The previous night was by far the weirdest thing I’d ever experienced. My sister couldn’t make it to dinner, fine. I was cool with it, but a bit annoyed, eating alone in a restaurant that was priced off the charts. There was no way I was going to make my sister pay to fill my never-ending appetite.
I was sitting there, contemplating leaving so that I could actually eat something. Don’t get me wrong, though. The food was indescribably delicious. Still, if the handsome man from the plane hadn’t shown up from out of thin air and taken me up on me being hungry enough to eat the entire menu, I probably would’ve left hungry and ended up at the first take-out spot I found.
I couldn’t get pissed at my sister for her choice of restaurant. She ate like a bird, and I ate like a freaking lion. Whatever. I loved food, I loved eating it, and I wasn’t the type to become satiated at the expensive restaurants. The obviously rich guy in his perfectly tailored Tom Ford suit got to see that side of me too. What could I say? Food was my weakness, and I was pretty sure that after I ate like a starved homeless person in front of the guy—that and spilling some of my pathetic life stories while tipsy on the plane—he was having second thoughts about inviting me to his place for a week.
I should’ve scared the poor bastard off already with my drunken-fool monologue about the bullshit my ex was putting me through, but I guess I didn’t. My money was on the fact that the businessman was probably bored on one of his many trips to London. He ditched his crew of associates to have a change of atmosphere, and I gave him one.
“All right, I’m leaving,” my sister, Britney, said. “This has been fun…and that Jim guy?” She chuckled as she brought me in for a hug. “If he takes you off to the country, I want to know everything when I get back.”
I picked at the breakfast cakes that were brought up by room service. “Seriously,” I said, shoving another bite of cake in my mouth, “don’t you think I should be a bit more cautious, taking off with a random dude?”
“You said he was a businessman named Jim?” she asked, checking through her matched, Louis Vuitton luggage.
“Yep. Jim.”
“Hmm.” She pursed her red lips. “That doesn’t help. Maybe a last name?”
“No last name. Just friends he had with him.”
“Maybe I know their circle,” she said.
My foster sister ran her own skincare line and had become a self-made millionaire almost overnight. A company had come in and acquired it, taking everything on, and now, she toured the world promoting it all—that’s when she became the wealthy woman she was.
Unfortunately, we still had some trust issues. Her mom tried her best to raise me, but I certainly didn’t make it easy on her. Between doing drugs with my surfer pals and running away to live in a bus in Santa Cruz for a few months, my credibility was shaky as far as she was concerned. That life was far behind me, but relationships were complicated, especially the family relationships that define us.
My sister had warned me about Derek, but I just couldn’t seem to stay away from the bad boy. His hazel eyes and dark hair pulled me in, and his sense of humor and charisma kept me around for too long. I only wish he could’ve given up the drugs when I did. His drug use took the darkest turn imaginable, and he couldn’t sober up or admit that he had a problem.
“Avery.” She snapped her fingers to get my wandering attention. “Who were the friends?”
“Um, two guys. One had dark blond, slicked-back hair, like a younger version of Johnny Depp. I think his name was Collin or Alan?” I said, rubbing lotion on my legs. “I don’t know. I just know Jim could afford every item off the menu at your fancy restaurant.”
“Collin, Jim, and Alan?” She sighed, “Damn. It doesn’t ring a bell. However,” she smirked, “I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. I know how you eat when you insist we go to those pizza buffets, so you’ll probably never see him again.”
“Well, I definitely made for an expensive date.” I laughed, adjusting the towel that was wrapped around my head.
“Well, if you take off with the guy, let me know where the hell you are, please?” she said, grabbing the room phone and pushing a button. “Yes, I need a valet to bring my luggage to the car, please.”
“I’ll text you when I get there,” I said when she finished calling for the valet. “It couldn’t be worse than me running away from home and living on the streets, could it?”
