Temporary

I wanted his toothbrush chilling out next to mine.

I wanted a life with him.

But none of that was going to happen because he was a goddamn pussy and he was better at running from rather than solving a problem and I didn’t have time in my life for that kind of bullshit.

In real life, sometimes the guy who fucks you senseless isn’t the one you build an empire with…sometimes he’s just the guy who leaves you with red-hot memories that burn for a lifetime.

I should’ve refused his offer that night. I should’ve told him to shove his money up his puckered ass because I couldn’t be so easily bought.

Hindsight was a bitch. I wiped at my eyes. And so was a scorned woman.

I was going to find Gage, tell him what I thought of him, and then walk away.

No, even better, I was moving out of this city and when I did, Gage would never just show up on my doorstep again.

I guess the best place for a restart was to go where the reset button was, right?

Time to head home.

19

It’d taken weeks and a pricey private investigator but I’d found Gage.

I stared up at the skyscraper poking the sky, readying myself to confront the man who’d turned my life upside down.

I’d tried to prepare myself for whatever I might find but I was a bit terrified that I might discover he had a wife and kids tucked away.

To my immense relief, my PI assured me Gage was quite single, a loner, in fact.

He kept his circle incredibly small and spent most of his spare time pursuing solitary activities. Gage put the emphasis on Table For One lifestyle.

My PI had actually stalked Gage, providing pictures of his daily comings and goings. As I’d thumbed through the stack, I hadn’t felt the least bit guilty. Hadn’t Gage done the same before he’d approached me with his one-night-only offer?

Turn about was fair play, as they said.

I took a certain amount of solace in that he hadn’t lied to me about being a businessman, at least, but I was about to embarrass the shit out of him in front of his peers.

Don’t feel too bad, he deserves it.

Wearing a new designer suit that clung to my curves and accentuated my long legs, I walked into the building with my chin lifted, a sharp look about me.

I looked as if I belonged in this brushed steel and polished chrome world.

The elevator took me straight to the thirty-fifth floor, the home offices of Belcorp Enterprises, where Gage presided as CEO and founder.

“May I help you?” the pretty secretary asked with polite courtesy but I just shook my head and kept walking. When she realized I wasn’t going to stop, she quickly grabbed the phone, possibly to alert security, but I came to say what I needed to say and no one was going to stop me.

As if by magic, I homed in on Gage, spotting him easily through the glass walls of the conference room where he lorded over the meeting from his black leather executive chair.

God, he was so handsome in a suit. I faltered a little, having only seen him dressed down before this moment, but I found my strength again and barreled forward.

Pushing up the double glass doors, I met Gage’s startled gaze as I interrupted his meeting.

I’d rehearsed an entire speech but as soon as I locked stares with Gage, all I could get out was, “You’re an asshole,” before my eyes started to water.

The secretary skidded to a stop beside me, apologizing to Gage, “She just walked right past me. I’ve called security,” she said. “I’m sorry…”

I turned to the secretary, saying coolly, “Don’t worry I won’t take long.” Then to Gage, I said, “Here’s the deal…don’t buy me gifts, show up drunk at my place, let me fall in love with you, and then bail. That’s a shit move. You can deny it all you want but you caught feelings…you were just too much of a pussy to deal with it like an adult. I don’t know what happened to you but grow the fuck up and be original for fuck’s sake. This brooding billionaire act is cliche as fuck.”

The assembled board members gasped, except for one, an attractive man with incredible green eyes who seemed to be enjoying the show.

“She seems to have your number,” the man remarked with a grin.

“Stay out of this, Reece,” Gage warned, his eyes flashing, pissed. Good, let him be mad. He deserved this shit show. Gage gestured to the door, rising as he said, “We can talk privately, Mari” as if I would feel chastised by his tone and agree. Fuck that.

“Why?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “Actually, don’t bother. You’re not the only one who has cornered the market on pain. Just because you’re hurting doesn’t mean it excuses your behavior. What you did to me…was wrong. I loved you, Gage, but I’m good now. Now…you’re just a memory. Enjoy your fucked up life, I’m out.”

And I took great pleasure in walking out, leaving him to deal with my embarrassing outrage.

Maybe it was childish but it felt good to say my piece, to show that I wasn’t some helpless woman, sitting like a good girl waiting for him to grace me with his presence.

Seriously, fuck that.

I was a strong, independent woman and I didn’t need his bullshit clouding my judgment or ruining my day from this point forward.

And these tears are tears of victory!

I was definitely not crying because I missed the bastard and seeing him again was like a fresh stab to the heart.

Nope.

Not even.

I burst from the building onto the street but I’d only taken three steps when I heard Gage right behind me.

“Was that necessary?” he asked, his tone cold. “What did you hope to accomplish by embarrassing yourself?”

I whirled to face him. “One of us ought to be embarrassed but it’s not me. I didn’t do anything in this relationship to be ashamed of…you, on the other hand, ought to be terribly embarrassed.”

“What relationship, Mari?” he queried, his expression like stone. “We have no relationship. What we had was a mutually agreeable sexual arrangement, which has concluded. I told you whatever happened between us would be temporary. I never lied to you.”

My cheeks burned but I wasn’t backing down. Gage could play as if nothing existed between us but I knew different.

“You can front because it’s easier than admitting you caught feelings, too but know this…I know the truth. I also know you’re too much of a pussy to face whatever is eating you to start a future with someone you care about.”

Something flashed in his blue eyes but whatever it was became locked behind the iron curtain that slammed down between us as he took a step forward, his hands casually shoved in his trousers.

“Mari…I picked you because I thought you could handle the arrangement. Obviously, I was wrong,” he said with an annoyed sigh but he continued with a shrug. “Look, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Maybe we could come to some sort of agreement.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I enjoy fucking yo

u, that’s true. We seem to be compatible in that way…maybe we could come to a new business relationship.” He reached to caress my jaw and I jerked away from his touch when I realized what he was proposing.

Everything good and sweet associated with Gage that I’d been protecting inside my heart shriveled and died. “Fuck. You,” I replied with all the cold misery frosting my soul. “Don’t come near me ever again.”

“Mari, don’t be so immature,” Gage tried reasoning but I was seeing red and he had no idea how close I felt to murdering him right here on the busy street. “This could be an equitable compromise for us both.”

But I was already on the move, putting as much distance between me and that dickwad as I could manage without mowing people over in my haste.

Gage Donnelly wasn’t the man I’d thought he was.

Or maybe, he’d never been.

Lesson learned.

I would never be so foolish again.

20

Moving day was here.

The moving truck was packed with my belongings — meager as they were — and a plane ticket home waited for me.

Back to California.

It wasn’t failure, I told myself. It was simply a reset. New York hadn’t been the golden ticket I’d thought it was going to be but that didn’t mean San Fransisco or Los Angeles might not be.

I’d struggled for so long, trying to make New York into something it wasn’t out of necessity but that was over.

I had the money to figure things out, go at my own pace.

But for the time being, I wanted to immerse myself in my photography. I wanted to pack a bag, jump in my new car (a rugged, yet sensible all-wheel drive Subaru) and just photograph anything and everything that caught my eye.

I wanted to discover my gift, my purpose.

And I wanted to forget about Gage.

That part would be the hardest.

Each time I thought I was out of tears, they started fresh. The ache in my chest was something I couldn’t quite shake and the memories haunted my dreams.

Sometimes I woke and reached for the man — even though he’d only spent one night sleeping beside me.