Page 64 of Alex

I shouldn’t have come here.Or in the office,my mind adds. I should have insisted I stay at the hotel and relax. This is my vacation, too.

If I wanted to feel like an outcast, I could have stayed home. I shouldn’t be feeling like this.

The mystery man kisses Bianca with the same intensity that Alex kissed me. She giggles as the stranger squeezes her ass, pulling her body up against his.

He’s attractive in an arrogant douchebag kind of way.

His hair is cut short on the sides and a little shaggy on top. He’s either freshly shaved, or he can’t grow a mustache and beard. It helps give him a youthful look, but doesn’t help him look less dangerous.

His black piercing eyes cut through me as he gives me a once over. His gaze lingers longer than necessary, making me feel uncomfortable.

I step to hide behind Alex, but the mystery man speaks, causing me to stop in my tracks.

“Who’s the hottie?”

Alex growls and steps toward him. Bianca laughs at his statement. “I’m right here.”

The mystery man’s gaze stays locked on mine. “I meant Alex’s date.”

Bianca pulls away from her boyfriend. “Are you fucking serious right now? How dare you insult me like that?”

The man tears his gaze away from mine, takes astep toward Bianca, and whispers something in her ear.

Her face pales for a millisecond before her expression turns deadly toward me. If looks could kill, I’d be ashes on the ground.

When the man turns back to face me, Alex moves closer to me. I loop my arm in his and push my body against his side. His muscles tense, like he’s preparing for war.

I whisper so only Alex can hear me. “Alex, what the hell is going on? Who is that, and why do you hate him?”

Alex shakes his head ever so slightly.

The man clears his throat. “So, where were we?”

He glances around at the three of us before meeting my gaze and saying, “I’m Adam. Who are you?”

Bianca rolls her eyes. “That’s-”

Adam cuts her off. “I was asking her, not you.”

Bianca shuts her mouth so hard I think I hear a tooth crack. Adam gives me a friendly smile. If Alex didn’t clench his fist beside me, I would honestly think Adam was really being friendly.

“Umm, I’m Elise.”

Adam steps toward me. “Well, Elise, it’s nice to meet you. Why don’t the four of us go somewhere quieter and all get to know one another?”

The look he shoots over my head to Alex is nothing short of menacing, with a hidden agenda.

Alex shakes his head. “The fuck you will. Don’tyou think you’ve taken enough from me? I won’t let you take her, too.”

Adam leans his head back and laughs.

“First off, I haven’t destroyed you nearly as much as I plan to. I plan to stop your dad’s newest acquisition and make it mine. Second, I have no plans to take Elise from you, despite how good she’d look on my arm. I’ll let her come on her own.”

Bianca and Alex turn their angry expressions to me as if I was the one who said all of that.

I want to run away. To forget tonight ever happened. To forget about Bianca and Alex’s past. To forget about Adam and all the questions swarming around my head.

I want the truth, but at what cost?

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