“Let’s hope nothing will ever be that bad again.” She flipped her unnaturally red hair over her shoulder. “The man is American, and from what you told me about your small interlude last night, he seems like a businessman who probably wants you as his kinky sex toy at this estate.”
“Oh, God.” I rolled my eyes. “He watched me eat last night, so I’d be surprised if he had any sexual desire for me at all.”
She laughed. “Okay, I’m out. Call me, update me, and keep your tracker on that phone, whatever you do. We already talked about my opinions of how odd this is, but God knows with your rebellious streak that if I tell you not to do something, you’re going to do it just to prove I’m overreacting.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I’m not a teenager anymore, you know. Part of me wants to take him up on his offer, not just because he’s sort of funny and stupid-fucking-hot, but because I want a crazy-ass memory to take home with me.”
“Even if it costs you your dignity and life?”
“I’m not an idiot,” I said, standing firmly, backing my case.
“One day you’ll learn, Avery. Just remember, you have Addy at home. Feel this man out for safety purposes before you act like you’re not a single mom, okay?”
We hugged, she left, and her words started to weigh on me. Am I a complete moron for considering this? I was getting way too caught up in my vacation, and I wasn’t thinking about the most important person in my life: my daughter.
It was such a refreshing feeling to be here and make an impulsive decision, thinking of no one but myself. I hadn’t had that luxury since Addy was born, and feeling so careless and free was intoxicating.
Shit. I might as well go home now that I’m fucking thinking about Derek again. I did not doubt that son of a bitch would find a way to get his family to back him, getting a lawyer so he could take Addison from me. He wasn’t going to quit.
My problem was that I’d given his ass too many chances. I was a fool. How could I allow that piece of shit around my daughter for as long as I did?
Coming home from work and finding him passed out on the couch while he was supposed to be watching our then one-year-old child was the final straw, although there should’ve been so many last straws that came before. That time, I couldn’t overlook the five fucking cigarettes that had been lit at the wrong end, sitting on my burning gas stove while Addy was in her room, and he lay unconscious as my house was an inch away from burning down. He had been so out of his mind that he didn’t even know he was lighting his cigarette backward—five times in a row.
That situation created a terrifying question for me: what if the authorities took my daughter and put her in the system because I left her in the care of her drug-addict father? I allowed him to live with us. I did that. But there was no way I was allowing Addison to grow up in the system as I did. Over my dead body.
I had to stop thinking. I came out here to get away and take a breath from it all. I was heading right back down my self-destructive road of feeling like a shitty mom for believing my ex and all of his manipulative lies.
I needed to get out. I brushed out my hair and dried it as quickly as I could. I slid on fleece-lined leggings and an oversized sweater and flats, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door. I didn’t even check the clock or finish putting on my makeup. Just a touch of mascara, and now I was heading into this luxurious elevator, standing next to a gorgeous brunette wearing couture—nothing like fancy ladies in high fashion to make me feel like a self-loathing, country bumpkin.
As I exited on the ground level of the hotel lobby, I found a chair in a private corner of a lounge and pulled out my cell phone to dial my foster mom.
“Jill?” I said when she picked up.
“Hey, sweetie. I was just getting ready for bed. It’s morning for you, right? Did Britney leave for the Netherlands yet?”
“Yeah, she did. Sorry if I’m interrupting you trying to get some sleep, but I need some reassurance,” I said, knowing I could use some of her hippie advice with the way I was feeling.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just worried about Addy and Derek.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She chuckled. “Derek stopped by, but I gave him a piece of my mind. I called his parents too. They understand that Derek needs to stay away until after you get back. They miss her, but they get it.”
“Thank God.” I blew out a breath. “Okay. I’m going to try and enjoy the rest of the vacation. You’ll call if you have any problems, right?”
“Always. I told you I would. Stop worrying, and go enjoy yourself.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go. Love you.”
“Love you more, kiddo,” she said as she ended the call.
