Overexposed: The Complete Boxset: A Virgin Meets a Bad Boy Romance (14 page)

“
W
here to
?” The taxi driver huffs impatiently as I pull out my phone.

“Just start the meter and I’ll pay for your time,” I answer hurriedly as I shoot a text to Eric.
Are you free? Where can I find you?

My hands shake as I wait, watching the meter slowly tick up until I finally hear an answering text.
Just got out of a meeting, I’m at the office.

I lean forward and rattle off Eric’s business address before I answer him back.
Ok. I’m going to stop by.

A half an hour later we pull up in front of his building, and I still haven’t received a reply back. Not that I’m all that surprised. But, as far as he knows, I’m still his fiancé and it’s just fucking rude. I pay the driver and climb out of the car, squaring my shoulders against the task at hand as I march into the lobby. After I wait for the security guard to check me in, I head for the elevators to make my way up to Eric's office on the 14
^th
floor. The doors are just about to close, when a hand stops the doors from closing, and I can’t help the smile that lights my face when I recognize who’s on the other end of it.

“Anna, what a wonderful surprise,” Edward Graybill, Eric’s boss, greets me. “I’ve been hoping to run into you again.”

“Mr. Graybill, it’s a pleasure to see you again too,” I answer truthfully, because there’s nothing I need more than a friendly face right now to boost my courage.

“It's Edward, please. I can only assume that you're here to visit Eric?” He asks politely.

I clasp my hands tightly in front of me. “I am.”

He smiles despite my clipped answer. “I hear you’re keeping yourself busy with wedding planning, have you chosen a date?”

My mouth goes dry and my hands become clammy, and I refuse to lie to this man who has only ever been nothing but kind to me since the first night I met him. “Actually, there isn’t going to be a wedding. I’m only here to call the whole thing off, because it’s the one place he won’t make a scene.”

Edward’s eyebrows raise in surprise and I flush with embarrassment and clamp my mouth shut before I find myself blurting out the whole sordid tale. But he saves me by leaning forward to pat my hand. “Can I let you in on a little secret?” He waits for me to nod, before he lowers his voice conspiringly. “You’re too good for him.”

A smile spreads wide across my face, “That’s exactly what my step-mom said when she talked me out of marrying him—well basically said, if I were to take everything and condense it down.”

“She sounds like a smart woman,” Edward answers, his eyes and smile kind as he regards me.

I’m quick to agree. “She’s the best.”

The elevator doors open, and I’m surprised to find Eric waiting for me on the other side. I ignore him for a moment, and turn back to Edward. “Thank you so much, Edward. I truly hope I have the pleasure of running in to you again sometime soon.”

Edward gives my hand another reassuring pat. “I truly hope so too, Anna.” And then with an almost indecipherable wink, he adds, “Best of luck.”

Smiling, I step off the elevator and give him a wave. He returns the gesture before the doors shut and I’m left to face Eric alone. But Eric saves me from saying a word, as he grasps my arm and leads me roughly to his office. When the door closes behind us, I shake his hand off of me. “What the hell is your problem?”

Eric’s eyes tighten and he gestures at me. “I think I should be the one asking the questions right now, and the first one is what the hell are you wearing?”

Puzzled by his question, I glance down at my leggings and sweater and winter coat before shrugging. “Clothes?”

“You look like a god-damn homeless person, why would you ever think it was a good idea to go out in public looking like that,” Eric rages, pacing the floor in front of me. “And in front of Edward Graybill no less.”

“Oh I don’t know, Eric. I guess I thought that it was fucking cold outside and I’d dress accordingly,” I answer, inserting as much dripping sarcasm as I can to each syllable.

“This is not a fucking joke, Anna. This is my place of business, and I have a certain image to uphold,” Eric snaps back at me.

Anger simmers in my veins, and I can’t believe that I’d ever considered marrying the person standing in front of me. Especially when my hands are itching curl into fists so that I can punch him in his stupid fucking face. “And what image is that? That you’re the douchiest fucking douchehole to ever exist?”

Eric’s voice drops dangerously low. “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t just hear you say that.”

The old Anna would be shaking in her boots right now, but this Anna, she opens her mouth and laughs. And laughs and laughs some more.

“Have you lost your fucking mind? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing is wrong with me. Nothing at all.”

The import of my words fail to sink into his thick skull, and he continues on as if I’d just literally not spoken. “Why are you here, Anna? I thought you’d be busy with the wedding planner. I’ve already emailed her my set of guidelines and outlined my preferred venue, decor, and cuisine—shouldn’t you be helping her finalize those?”

