Page 76 of Betting on the Bad Boy
I groped for my jeans on the floor, but she’d already reached the door. She gave a quick wave and pulled it open, stepping out into the stairwell and leaving me alone in the dark, wondering what the fuck just happened.
CHAPTER 38
Faith
My knees wobbledas I climbed back up to the fourteenth floor. I supported myself by writing life-changing sex scenes. I’d just never experienced one myself. Until now. I still tingled and twitched in places I didn’t even know existed.
That man had some serious skills. I leaned up against the door to the study carrel and tried to catch my breath. I’d better get it all down on my laptop before I forgot what happened. I smiled to myself. As if I could ever forget.
Although I was bound and determined that our little fling wasn’t going anywhere, it sure was good for my writing. I could justify it based on the merits of research alone. Plus, it was good cardio. Yeah, I probably just burned at least five hundred calories on that little encounter.
Physically, whatever Dante and I were doing definitely agreed with me. Emotionally, I wasn’t so sure.
I sat down at the desk and started typing. The Dante and Faith on my screen somehow found themselves in an abandoned warehouse and went through a similar encounter to what I’d just experienced one floor down. When I was done capturing it all on the computer, I felt like I’d just relived the whole ordeal.Obviously, I wasn’t going to get much else done. Better to pack it in and head home.
As I shut down my laptop, my phone rang.
“Hey, Jess. How was your break?”
“Freaking awesome. I just got back. My ride fell through from the airport. Come pick me up?”
“Sure. I was just on my way home. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
I slid my laptop into my backpack. Something crunched in the bottom of the bag. Sticking my hand into the pocket, I felt around for the source of the sound. My fingers closed around a large, crumpled-up envelope. I’d forgotten I picked up the mail from my office before I left town. Hopefully, it wasn’t anything important.
I undid the clasp and pulled a single sheet of paper from inside. The intimate details of my Halloween encounter with Dante flowed across the typewritten page.
No! I yanked my computer back out of my bag and paced the tiny room while it booted up again. When the login screen finally appeared, my fingers clicked on the keyboard.
I checked my recent documents. The last time I’d saved the manuscript, it had been on my hard drive. But wait, right there. For some reason, it showed another copy had been saved on a removable drive. I’d never saved a copy there.
Who the hell had access to my computer? I’d tried to put it out of my head, telling myself someone was just messing with me. But now, I couldn’t ignore the fact that someone knew what I was hiding. The only question was, what would it take to get them to keep quiet?
I crumpled up the page and tossed it in my bag. Wouldn’t do any good to obsess over it right now. I needed to get to the airport.
Jess stoodat the curb with two rolling bags behind her. Her breath floated out in clouds as she waited. As I came to a stop, she waved her arms in the air.
“Thanks so much for the ride.” She caught me in a hug as I stepped out of the car.
“You’re welcome. It’s no big deal.” We each grabbed a bag and heaved them into the trunk.
“How come I always forget how cold it is here? I hope you have the heat going.”
We climbed into the car, and I turned the fan to high. “Tell me about your trip. You look fabulous.” Jess had the kind of skin that tanned easily, and after a week of basking on the beach in Jamaica, she was rocking a killer tan.
“His name is Shanti. He plays the steel drums, and he’s got moves like I’ve never seen before.”
“So, you had a good time?” I asked.
“A great time. A mind-blowing time.” Jess flipped down the visor and ran her lip gloss over her smile. “I’m still glowing.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” I was happy for her. Jess was the kind of girl who could have fun wherever she was. She lived in the moment and didn’t spend much time thinking about the future. Wish I could try that for a change.
“Let’s stop for a drink somewhere on the way home.”
“I don’t know, Jess.” I needed to get home and try to figure out what to do about the pages that kept popping up.
“Come on, I haven’t seen you in forever. It’s New Year’s Eve. Classes don’t start until Tuesday.”