I thought I’d feel a little better after talking to Jill, but I didn’t. I didn’t get a chance to work out my anxiety in the gym this morning, and now my nerves were wound up. After ending my stupid drug addiction seven years ago, I wouldn’t go near pills of any kind, so instead of taking drugs for my anxiety, I worked out instead. Shit, I could probably have entered bodybuilding competitions for all the working out I did just to shake out my nerves.
I stood up, shouldered my purse, made a right out of the hotel, and speed-walked through the streets of London, not knowing where I was headed or when I’d stop. I needed to fucking run through a field of daisies or some happy shit like that. Instead, these historic buildings that once captivated all of my attention were starting to close in on me. Fuck. I was going to burst into tears if I didn’t get these feelings shaken off.
A river, a beautiful flowing river. I walked toward it and stared into nature, pulling the water in different directions. The crowd surrounding me was becoming too much, so I pulled my hair into a ponytail. I was losing my shit, and there was no stopping it. Tears started streaming down my face as I twisted and turned to get out of there. I should have gotten up earlier. I should have started my morning off with a grueling workout. Instead, I didn’t.
Once I was down the road away from the crowd, my heart rate finally slowed into a regular rhythm, and that’s only because I was coming off of the adrenaline high my body spiked into for no reason. Well, there was a reason, but I usually dealt with it much better. This time, I let my nerves bring me to a level of a panic attack, and now I was sitting on a bench, staring out at the walkway, trying to reset my tired brain.
“Avery?” I heard a deep voice ask. “Hey,” he said again.
I felt him sit next to me, but strangely, like last night, I knew this had to be a dream. This guy was stupid sexy, and stupid period if he was real and trailing me for no good reason. Talking to my ex on the phone should have scared him off, on top of the fact that I was a single mom. I couldn’t get dates, and even if I did, the pricks usually only wanted sex. No guy in their right might would gladly take on a case like me. Not that I ever divulged my entire dark past to them. I learned from that and moved on.
Maybe that’s why I had this slight breakdown, bringing up the ghosts of the person I no longer was. Those days were so far behind me. They were stories about another girl, in my opinion—not me. Today I let them get into my mind and mess with me. No more. I promised myself that.
“You’re not here. You’re seriously not here,” I said, half delusional and half hysterical.
“Well, that’s news to me,” he said, and I jumped when I felt his hand on my back. “You okay?”
“Bad morning,” I answered as I looked at him.
How do his shades make him look even hotter after covering up those emerald eyes?
“I’m guessing you didn’t get the fill-up of breakfast you desired so greatly last evening?” he smirked.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His lips were framed by his perfect face stubble that, after seeing him in his gray suit, I would have assumed he’d have shaved this morning. His jawline was perfectly defined—hell, the guy as a whole was perfectly defined.
“Why are you here?” I questioned the man sporting yet another bespoke suit. “I don’t get why you give a damn about me. After my—”
He smiled and leaned his elbows on his knees, then looked back at me. “You intrigue me,” he simply stated.
I laughed, loosening up at that answer. “You must be one massively burnt-out businessman. Either that or you live a boring life.”
“Some say both.”
“Some?” I leaned back, more relaxed by the presence of this man, who seemed to exude power and confidence. “What do you say? You know, about being so obviously bored with life that you’ve taken some bizarre interest in me?”
“I say it’s about time I opened my eyes to the world around me and do what I do best.”
“What is it you do best, Jim?”
“She remembers my name.” He chuckled and leaned back, stretching his arm on the bench behind my back. My eyes widened at the sight of his black leather shoes when he crossed one leg over the other.
“You made an impression on me last night. I won’t lie. The way to my heart is through my stomach.”
“Good to know,” he answered. “And to answer your question, what I do best is going after something I want and securing it no matter how difficult that may be.”
“Spoken like a true businessman.”
“I’m more than that.” He smiled.
“Doubt that,” I teased.
“Well, if you’ve decided to take me up on my offer, I could prove that to you.”
“Offer?”
“Staying with me at my place in the country.”
