Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 145155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“Yeah, all five frigging coats of it.”
My eyes widen. “Five coats…why five coats?”
He frowns as if I’m stupid. “Black walls are hard to cover with white paint.”
I frown again, not understanding why this room would have been painted black.
“Can I help you?” Joshua snaps as he enters the room. His eyes scan down my body in the towel and I instantly feel uncomfortable. He throws me a dirty look and I shrivel under his glare. “I’m paying you to work, not chat up my girlfriend!”
“Joshua,” I stammer. My god, how embarrassing, this poor guy was just returning my questions, not chatting me up.
“Um sorry, Mr. Stanton,” blond guy stammers in shock.
Joshua glares at me again.
“I will see you out.” He gestures toward the door and poor blond guy walks out with his tail between his legs. I stand with my hands on my hips as I sum up the situation. So, there was something on the ceiling. I walk over to the wall and notice four large indents on the carpet in a huge square. What leaves a mark like that on carpet? And then it hits me. This is bad, really bad. The only thing I know of that leaves a mark like that is a massive bed. I walk over to the scrap pile of carpet and pick up the piece that has been cut out. A hole has been cut with two screw holes either side of it. What screws to the roof and the floor? Think, damn it, think. Oh my fuck. A pole, the kind that strippers use, and I know what’s been removed from the ceiling…mirrors.
This is Joshua’s fuck pad.
28
Natasha
Joshua storms back into the room. “Why the fuck are you in a towel?” he growls. How do I explain this?
“I was walking past, and I thought that the workers had left for the day and I came in because I was nosy.” He glares at me.
“Joshua, what was in this room?”
His face drops and he pulls me by the hand out of the door. “I’m hungry. We are going out for dinner. Go and get some
fucking clothes on,” he growls. “If you want Cameron to live with us, not to mention my fucking staff, you will goddamn wear more clothes around here.”
“I asked you a question…answer it!” I repeat as I pull my hand out of his clasp.
He scratches his head in frustration. “Don’t ask questions that you don’t want to know the answer to, Natasha,” he snaps.
“This was your fuck pad, wasn’t it?”
He stills and turns to look at me. “It is in the past—it doesn’t matter what this room was for. I never professed to be an angel, Tash,” he says in a monotone.
I glare at him and fold my arms. “Just how many girls have you slept with, Joshua?” I ask in a sarcastic voice.
He swallows and looks uncomfortable. “Don’t start your shit, Natasha! I’m not going there, I’ve told you before,” he yells.
I storm down the hall in front of him and I turn and point my finger in his face. “You…asshole, are taking me house shopping tomorrow. There is no way in hell I’m living here.” I turn and stomp off and I hear him yell after me.
“Like I said…you raving bitch. And put some fucking clothes on.”
Four hours later we are on our way home from dinner, our fight long forgotten, when his phone rings in the car. He presses a button on the steering wheel to answer it.
“Stanton,” he says, void of emotion.
A woman’s English accent sings through the speaker. “Darling, you’re back…I’ve missed you.” Joshua immediately picks up the phone so I can’t hear what is said. Bastard. I sit still as I watch him squirm. It’s obviously Amelie on the other end of the line. She’s missed him…what in the hell is that supposed to mean?
“Hi Am.” He smiles. Am now, is it? Give me a break, I want to puke. His eyes flick nervously to me. “Yes, I’m back. I brought Tash home to pick out a new house…. No, we have to go back for two more weeks,” he replies. Hmm, so she knows about me. I frown as I sum up the situation. He isn’t acting guilty—is this all in my head? He laughs out loud, “Yeah, probably,” he answers. Hmm, how annoying. He’s laughing and carefree with her. I’m green with envy. “No, I’m glad you rang. I was going to call you tomorrow.” I bet you were, asshole. I sit still, nearly craning my neck as I watch him. He’s happy to hear from her, in fact he’s acting like he missed her.
Stop it, Natasha, you jealous witch you haven’t even met her. I rub my eyes in frustration.
He frowns as he listens to her. “Yes, and then what happened after you gave her the antibiotics?” He nods. “Yes,” he answers and then listens again. “I will come down tomorrow to check it out.” His eyes flick to me and I give him a deadpan look. “I will bring Natasha to meet you.” He smiles, “Yeah, me too.” She just told him she can’t wait to see him…I just know it. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Am, bye.” The tone in his voice is the same tone he uses with me: gentle and cajoling and I have never heard him use it with anyone else. OK, I can handle this two ways, either do what I want to do and scream and demand he sack her and look like a neurotic jealous girlfriend that I am or I can play it cool and pretend I am not threatened at all by an English veterinarian who has spent every weekend with my boyfriend for the last five years. Who he obviously has feelings for and she has feelings for him. I hate her already, but I pretend to know nothing.