Page 4 of Been There Dragon That
Except there wasn’t complete silence.
There were noises. Muffled groans she recognized. And moaning. And flesh slapping against flesh.
It couldn’t…
Could it?
Her heart didn’t know whether to be broken or relieved. A cheating asshole story would solve everything. Except could she handle seeing the betrayal live and in color? Who was he fucking? Did it matter? How long had he been sleeping with her and another?
Nausea welled in the pit of her stomach.
Nope.
She had to hold it together. She could stave off the hurt and brokenness and betrayal and deal with it later in the safety of her parents’ home where Jeff couldn’t get to her.
Rylee took a deep breath, put her hand on his office door, and pressed down the lever handle. The door swung open, and she was met with a view of Jeff, bare-assed and balls-deep in the office secretary.
“What the fuck, Aaron. I told you–” His words trailed off when he saw it wasn’t his assistant. “Fuck. Ry. It’s not what it looks like.” He turned to face her. Full frontal.
She’d never been so disgusted by a penis in her life. Or a man. She didn’t want to see either of them ever again.
“What would you call this?” She waved a hand at his flopping penis and the naked secretary bent over the back of his couch. “It certainly seems like you’re fucking the office secretary to me.”
His face reddened. His gaze blackened, and Rylee had to fight every urge not to take a step backward. That look. How dare he be angry at her. She had done nothing wrong.
But that look. That look carried a threat that made Rylee think of the overheard phone call from the night before, and a coldness like ice crept up her spine.
He grabbed his pants from the floor and yanked them on, tucking his still-erect penis out of sight.
The naked secretary grabbed her clothes and fled out the side door.
“Rylee. She means nothing. I love you. We will be fine. We’re going to be a powerful force together, Rylee. A Harrington and a Florence.”
Hold back the pain.
Hold back the tears.
Channel the anger.
Hate him for this. You would if you hadn’t heard that phone call.
“How dare you? How dare you think thatthisis something I would be okay with? I’m not, and we’re done.”
“The wedding is next week, Ry!”
“Thank-fucking-god!” Rylee yelled. “Better I know you’re a lying cheat now than after we exchanged vows that obviously mean nothing to you. Less paperwork.” Each word brought her wrath closer to the surface, like a bubbling volcano preparing to spew molten lava. “I’m worth more than this. I deserve someone who cares about me. Who wants to truly be with me. We were good together. We could’ve been happy.” Tears burned in her eyes.
No. He didn’t deserve to see her tears.
She sucked back the rising sob and grit her teeth. “Goodbye, Jeff. Enjoy her, and don’t you even dare show your face at my father’s gala tonight. Is that clear?”
“You belong to me, Rylee.” His voice carried anger and sharp derision all in the same breath. He took an aggressive step toward her, and Rylee mirrored his movements, backing out of the office.
She shook her head. “No. I do not.”
He stopped advancing, and the tightness in her chest released slightly.
“Ry. I love you.” This time his tone was soft and smooth like a devil luring a soul into hell with promises of overwhelming pleasure.