“Right,” I answered. “And how do I know you’re not going to tie me up in a dungeon or something?”
“A dungeon?” He laughed a light and humored laugh that did something to my insides. “You, Avery, have been locked in the dark ages of London’s history for too long. Two trips to hear the haunted voices of the princes who were locked away in that tower,” he pointed back at the Tower of London that I’d ended up at, “tells me you need to learn the more current events of this fine country.”
“Ah, so where’s this place you have? Does it have cell service?”
“You’ll be able to call your daughter in the states at any time, so long as you keep in mind the time difference, of course.”
I let out a breath. “I’ve done some crazy shit in my life, and considering this idea might be up there with that.”
“You don’t have to come.” He smiled sympathetically at me. “I will say this, though: if you enjoy nature, that place has it all. I will mostly be working from my study and out of your way. There will also be plenty of food,” he said, and I could tell he was looking at my still tear-stained cheeks. “Up to you.”
“Fine,” I said, meeting his eyes with a little determination. “And if I need to get back here earlier than expected?”
“Then I’ll personally drive you back.”
“Personally?”
“Yeah, I have a driver.” He cringed. “Is that a total turn-off?”
I laughed. “No. Somewhat geeky, I guess, but not a complete turn-off. Glad you value my opinion, though.”
“As I said, I’m intrigued by you. That could be another turn-off, couldn’t it?”
“Possibly, but only because I think you’ve lost your mind.” I sighed and discreetly rubbed the back of my fingers over my cheek, making sure there weren’t any lingering tears. “I am not afraid to state the obvious when I say that you could get any girl in the UK, and here you are somehow intrigued by me, of all people.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he answered. “And while you offered me one, I’ll offer you one as well. I’m quite picky when it comes to the people with whom I like to keep my company. And here I am, begging to learn more about you and bringing you out of the city with me.”
“That is quite the compliment. However, there’s not too much to learn about me. Just an average gal, dealing with constant bullshit.”
“Perhaps that’s your opinion. I believe a woman like you has a better story than you give yourself credit for.”
“A lot to assume since we just met, sir.”
“Jim,” he corrected me.
“Jim.” I smiled.
“And since it is our fifth anniversary, I’d like to bring my wife to the house in the country.”
“Where she’ll be neglected while her husband works?”
He laughed, and I watched his eyebrow rise above his aviator sunglasses. “The last thing I would want is for my beautiful bride to be neglected.”
“Make sure the fridge is full, and we have a deal. I had a partial city-life breakdown before you showed up, so I’m down for some of England’s gorgeous countryside.”
“And my dungeon, of course.”
“Depends on what you plan on doing with me in your dungeon.” Shit. Too far. That was messed up.
He laughed that laugh again. “She loves food and the dark, kinky stuff. It looks like I might fear the dungeon of the old place.”
“What time do we leave? I left all my shit at the hotel, and I have nothing on me.”
“I disagree, you have too much clothing on you.” He smirked.
“Flirting with me?”
“Perhaps. Hopefully, it’s not too geeky for you.”
“It’s a good look on you.” I stood, him following directly behind me. “I need to head back that way.”
“Which hotel? I’ll have my driver take us there,” he said as he slid his hands into his pockets.
“The most expensive one in town. Forgot the name.”
“I think I know where you’re staying,” he said, his tone drier now. “I have an old friend staying there. You won’t mind if I wait in the car while you get your things?”
“Nope. Where’s this driver at, Mr. Fancy?”
So I was going to stay in the country with some stranger, some very hot stranger who had a driver. The man oozed wealth, so why should I be surprised? Either way, after having a panic attack, I did need to get out into the country.
Maybe for once in my life, something would go well. I wasn’t going to let this slip away. Most girls wouldn’t do this shit—but most girls weren’t me and hadn’t been through the shit I had. I could handle myself with this man. If not, the self-defense classes I’d been taking since leaving Derek would be put to good use.
