Beautiful Liar (The Reed Rivers Trilogy 2)

“Did you actually walk in on them in the garage?”

“No, I saw them as they were coming out. Her lipstick was smudged. Her hair all messed up. She was a hot mess, and he looked like a dog who’d just shit the bed.”

“What did they say when you saw them?”

“Well, Isabel ran off to find her fiancé. I’m sure she was freaking out I might tell him what I saw. And then I dragged Reed into the garage and read him the Riot Act. Which is when he swore he only kissed her and it ‘meant nothing.’” I pause. “And then I went ‘Left Eye’ Lopes on his ass.”

Alessandra’s jaw drops. “You burned down his garage?”

“You know ‘Left Eye’ Lopes?”

“TLC. Georgie, what did you do?”

I smile. “I totaled his Ferrari with a golf club.”

She gasps. “The yellow one that just got back from the shop?”

“That’s the one. I’m thinking maybe Reed should take it back to the shop. Although I don’t think they’ll be able to fix it this time.”

“You seriously totaled it? Or you just gave it a couple dents?”

“I smashed the crap out of it. I literally broke a sweat, I was swinging that damned club so hard and so many times.”

She laughs. “Holy shit. And what did Reed do while you were murdering his Ferrari?”

“Nothing at all. He just stood there watching me, not saying a word.”

“Not a word? Not even ‘no!’?”

I shake my head. “Nope. He didn’t tell me to stop. He stood there with his arms crossed, silently watching me.”

“Now that’s a guy with money to burn.”

“No, that’s a guilty man. He didn’t say anything because he knew he deserved every swing of that club. Because he knew he was lucky I wasn’t swinging the club at his head. Or his Bugatti.” I look out the car window at the passing cars on the freeway. “His non-reaction reaction was an admission of his guilt, Alessandra. I mean, what man, I don’t care how rich he is, lets a woman total his Ferrari over a freaking kiss?”

“Good point.” She winces. “On the flipside, though. If he did only kiss Isabel—not that I’m okay with that at all—but, if he did only kiss her, then, holy fuck, Georgina, you totaled a Ferrari over a freaking kiss. If that’s not going ‘Left Eye’ Lopes on a guy, then I don’t know what is.”

She giggles, but I stare at a car passing us in the adjacent lane.

There’s more to this story, of course. Namely, that Reed is the one who paid my salary. And, quite possibly, pulled strings behind the scenes to get me this job, in the first place. What strings, exactly? I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that Reed wanted to fuck me, and he arranged things to make that possible, unbeknownst to me. Was it unbeknownst to CeeCee, as well? Again, I’m not entirely sure. The only thing I’m sure about is Reed wanted me, so he paid whatever price, and pulled whatever strings, to get me. And once he got me, he got bored of the game, as he warned me he always does, and moved on.

But I have no desire to tell Alessandra the truth about any of that. It’s far too mortifying to say out loud. Even more so than the idea of Reed having sex with Isabel in that garage.

Is the fact that Reed cheated on me painful? Yes. Embarrassing, too. But it’s a betrayal I can wrap my head around, thanks to Shawn. But admitting I was some sort of purchase to Reed, every bit as much as his Ferrari or Bugatti? Admitting I might not have earned my dream job, like I thought, but, instead, got hired because Reed wanted to sleep with me... and, also, that, maybe, CeeCee was perfectly willing to go along with that plan? Well, shit, all of that is downright soul-crushing.

Alessandra sighs and grabs my hand. “I’m so sorry, Georgie. I know you really liked him.”

No, I loved him, I think. But what I say is, “I really did. And I stupidly thought he was feeling the same way.” Another sob lurches out of me. And then another. Until, suddenly, I’m a weeping mess and the Uber driver is handing me a box of tissues.

“Aw, sweetie, come here,” Alessandra says. She opens her arms and I dive into them, and then proceed to sob from the depths of my soul the rest of the drive to my father’s condo—the tiny two-bedroom in the Valley that, thanks to Reed, is now bought and paid for... every bit as much as me.

TO BE CONTINUED…