“I haven’t contacted her yet,” I answer truthfully.
And I never plan too.

“You didn’t receive the package I sent yesterday? I thought I’d been more than thorough in specifying my expectations,” Eric says as he crosses the room to his desk and begins to shuffle through a stack of papers resting there. “And I actually have one more that I need to give to you.”

“I did get the package, but I’m not in any ru…” I start to say before Eric cuts me off by handing me the retrieved folder. This one is labeled Wedding Dress, and when I open it there is only a single sheet with a godawful ugly dress pictured.

“What is this?” I ask, holding up the sheet.

“Oh, I went ahead and picked your dress. I just need you to fill in your measurements and then everything will be taken care of.”

“Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me.” I punctuate each word by poking him in the chest with the edge of the folder.

Eric remains nonplussed. “Of course I’m not.”

“So if you’ve already planned everything down to the last detail, and you’re even taking away the one thing a bride typically gets to do—you know, like picking out her own fucking wedding dress—then what exactly do you expect me to do?”

Eric’s face softens, and for the briefest of milliseconds I catch a glimmer of the Eric I once thought I’d loved, as he captures both of my arms in his hands. “You’ve always known that the wedding was also a business tactic—a way back into the life we deserve. We need to impress people, and I can’t leave those types of decisions in your and Charlene’s hands—for obvious reasons. But if you feel the need to be involved and to be considered a decision maker, than by all means feel free to plan the honeymoon. I’ll even let you pick something island-y since that seems to be the thing that you’re into these days. As long as that somewhere has Mai Tais, right?”

I feel physically sick. The idea of sullying the magical, beachy memories I cherish with Devon and replacing them with Eric makes me nauseous.

“Earth to Anna.” Eric snaps his fingers in front of my face. My eyes focus on Eric and I find that I barely recognize the man standing in front of me. “I guess you’re going to make me ask you again. Did you bring the paperwork I included in the Financial Obligations folder?”

I shake my head, my brain still trying to wrap around the concept that I’d ever struggled over the issue of choosing Eric over Devon.

Eric crosses his arms, and leans against his desk. “Then pray tell why are you here?”

I drop the folder that I’ve been clutching in my hand, and I raise my chin defiantly. “I came here to tell you that I’m not…I’m not in love with you anymore.”

My words seem to echo in the air, and my body nearly sags with relief to finally voice them out loud.

I don’t know what I expected, but when Eric throws back his head and laughs I’m taken aback.
Why the fuck is he laughing?

Eric’s face is still filled with amusement when he levels his gaze on me. “So what? We were kids when we planned this. It was puppy love, and the whole concept of saving ourselves for our wedding night was nothing but a fantasy—which apparently you actually took to heart. We’ve both known the end goal since we were old enough to understand what was expected of us by our families. We don’t need to love each other to get married. I made a promise to my father, who made a promise to your father, and that’s the beginning and the end of it. It’s nothing more than a business deal.”

“A business deal? That’s what I am to you? Nothing but a fucking business deal?” I ask incredulously.

Eric again moves to touch me, but I smack his hands away. “Of course I’m still fond of you, Anna. We were friends long before we were engaged. I thought there was an understanding that while we were apart, it was an unspoken agreement that we were free to explore and sow our wild oats. I thought the whole saving our virginity was a cover to appease our parents—not that my dad would have cared.”

“So you’re saying that I should have just instinctually
known
that it was ok to sleep around with other people while we were planning and saving for a life together?”

“I thought so, yes.” Eric grins. “I thought it was some sort of weird role-playing that you were into. And really, I’m actually the one who took the high ground. I might have slept with other women, but I did it discreetly. Whereas you on the other hand, threatened my entire image by involving yourself in pornography.”

Oh hell no, he did not just go there.
Did I really throw away love with Devon for this? For a man who thought he had some unwritten and unsanctioned permission to sleep around behind my back, and then try to twist it around to make me the bad guy in this scenario? Did he really think I’d enter into some sort of arranged marriage of convenience without expecting love and respect in return? This version of Eric is as foreign to my younger self as Sierra is to him, and I’m glad that I can finally be free of it and him.

I slide his engagement ring off my finger and let it fall onto his desk with a heavy plunk. “Consider your promise kept. I refuse to marry you.”

Eric’s face darkens and his eyes are hard. “You are in no position to do such a thing.”

