With disgust, I realize that last night meant nothing to him. I was just a cheap, easy fuck, one last plaything for the manwhore before he’s forced into settling down. I fell for his act, the one where he pretended to be a decent human being—funny, humble, and kind—but that’s all it was. An act.
Pushing myself up off the floor, I dry my eyes with tissue and make a hasty exit. I make a brief stop at the banquet table, just long enough to grab my purse and cell, and leave all the folders scattered on the table, ignoring the whispers in the crowd as the women still waiting wonder what’s going on.
Then I haul ass away from the hotel, needing to be as far away from Sterling Quinn as possible.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Camryn
“What’s wrong?” Olivia says the second she opens the door.
I headed straight here to the apartment home of my best friend and boss after leaving the disaster of a PR event I was running.
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
Her gaze drifts to the glass bottle in my hands. “Vodka for lunch is generally a bad sign, no?”
I make a sound of agreement, a sad acceptance of her truth. “Can I come in or what?”
She opens the door wider and motions me forward. “Only if you promise to tell me what’s going on.”
I nod. I showed up here in a similar fashion six months ago when David and I broke up, and while wine had been my elixir of choice for that breakup, I knew today called for something much stronger.
She leads me into the kitchen to get me a glass of ice and a can of lime soda from the fridge. I open the bottle of cheap vodka because in addition to everything else, now I won’t get my bonus, which means my money situation is fucked. The headache I’ll have later will be punishment for my stupidity. Pouring a healthy splash into the glass, I fill the rest with soda and take a long sip.
“Come on. Let’s go talk,” Olivia suggests, leading me out to the living room.
We sit down, me on the sofa and her in the leather recliner across from me. She props her feet up with a smile.
“Sorry. My feet are so swollen, they look like bear claws.”
I take another sip of my drink, wondering where I should start. Sterling’s betrayal? Anna’s? Or the fact that I’m probably going to be fired when Olivia learns what I’ve done?
“Wait a second.” Olivia’s eyebrows pull together. “Isn’t the event for Sterling today?”
I nod, looking down at my hands. “That’s why I’m here. I’ve fucked up, Liv.”
My voice cracks, and I can’t hold it in even one second longer. A bitter cry bursts from my throat, and tears began to spill down my cheeks. Setting my drink down on the table, I hug a pillow to my chest.
Then I spill all of it, every ounce of truth that I’ve kept buried in my heart. I don’t stop until I’ve told her everything—that I went and fell in love with him like a world-class idiot, that we made love, that it was the most perfect earth-shattering sex of my life, that I met his mother, all of it. And Olivia sits quietly listening, her hand on the round bump of her belly.
“It felt so real,” I whisper.
She looks at me with a sadness in her eyes. “I was worried about this.”
Then I remember her stark warning at the nail salon that day all those weeks ago. She warned me not to fall for him.
“Are you pissed about me ruining the recruiting event?” I was half-afraid to show up here and be turned away, that I’d be told I was going to be fired on Monday.
“No,” Olivia says. “Of course not. His behavior was outrageous. And besides, I should have known better than to pair you up. You two have always had amazing chemistry. It was probably a recipe for disaster from the start.”
That little admission makes me feel the tiniest bit better, like maybe falling for him somehow wasn’t my fault. It was predestined or something.
“Anna’s behavior is entirely unacceptable. I’d recommend that we let her go on Monday, if you’re on board with that,” Olivia adds.
I merely nod. There’s nothing about losing a friend and watching her get fired that I find satisfaction in.
Just then, Noah walks into the living room, a red apple raised halfway to his mouth.
I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Hey, Noah.” Taking a sip of my drink, I try to compose myself.
His gaze slides from me to Olivia, and he lowers the apple. “Is this girl talk?”
Olivia nods.
“It’s fine; you can come in. This is your house,” I say.
Noah still looks wary, like he wants to make an escape but is silently checking with his wife to be sure it’s okay.
“Actually,” Olivia says as she drums her fingers on the arm of the chair, “we might be able to use your opinion.”
I groan inwardly that my very embarrassing truth is about to become public news. This is why having married friends sucks. Nothing is sacred.
“Is it okay?” Olivia asks.
I take a large gulp of my drink, polishing it off. “As long as you keep these coming.”
Noah chuckles. “Coming right up. What is it?” he asks on his way into the kitchen.
“Vodka soda, and mix yourself one too, mister,” I shout back.
Olivia’s eyes widen.
“I’m not drinking alone, and since you’re in no condition to partake, that leaves lover boy.”
Olivia merely rolls her eyes. “You two are going to be fun to deal with later.”