Page 25 of Not-So Real Breakup

She was dressed like Samantha.The woman is completely delusional.

“Cheryl,” I greeted her with a warm smile. “Thank you so much for giving me a second chance.”

“Of course, James,” she purred as she lowered herself into a chair. Cheryl wasn’t a big woman, but she didn’t have the slim, athletic build that made an outfit like that look good. Everything was just a little too snug, and when she sat, I worried that she was going to bust a seam and I’d have to bleach my eyes.

“I guess I was just blinded by my feelings for that woman.”

Cheryl’s red lips curled into a sympathetic smile. “We all make mistakes, James.”

I adopted a sad, puppy dog expression to cover up my cringe because I fucking hated the way she said my name.

“I’m here now. We’ll work all of this out together.”

Nodding, I stared at my desk and hunched my shoulders, knowing the position would make me look as if I were ashamed. “I’m worried, though,” I said quietly. “I think she’s stalking me.”

“Oh?”

“And…I-I think she may have figured out I have feelings for someone else.”

“Ohhhh.”

I glanced up, and Cheryl was staring at me with the expression of a starving cat that’d just been given a bowl of cream.

“I just wish she was out of my life so I could move on with…” I dropped my head again, hoping she interpreted the action as hiding a blush. If she bought this shit, then I’d missed my calling in Hollywood. Inspiration struck, and I added, “She even showed up at my house today.”

Cheryl struggled to stand, nearly falling over once she was on her feet, then wobbled over to my desk. Obviously, she wasn’t used to wearing shoes like that, and it only reminded me how fucking gorgeous and elegant Samantha was when she walked in her fuck-me heels.

I resisted the urge to move away when Cheryl sat on the corner of my desk and placed her hand on mine. “If you can’t move on unless she’s out of the way, I’ll take care of her,” she crooned as if she was saying something sexy rather than offering to get rid of the woman I loved.

I didn’t look up for fear that she’d see the disgust in my eyes. “How?”

Cheryl scooted closer, and her cloying perfume nearly choked me. “Easy. I’ll just cut the brakes to her car. But first, let me show you how good we are together. Fuck me, James.”

She started to lunge for me, but no way in hell was I going to let her get that close. I gagged as I shoved my chair back and jumped to my feet, and she ended up falling onto the floor instead of my lap. “Get out!” I roared. “Don’t come near Samantha or me ever again, or I swear on my life, I will end you.”

Cheryl stared up at me, stunned at first, then her expression clouded with rage, and she kicked off her shoes so she could scramble to her feet.

I had no damn clue how she’d managed to hide a gun in her skintight getup, but the next thing I knew, I was staring down the barrel of one. “If I can’t have you, no one can,” she snarled as her finger curled around the trigger.

Donovan came running into the room the second Cheryl had whipped out the pistol, but she fired wildly before he could take her down. I heard the bullet whizz past me and dropped to the ground to avoid being hit by a stray.

“I’ll kill you!” Cheryl screamed as Donovan wrestled the gun away from her. “I’ll kill you and that bitch Samantha!”

Finally, Donovan subdued the insane woman while Phin secured the gun.

She continued to scream obscenities and threats as they dragged her out of the office.

I snatched my phone from the desk and called Tucker. “Did you get it?”

“Every minute,” he confirmed.

There were already security cameras in my office, but I didn’t want to wear a wire, and video was more convincing, so we installed enough to catch every nook and cranny of the office.

“You better not be hurt!” I heard Samantha shout in the background, and I barked out a laugh.

“It should be enough to make a few charges stick,” Tucker continued. “But if we run into a snag, Dad dug up some information on her. Her name is actually Michelle Novanik. She’s been in and out of trouble since she was fourteen. He found enough shit that combined with these tapes, she’ll be out of your hair for good.”

Relief trickled through me, and I asked to speak to Samantha.

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