Page 48 of Her Double Desire

Epilogue

Veronica

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“I'm so glad you madeit!” Sonya squeals as she throws her arms around my neck. “How long has it been, two months?”

Laughing lightly, I hug her back. “It's been forever. Sorry, it's like a three hour drive to get to the city.”

She holds me at a distance, scanning my neck in open wonder. “That tattoo... it's something else, huh?”

I set my fingertips on it. I don't have to look to know what she's reading.Property of Her Heart.“Yeah. It really is.”

“Well, introduce me,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. I move aside to reveal Jared and Shawn. I'm grateful they came—I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to attend to Sonya's office party alone.

As it is, I keep looking around nervously for Tim, my old boss.

Sonya clears her throat obnoxiously. Grinning, I wave at the two handsome men. “This is Jared, and this is Shawn.”

She looks them up and down, then does it again while I roll my eyes. “The pleasure is all mine, boys.” Clapping her hands, she points at a table covered in drinks. “Help yourselves!” She motions at them until they get the hint and leave me alone with her. “Geez,” she whispers, elbowing me. “Fuckinghotties.”

I cover my face. “Don't hit on my boyfriends, please.”

“I'll try my best, you greedy little animal.” Clicking her tongue, she pulls me towards a wall. “This place has been a bummer. I'm thinking of leaving, like you did, but I'm waiting for the right opportunity.”

“Oh, well, that's great!”

“Hopefully, yeah. I—oh, hang on a second, that's Samuel, a guy I'm trying to have put a good word in for me at a Publishing house. Sam, hey!” Sonya flags the guy down as she hurries over to meet him.

Hovering by the wall, I fold my arms behind my back. It's super weird to be back in this building. It's only been two months since the fateful night I wandered into Brander's Alley Ink, but it feels like a decade has passed.

“Veronica?”

My heart sinks as I go face to face with Tim. My former boss is wearing a blue and yellow striped button down that bulges over his belly. He's also got the same sparse mustache I'm sure he's been trying to grow out since he was ten years old.

“Mr. Buchan—I uh, I mean, Tim. Hey, how are you?”

He narrows in on my neck tattoo and sticks there. “I didn't know you were into that kind of thing.”

“What thing?”

He shifts on his heels, looking uncomfortable. “I mean, you know. To each their own. In the end, you quit, but you weren't a great fit for the Mickame Insurance family, anyway.”

Indignation flows up my body. “Excuse me?”

He takes a sip from the red solo cup he's holding. I don't like how his uneasy frown morphs into a creepy smile. “Though, hey, if I'd known you were so kinky, I would have fired you sooner.” His belly swings closer to me; I back up, but there's no where to go with the wall behind me. “We could've had alotof fun, Veronica. I mean, I already had the boss thing going for me, you just had to beg me to meet you in the employee bathroom and... well...”

“Back off,” I snap.

His eyebrows arch as high as possible. “What?”

“I said back off, Tim. You're acting like a real piece of shit right now.”

His mouth crumbles, and I think I hurt his feelings. But then something monstrous crosses his face. He shoves himself against me, speaking low, hot, next to my ear. Some of his drinks spills on my shirt. “You think you got one over on me when you quit before I fired you, huh? You didn't. You'll always be a sad little girl who ran away from her problems. And you—”

He never finishes his thought; he can't when Jared rips him off of me, sending him flying on his back across the floor. “Get away from her,” he snarls.

Shawn fills my vision, his eyes worried, searching mine. “Veronica, are you alright?”

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