Prologue
Beth
Fucking Coop.
I was so pissed off at him. We had arranged drinks for tonight weeks ago, and he just didn’t show up? A short text, half an hour later, explaining that Mia was jealous of our friendship was not fucking good enough. No call. Not even an apology.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Ivan, my manager, just happened to be at the same bar I was? I wouldn’t put it past him to follow me. That was just the kind of creepy, weird thing he’d do.
It wasn’t the first time I had seen him when I was out. I was sure my reputation as a party girl was behind it. Maybe he thought if I got drunk enough, he could be there, waiting . . .
And what do you know, he had been. I’d barely finished reading Coop’s rejection text when there was Ivan, a drink in hand. I’d been too annoyed at Coop to turn down a free drink, even if it meant putting up with Ivan’s company for a bit.
“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing all alone?” He smirked. He pushed the drink along the bar, his stubby fingers tapping on the counter. “You haven’t been stood up, have you, Bethy?”
Ugh. The mocking tone of his voice made me cringe. He eyed me, every inch of me, from my curled blonde hair down to my black stilettos.
“My friend couldn’t make it,” I replied. I kept my voice cool, hoping he’d get the message. He didn’t, and I shuddered as he chuckled to himself.
“Good thing I’m here then, huh?”
No, not really. All I wanted was Coop, but unfortunately he had deserted me. I sighed and downed the rest of my drink, much to the delight of Ivan. He reached for the empty glass. I jumped as his fingers brushed over mine slowly and deliberately. His lips cracked into a smile, revealing his hideous, yellowing teeth, which made my stomach turn.
“I’ll get you another,” he murmured, smacking his lips together as his beady little eyes openly gazed at my chest.
“Sure,” I said dully, my mind still on Coop.
A few drinks later, I’d had enough. Standing up, I reached for my jacket, Ivan’s fingers brushing past my arm.
“Leaving so soon?”
“It’s been a long day,” I muttered.
“I was just leaving too.”
I eyed his near full glass of beer and raised my eyebrows. He chuckled, and stood up.
“Let me give you a lift. I’ve got some papers that need your signature in the car anyway.”
In my gut I knew it was a bad idea, but I was so angry at losing my only real friend that I’d just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. As much as I disliked Ivan, I’d known him for years. I never thought he would actually try anything.
Only, I hadn’t expected him to follow me up to the door, or push his way inside my home. He had waved a handful of papers at me.
“Contracts,” he said in his slight Irish accent, dampened by ten years spent living in the U.S. He grinned as he ran his fingers through his curly, ginger hair. My stomach backflipped as I nodded, trying to mask how uncomfortable his attention was making me.
I stood on the other side of the sofa, as far away from him as possible. My hands twitched nervously behind me as I took in his tall, wiry frame. I don’t know why, but tonight he was creeping me out more than usual. For Ivan, that was a hard task. He was always a first-class weirdo, but tonight, there was something more than just his usual creepiness. The look in his eyes . . . I shuddered, and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up and sent shivers down my spine. My breathing began to shallow. I couldn’t explain it—even when I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel his eyes on my body.
He slowly inched toward me as my instincts kicked in, telling me I needed to get away from him.
“Just leave them on the coffee table and I’ll have a look over them tomorrow.”
“Okay then.” He threw the papers down on the table, his brown eyes not breaking away from mine as he continued to move toward me.
“Uh, so, I’m kind of busy. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for the lift home,” I muttered. I was done trying to be nice. I just wanted him gone. The sooner he left, the sooner I could end what had been a hell of a day with a hot bath, and sleep off the several drinks I’d consumed.
I tugged at the hem of my short, red dress as Ivan’s eyes lingered on my legs before very slowly moving up and over my body. I hated the way he leered at me, as if I was a piece of meat.