“I'm in the perfect position to do whatever the fuck I want.” I meet his eyes with a feral look of my own. “Just watch me.”

“I’ll ruin you, and you’ll never be accepted in my world again,” Eric threatens, his fingers turning white from the way they are digging into the side of his desk.

“You can do what ever you want, you little fucking limp dicked fuckweasel. I don’t give a flying fucking about your opinion of me, and really I’d rather kill myself than have to endure another second in your company. I don’t even recognize this person or what he's become.”

“You’re going to regret me.” Eric says harshly, but I hear and recognize the slight waver in his voice.

“Finally something we can agree on. I do regret you and I will forever regret the time I wasted on you. But mostly I regret that I threw out my one chance of happiness with someone I truly loved, because of some misguided obligation I felt towards you,” I say before I turn on my heel and head toward the door. And then I have a moment of inspiration and turn back to face him. “By the way, I really hope you someday learn how to properly eat a pussy, let it not be said that my “pornographic background” didn't teach me anything, it sure as hell taught me how to fake it.”

And with that I leave.

I
t's taken nearly
two weeks of planning. Two weeks which fly by while being consumed by numerous phone calls between my newly-reinstated assistant, Denise—who was thrilled to learn I’d put my retirement on hold—and sleepless nights going over and over again all the finer points of my plan, with Charlene. But it’s all been worth it, because after some tense negotiations, and slyly using a pseudonym so as not to scare him away, Denise had called yesterday to inform me that we’d finally secured a certain highly-sought after photographer.

At first Charlene had balked at my idea. She couldn’t see the logic in not running right to Devon and confessing all—just telling him that I’d broken my engagement off and that I had chosen him because he’s the one I love. But I knew, somewhere deep inside of me, that to truly convince him that I would never run from him again required something bigger than words. It required action. So with a determination which made my rise to Sierra seem like child’s play, I’d deftly drawn out and executed a grand gesture befitting the man I loved.

Now I only have one last thing left on my list to accomplish, and thankfully I have Charlene by my side to complete it.

Charlene squeezes my hand as we both peer up at the prison. “Well here goes nothing.”

“It’s going to be fine, I promise.” Charlene says, as she leads me reluctantly to the front entrance. “Besides, there isn’t much he can do besides rant and rave.”

My stomach clenches and I’m only stopped from backpedaling by Charlene pulling me forward. “That is not helpful.”

Charlene’s laughter rings out across the parking lot. “I’m on your side, remember? Your father doesn’t stand a chance.”

Much too soon, we’re through the security check and seated at the table waiting for Daddy to make his appearance. And when he does, my entire body stiffens at the brief look of confusion which crosses his handsome face as he looks from me to Charlene then back at me again. Not even when the confusion melts into a brilliant smile, which crinkles his eyes and lights up his face, is it enough to release the knots twisting in the pit of my stomach. I’ve never been more nervous in my life, but it doesn’t stop me from returning his welcoming hug.

“What an unexpected surprise. Both my girls here together, I must be a lucky man,” Daddy says before he sits down across from us. “What did I do to deserve this special treat?”

Charlene beams at him, even as she reaches under the table to clasp my clammy hand. “Nick, Anna has some things she needs to say to you, and I’m here to support her.”

Daddy eyes narrow, his expression now cautious but calm as he focuses his gaze on me. “Anna?”

My mouth is suddenly dry, and I swallow hard trying to think of the best way to tell him I called off my engagement to Eric. When nothing comes to mind, I just blurt out, “I’m not marrying Eric. I broke things off with him.”

Daddy’s face darkens, as he turns to Charlene as if waiting for her to deny the truth of my words. “Don’t you even try to intimidate me, Nicolas Windsor. Anna has good reasons not to marry that boy, and you’re going to hear her out.”

The anger washes from his face instantly, “Char, you know why she has to marry Eric. It’s why I’m in here instead of Lloyd.”

“We’ll come back to that,” Charlene says, holding a finger in the air before she continues, “But just so we’re clear, I’m the one who convinced her that she shouldn’t marry him. He’s not the same boy you used to know, in fact, I wouldn’t let that cocksucker near my worst enemy—well maybe, but that is neither here nor there. Now listen to what your daughter has to say.”

He turns his expectant blue eyes back to my face. “Tell me why, Anna-Banana.”

