Page 80 of Release Me

“I’ll be there for the media open,” Henry says, smoothly ignoring my gibes. “I hope you know how to golf.”

“Barely.” Mention of golf reminds me of the tour. “Saw your neighbor’s art display.”

Henry’s responding sigh is laced with irritation. “Ruby Parker and whoever lives in that commune have already lost.”

“And the signs? How are you going to deal with those?”

“Me? I’m not. That’s what my director of operations is there to figure out.”

Of course. He and Belinda are in lockstep. I mutter dryly, “No problem.”

A moment of awkward silence hangs and then Henry says abruptly, “All right, then. Abbi wanted me to check in with you.”

“Don’t say that!” Abbi hisses in the background.

“Hey, Red,” I call out, hoping she’ll hear me.

Henry muffles the receiver, his words incoherent but his tone gentler with her.

“Roh-nan!” Connor’s deep voice bellows from the pool below.

“Tell him to shut up!” Henry snaps in my ear. “I have neighbors.”

Wait. “Is thisyourhouse?”

“Of course it is. One of many.” He hisses. “Fuck, Abbi, teeth…”

It dawns on me then exactly what’s going on over in the Wolf household. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’ll touch base next week.”

“You motherfu?—”

The line goes dead as my hand tightens around my phone, the mental image of Abbi on her knees for him instantly swelling my cock. “Fuck.”Well played, you son of a bitch.He wants to remind me what I can’t have.

And now I’m right back to that night in Alaska.

With that memory fresh in my mind, I head for the shower.

I’ve always hated jogging.

Hated it when I was a pimple-faced thirteen-year-old at Creekside High. Double my age and Istilldespise it, but the scenery makes it tolerable.

My heart pounds as I jog along the beach, the morning sun hot against my bare chest, the sand packed beneath my runners. Henry was right—it’s like white sugar.

The shoreline seems endless. I wonder how far I could run before I was forced to divert. One day, I’ll find the answer to that.

But I might collapse before I make it to Wolf because I seriously misjudged the distance and how humid it would be this early in the day. I’m gonna have to call Connor to pick my ass up because there is no way I’ll make it to work on time.

“Fuck me,” I curse, my breathing ragged as I slow to scan the buildings along the boardwalk ahead, until I spot a little white one that I instantly recognize. It’s not anything special from the outside, but the inside has a cozy tropical theme, with teakwood and reed thatching. Best of all though, it smells like freshly brewed coffee.

AnOpensign glows in the window. A quick glance at my watch tells me it’s seven thirty. Would Sloane be there this early? I’ll bet King Kong is. That fucking guy makes Connor look like a runt and gives offstay away from hervibes that I probably shouldn’t ignore. He didn’t seem like her boyfriend though. Who is he to her? Brother? Cousin?

I’msocurious.

And sweaty. Beads roll down my chest and my back. How will Sloane react to my soaked ass strolling into her shop? Plus, if I consume a coffee now, I’m liable to pass out. No … what I need is to cool down first.

I kick off my shoes and peel off my socks, dropping them into a pile along with my empty water bottle. There are people here and there, watching the sun climb into the sky and thewaves roll in, but no one’s in the water yet. With a sigh of satisfaction, I venture out, the refreshing salt water already soothing against my feet.

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