“It just goes on to tell you where to buy the tickets,” Nick commented.
Scout was going to be sick. That son of a bitch!
You asked for this!
Her mind took offense to the bitter swirl of jealousy souring her stomach and burning her heart.
She’d pushed him away, made him leave and he’d done exactly what any man would do. What made
her so special to assume she deserved more?
Love.
She loved him and he was supposed to love her, but he was moving on. Outrage had her trembling.
What if she’d truly pushed him away for good? The idea of a life without Lucian was too empty to
contemplate. She realized that in the back of her mind she’d always assumed they’d get past this. But
how?
She was going crazy. One minute she hated him. One minute she wanted him. The only constant
emotion that wouldn’t go away was the fact she still loved him. She searched her mind for some stable
thought, but her head was a mess.
“Hey, you okay? You don’t look so good.”
She shook her head, afraid if she spoke she’d puke. Snatching the tabloid, she marched it back to the
rack and stuck it with the other rags. Her stiff body slipped back into the space behind her register and she tapped her foot.
He’d betrayed her. She deserved time to cope with her emotions, figure a way to make sense of
them. The urgency now suffocating her only complicated matters more. Would she ever think clearly
again? Apparently the answer was no, because she was about to do something incredibly stupid.
“Uh, Ev? You gonna be okay?”
Her gaze snapped to Nick. “You’re single, right?”
“Last I checked.”
“What are you doing this Saturday?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“Will you go with me to that function?”
His eyes bulged. “It’s five hundred a plate, Ev!”
“I’ll pay for everything. I’ll even rent you a tux if you don’t have one.”
“Where the hell are you gonna get that kind of money?”
She laughed dryly. “Mr. Lucian Patras himself will sponsor our date.”
He hesitated, seeming reluctant to agree. “What’s your relationship to that guy? Isn’t he a lot older
than you?”
“He’s not that much older and I just . . . know him, okay? Will you go? There will be good food and
probably an open bar.”
“I guess, but I’m not sure if we’ll fit in. People like us don’t mix with people like Nicole
Nottingham and Lucian Patras.”
“Ugh. That woman is a skank!”
Nick held up his palms. “Okay. She’s a skank.”
“Sorry. I’m just . . .” What was she? What was she doing even thinking about going to that
function? She didn’t even know what a Rose Bowl was.
She sighed. This was probably a really bad idea, but after she last saw Lucian, she’d been softening.
This was good. This showed her exactly why she couldn’t trust him.
A war of indignation and jealousy battled inside of her. There was a point to be made, but she
couldn’t predict which point it would be—that she still wanted him or that he didn’t deserve her. Hurt
and anger were both unwelcome, but seemed all she had in that moment.
He could take his new phone and sweet words and tell them to someone else. She was going to catch
him right in the act with that blond trollop and then what excuses would he have?
Slut!
***
Scout sighed as she glanced in the mirror. Her stupid plan had cost her almost fifteen hundred
dollars. Why had she ever agreed to do this?
She’d blown her hair out and left it wild, giving her that freshly fucked look. Her eyes were lined
with kohl, making the crystal blue of her irises pop dramatically. She wasn’t good at makeup, but
refused to visit Patras to ask the girls at the salon for help. She wanted to catch Lucian completely off guard, and someone might’ve seen her if she went to the hotel.
Her dress was a find. It was nothing like the gowns Lucian had bought her. This was made of slinky
black material that fit her hips like a second skin and only reached the middle of her thighs. The top of the dress was loose, hanging in a gathered halter that covered her breasts and drooped almost to her
navel. A thin rhinestone chain linked the material at her cleavage. She wore nothing underneath, as
even the tiniest G-string would show, and the back of the dress was completely bare to her hips.
Her shoes cost three times as much as the dress. They were strappy black satin with a rhinestone
buckle at the ankle. She wished she had a full-length mirror to see if she looked as much like a horse’s ass as she felt, but she didn’t. She’d just have to wait and see Nick’s reaction when he came to pick
her up.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Scout grabbed the little purse thingie the girl at the shoe store suggested she buy, and wedged her phone and keys inside. She’d already stuffed it with enough