My heart melts when he uses my pet name, and it injects it with a small dose of courage. “I tried to make it work, I really did, but it’s impossible. He fully admitted that he’d never remained faithful and that he was under the assumption that I’d given him some sort of unspoken agreement that it was ok. He even went as far as telling me that he didn’t love me and viewed me more as an obligation—a smart business deal.” My eyes well with tears, and even though I
know
that I don’t love Eric and definitely do
not
want to be with him, it still hurts that I’ve wasted so many years of my life believing in a fictional version of him.

Charlene wraps a arm around my shoulders, and meets my Dad’s eyes with confidence. “Not to mention the way he talked and treated her in front of not just Lloyd and Arabella, but also his coworkers. He also expects Anna to hand over all of her earnings and substantial savings and make him the sole benefactor—and I refuse to allow her to be a virtual slave to a man, to be forced to beg for her own money. And don’t even get me started on the the multiple files he had drawn up for the wedding—he even went as far as buying her a wedding dress, and a godawful one at that. And if I’m not mistaken, that is supposed to be my honor as her mother. But he told Anna that neither of us were capable of making those sorts of important decisions for obvious reasons.”

Daddy’s face fills with rage, but this time I know that it’s not directed toward me. “Is this true, Anna?”

I nod my head. “I finally realized that the Eric I used to love is nothing more than a figment of my imagination. That Eric doesn’t exist anymore. He doesn’t even want me, not really, all he wants is to own me and use me for whatever end result he can conjure. I just couldn’t go through with never again having a say in my own life or being controlled by him and Lloyd.”

Daddy reaches across the table, his palm open, and I immediately give him my own. “My darling girl. I only wanted the best for you. It had always been a dream of your mother’s that the two of you would end up married, and the fact that you were always two peas in a pod, practically inseparable, it seemed as if her dream would come true when you both became adamant that you really did love each other….” he pauses long enough to clear the heavy emotions clogging his throat. “Maybe that blinded me and gave me a single-minded agenda, but I would never want to force you into a life with someone who won’t cherish and love you the way you deserve.”

“Oh, Nick,” Charlene says, her voice nothing but gentle and caring as she lays her hand on top of ours. “You really are a big softie under all that gruffness. And I hope that you hold onto that when Anna tells you the rest of what she’s come to say.”

Both of their eyes fall upon me, and my body flushes hot when I try to find the words to explain Devon. “There’s someone else. It didn’t start as anything more than an attraction, but I ended up falling for him hard. And it was his unconditional love for me, for the
real
me, that opened my eyes to the fact that I could never settle for any less. But because I knew it wasn’t fair to Eric, not when despite everything, I was still focused on trying to make you proud and make things work between us…I-I pushed him away. I told him I couldn’t be with him, even though I loved him.” Tears begin to carve hot trails down my cheeks, but I push through the heartbreak determined to finish. “And I still love him, with all of my heart. I want to win him back, but I also want to do that with your blessing.”

“Anna,” Daddy squeezes my hand, forcing me to meet his gaze, and when I do there is nothing but kindness and love imbedded in the lines of his face. “Obviously Char has given her blessing, and I’ve found that listening and being guided by her infallible intuition is the best course of action. If I’d only taken her advice years ago, it wouldn’t be me sitting here—it would be Lloyd. So if you truly love this man, and if he truly loves you, then you have my blessing.”

My entire body sings with happiness and if I weren’t being grounded by my parents hands I might have floated away. “Daddy, thank you. You will never know how much that means to me.”

He smiles. “Now promise me just one thing.” He waits for me to nod before he continues. “Promise me you’ll bring the boy to meet me before you decide to get married. I’d like to meet this man who has captured my baby girl’s heart.”

Happy tears mingle with the sad, as I nod again.

Charlene leans forward, a gives my dad a quick kiss on his waiting mouth. “Before we leave, there is one more matter at hand.”

“God, Char, you’re gonna give me me a heart attack with your surprises,” Daddy teases her.

“This one might be the biggest yet, so hold onto your seat,” Charlene warns. “You know those files that implicate Lloyd, the ones that exonerate you from any prior knowledge of his actions?”

Dad nods, his eyes going wide. “Those were destroyed, per Lloyd and my arrangement.”

“They might not have been,” Charlene says with a wink. “In fact, I know they aren’t. I switched them for copies and kept the originals before he was able to destroy them. Our lawyer is already in the process of appealing your sentence and prosecuting Lloyd instead.”

Now both of us are staring at Charlene in wide-eyed amazement. “How on earth did you ever manage that?”

