Page 60 of Perfume Girl
“Wasn’t expecting to be here,” I countered.
“I invited her to the market,” Taylor said. “Doing a bit of shopping.”
Astor looked down at Taylor’s bag. “What sort of crap did you end up buying?”
“A photo frame,” she answered, looking sheepish. “Was considering putting your photo in it and then I remembered I see more than enough of your smug face at work.”
He smiled. “So…having fun so far?”
Taylor looked over at the other players. “Just got here.”
“You want me to take you up on that offer?” he asked huskily.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She grinned.
“Come on, then.” Astor smiled at her fondly and gestured for her to follow.
She turned to me. “Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
“I’ll be fine.”
She smirked, giving me a mischievous look.
They ambled off down the green and Astor’s gorgeous horse walked beside him, its hind legs impressively tall as it swaggered along beside him. They both looked magnificent—two thoroughbreds out for a stroll. From the way the other guests followed them with their admiring gazes, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Let’s not make the same mistake twice.
Fuck-boys are a no-no.
Astor got the attention of another player, a handsome man who looked just as striking in his polo get-up. I watched as he introduced Taylor to him. The man was a little older than Astor, though from the way Taylor swooned before him, he was just as charismatic. It was fun to see her enamored, and I had to give credit to Astor for being kind, since this looked prearranged between them. I hoped he wasn’t introducing her to an asshole.
I turned and went back into the tent, making a beeline for the long table decadently displayed with an assortment of food laden on silver trays. My mouth watered at the thought of the chocolate-covered strawberries that I’d glimpsed from a thousand feet away. They were just like the ones I’d not gotten to tuck into on Astor’s boat. No way was I denying myself this time.
I halted abruptly, my heart sinking and my heels snagging on the grass as I sawthemthrough the crowd. I cringed as I watched Damien wrap his arm around Embry. They were both dressed to the nines to fit in with the crowd. It looked like life was treating them well—not kicking the shit out of them like it was me.
My breath stuttered at seeing the man I’d once been intimate with during years of marriage now being affectionate with another woman. A range of emotions swept over me, from disgust to jealousy, and then that deep-seated heartache returned and I feared it would never lift.
Rubbing my chest didn’t help.
I had to get out of here…
Yet all I could do was stand still and watch them as though I deserved this slow torture. They looked at each other like they were the only two people in the world and all they needed was their love.
Don’t punish yourself with the memory of it…
The night I’d learned that everything about my marriage had been a lie. The first clue had been an expensive Burberry handbag on my kitchen counter. Embry’s perfume had hung in the air as though she’d marked her territory…and it was one of my creations that Damien had given her. The realization still hurt, though the pain of that was not as bad as recalling them in bed together.
I set my glass down on a linen draped table and stepped back, hoping not to be seen as I turned to go. I was weaving my way through the crowd when I heard a shrill voice.
“Raquel! What are you doing here?”
Shit.
Embry had recognized me.
I turned and forced a polite smile. “I came for the market,” I called back.
Embry navigated through the crowd toward me, as tall and striking as a model, pulling Damien behind her and drawing the attention of the onlookers.
