him to shove back, and when he does, I fall to the side and land hard against the edge of the counter. My ribs take the brunt of the hit.

"God, Indi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

I blink my eyes fast to stop the tears. He follows me out of the kitchen and tries to grab my hand.

"Stop touching me!" I scream. The pain in my ribs momentarily takes my breath away. I struggle to retrieve it around the sharp pain in my side. The tears are back with a vengeance.

"I didn't mean to push you. But you pushed first," he says sounding petulant like a kid. Did I ever really love this man, or was it just the shiny veneer of fame and fortune that had me fooled?

With perfect timing, the redhead steps out of the bedroom, shyly playing with a piece of hair. She's pulled on one of Landon's T-shirts. Her pink bra is still clinging to the place it landed, the corner of the television set.

"I hate to interrupt." Her voice is squeaky and small.

"Then don't, Sadie. Please, go back to the bedroom," Landon orders. Now he sounds like a bossy old teacher or uncle. The layers of gloss are peeling away fast.

"Fine," Sadie says. I half-expect her to stomp her foot. "But she should probably know that her car is being towed." She turnson her heels and marches back to the bedroom. It takes me a second to decipher what she said.

"My car," I repeat. "My car! Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Landon doesn't let the fact that he's still clad only in briefs stop him from following me as I slam out the door and race down to the end of the brick-paved driveway where a man with a bouncing belly and long beard is humming a tune as he climbs into the cab of his tow truck. He flashes a mean grin as he peels away from the curb.

"Wait!" I plead. "Wait. My stuff!" I lunge toward the car as it rolls away. I'm in so much pain, I stop to bend over and catch my breath. My duffle bag is sitting in the street. "My purse," I whimper weakly. A good strong case of hiccups joins the tears to torture my bruised ribs even more.

Landon's nosy neighbors have left their houses to see what the commotion is about. A few get some nice, probably valuable, photos of Landon in his underwear. He reaches for the duffle, but I pull it back.

"Were you leaving town without telling me?" He has the gall to look hurt.

I stare hard at him. "I wasn't but I am now." I turn and start walking.

"Wait, Indi. Stay. I'll give you a lift somewhere. Wait for me to get dressed."

I hold up my middle finger as I head toward somewhere, anywhere far away from my toxic boss, my cheating boyfriend and this traffic-choked city.

three

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