Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 44(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 44(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Maybe she’d just get a cat.
Her phone rang. It was Stella. She almost didn’t answer but needed to face what had happened. A distraction from her thoughts was also welcome.
“Where have you been? I’ve left like a million messages.”
She wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. “I slept with Robert Black.” She took a breath. “It was a mistake. Big mistake. But it’s over and I’m putting it behind me.”
“Hold on. What?”
“It was good, the sex I mean, but whatever.”
“How did this happen?” Stella asked.
Karlee wasn’t a party girl and certainly didn’t sleep around—ever. Her friend would be understandably in a state of shock.
“He was really good at what he does.”
“And that is?”
Karlee exhaled in exasperation. “A player. He’s a player, Stella. The guy’s a billionaire, gorgeous as hell, and hung like a fucking horse. He could legit have a new woman every night, so I knew what I was getting into.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. “I’m not convinced.”
“Of what? That it happened? I can hardly walk, does that count?” Karlee said.
“You’re not broken by this? You believed his lies, didn’t you?”
Tears built up in her eyes and a frog burned in her throat. Yes, she’d been struck by the not-so-fictional love at first sight. She would have given anything for Robert to reciprocate her feelings, but luck had never been on her side when it came to relationships.
“No, I’m fine,” she lied.
“Do you want me to come over?”
She shook her head, holding herself together by a thread. “No, silly. I’m just watching some Netflix. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Once she hung up the phone, she cried aloud, all her disappointment coming out in a wave of sadness that took her by surprise.
The fact she was incapable of trusting men was either a saving grace or her downfall, but there was nothing she could do about it. This entire Robert Black fiasco had tilted her world off its axis. It made her crave something she had no right to. She was a realist more than she was a dreamer, life had done that to her, so she’d push on and dismiss the fairytales that forever seemed out of reach.
Chapter Six
One Month Later
Karlee had just finished putting out her sidewalk floral displays when the small bells clanged against the glass door. It was unusual to get customers this early. She turned around to find a tall man in an expensive business suit, his face obscured by the largest bouquet of roses she’d ever seen. At first she thought it was a regular delivery, but she hadn’t ordered anything for today and the flowers were artfully arranged with baby’s breath and accent flowers.
“Hello?”
The bouquet lowered, revealing the one man she’d tried to forget over the past month. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she looked into those familiar blue eyes again.
“It’s good to see you,” he said, his voice sober.
She whirled around, pretending to be busy tidying up the counter. She didn’t want him to see the war of emotion playing on her face. She was close to crumbling. Forcing herself to be strong this past month, failing to forget him, and now seeing him again in the flesh was too much. Way too much. “What are you doing here?” Did he require more floral services with mandatory bonus sex? There was no way she could put her heart through that again, even if the subtle scent of his cologne had already unraveled her.
“I had to see you, Karlee.” He handed her the roses as soon as she turned around.
“And you brought me flowers?” She lifted an eyebrow. “I own a flower shop, you know?”
“Yeah. I guess I didn’t think that one through too well.” He chuckled, and she couldn’t help but smile back.
He tried to reach out and touch her face, but she stepped back before he made contact. He was toying with her, using her emotions against her again.
“Don’t. Please, just don’t.”
“Why? Why’d you run out on me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
Karlee exhaled in defeat and began placing her new arrangement into an oversized vase, her back to him. “It wasn’t you,” she said. “I just had my expectations set too high. It seems to be a fault of mine. I’m over it, though.”
“Can you tell me how I failed to meet your expectations?” He spun her around and secured her by each arm so she couldn’t twist away again. It was odd having Robert Black in her little flower shop. He was larger than life, all male. It felt like two worlds were colliding—the reality and the fantasy. Part of her was convinced she was still dreaming, about to wake up to the alarm clock at any minute. But he was really here, and she wasn’t sure what to do or feel.
“You didn’t, okay. Look, I’m not the kind of girl to jump into bed with every man who asks. You can’t just show up here for a redo whenever you feel like it. What we did meant something to me. Honestly, I’m still not over it.”