“Lloyd’s always underestimated me, much like his son underestimated our daughter,” Charlene giggles. “I just played into his belief that I’m nothing but a simpleton, and was only in need of some of the premium liquor he keeps stashed in his office. The idiot never expected a thing.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” Daddy grins at her, his eyes shining with love.

“You gave me the one thing I ever truly wanted,” Charlene returns his adoring smile. “You gave me love.”

T
wo days later
, I pace the confines of the set that I'd had constructed, my feet sinking into the warm sand. I know he won’t be able to see me until he draws back the curtain, but the waiting is killing me. If I could only be certain of his reaction, that might have quelled the pitching of my stomach—threatening to upheave its meager contents. Something tells me the cup of coffee won’t taste as good coming up, but I’m also thankful it had been the only thing I’d been able to consume all morning. If I had forced myself to eat the breakfast Charlene and Denise tried to ply me with, there really would be a pile of sick on the sand.

Gripping my phone, I quickly lift it to my face to check my appearance in the front facing camera view yet again. Satisfied that I still look fresh-faced instead of sickly, I force myself to lay the phone on the small table tucked into the corner of the set. I hadn’t picked St John’s for the faux shoot, even though every ounce of my body had screamed that this should be done there, I’d been too worried it would tip Devon off. That he’d know it was me and refuse to come. So I’d carefully chosen Barbados, another tropical paradise, and a place I’d recalled Devon saying he always wished he could go back to. A place I was sure he couldn’t turn down, with a large enough fee to tempt him if he could.

Even if he rejected me, it would be worth every penny I’ve spent. Just to see his face one more time, to hear his voice, it might be enough to hold onto. But most of all, I want him to know the truth. That my heart only belongs to him, and it only ever will.

My phone beeps, jarring me from my worries, and reducing my legs to jello. It’s from Denise.
Devon is on the move.

I turn the phone over and step into the center of the curtained set, my back to the entrance. I’ve never been more terrified or excited. Finally I’ll have my answer either way. My ears strain to hear above the crashing of the waves, and at last I hear the soft crunch of footsteps as they come closer. I hear the soft whoosh of the curtain as he pulls it back, feel the warm breeze as it caresses my skin.

“Zoe Turner, I’m Devon Goode. I’m pleased….” I hear his words trail off and I
know
he’s recognized me.

So I gather every ounce of strength and courage I can muster and I turn to face him. “Devon.”

The sound of his name is a whisper in the balmy breeze, and it brushes against his tanned skin with accuracy. For a brief flicker of a moment his face softens and my name forms wordlessly on his full lips, but it is quickly replaced with a frightening scowl. “You tricked me? For what? To get me into bed one more time before your fairytale wedding to the Prince of New York? Because that as sure as hell is not going to fucking happen.”

Tears spring to my eyes, even though I know I deserve his fury, his anger-fueled pain. “I broke it off. I couldn’t be with him, not when I love you.”

My declaration seems to physically hit him, as he absorbs it with a hint of a stumble. “I’ve heard you sing that song before. And then you left me like a thief in the night. With only a few scant words upon a page. Do you know what that’s like?”

My eyes flash fire. “Of course I do. You did the same to me in St John’s.”

His eyes darken and he stalks toward me, grasping my upper arms with a fierce strength. “Is this some sort of game to you? Some sick twist of revenge?”

“Of course it isn’t,” I answer, my skin burning with longing where his meets mine. “It’s my grand gesture. I knew nothing I could ever say would sway you to believe me. I needed to act, to show you what you mean to me. I love you and there has been a giant fucking hole in my heart, I’m nothing without you.”

Devon’s eyes search mine, as if he can discern the truth swirling in their depths. I lay my hands on his chest, over his heart. “I’ve been so blind. I allowed a sense of obligation to overrule my own heart. But I’m free now, and I want nothing more than to be by your side. To have you pull me out of my comfort zone, to challenge me, to anger and surprise me. There will never be anyone else for me, you own my whole heart and you will for all of my days. Will you have me, because I’m already yours?”

For a heart-stuttering minute, I’m sure I’ve lost him, but then he crushes me into his embrace and he buries his face into my hair. “Anna, you’ll never understand how much I’ve missed you.”

“I've missed you too.” Salty tears soak into the cotton of his shirt, and I cling to him with all of my might. “I love you so much, Devon.”

Devon pulls back so that he can gently cup my face, his thumb rubbing lightly against my bottom lip. “And I love you, Anna.”

And then his lips claim mine with such tenderness that I slowly drown in the sensation of breath and promises until I am lost in him.