Cunning (Infidelity #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

hate.”
    “He hates me.”
    She took a deep breath, making my head moved up and down. “I’m sure he’d say he doesn’t. Just remember, you are Alexandria Charles Montague Collins. Those gates out there … what do they say?”
    “Montague Manor,” I mumbled. I’d heard this before.
    “Whose name is that?”
    “Momma’s and mine.”
    Jane nodded. “Just remember that.”
    “I wish I could forget it.”
     
    I took a deep breath and stood, doing my best to ignore the lingering soreness. Stepping over the broken lamp, I opened the drapes and blinked. The memory from my childhood and of Storm Nox dissipated as bright sunshine flooded the executive suite. Gazing out over the park, I looked to the northeast, toward Patrick’s apartment.
    His proximity gave me strength. Despite what Nox might think, I wasn’t alone. Soon I’d be starting classes. My world would grow. I’d done it before. I’d do it again. If my childhood hadn’t broken me, Nox Demetri wouldn’t. The memory I recalled was right. Jane was right. It was my heart. It wasn’t up to Nox or anyone else who I gave the power to break it or heal it. It was up to me, and I’d protect it.
    With each passing minute, I bargained with myself and made myself a deal. I’d recover my heart and put the pieces back together. The job of the heart was to pump blood. I’d glue the pieces of my heart using blood and tears, but they wouldn’t be my own. They’d come from those who’d wronged me—from Alton, my mother, and now Nox.
    When a year was up, I’d be the one to walk away but not until I had Nox Demetri completely under my spell. Not until he was the one who would need to pick up the pieces of his heart. In doing so, I’d also secure my schooling and determine just how much of myself I was willing to give to Montague. Alton might believe he won, but he didn’t know the truth. He’s the one who made me a fighter, and this fight wasn’t over.
    I opened the door to the balcony and inhaled the summer air. Each moment in the sunlight invigorated me. I’d lived behind smoke and mirrors my whole life. I could handle one more year.
    As I stared out at the park, I remembered the envelope Isaac gave me. Walking to the bar, the one where I made Nox a drink, I poured myself a glass of moscato—after all, by Montague Manor standards, it was still white-wine time—and sat carefully on one of the sofas as the warm air from the open door blew gently through the suite.
    Retrieving my purse, I found my phone and the envelope. I checked the time; it was nearly four-thirty. On the outside of the envelope was the room number. Tentatively, I ripped the seam and pulled the pages free. The first page was a handwritten letter. Though I’d only seen Nox’s handwriting on the note he left for me the first morning I awoke in his bed, I knew this note was penned by him.
    My steeled heart ached to flutter. Who handwrote notes anymore?
    And then I saw the second page. It was a photo—of me. By the outfit, I knew it was one of the shots taken yesterday at Infidelity, one that Karen said was for my profile. It wasn’t on photo paper. As a matter of fact, the page was creased throughout, as if it had been wadded and then straightened.
    The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I began to read his words.
     
    Charli, or should I say Miss Alexandria Collins?
     
    I imagined our reunion and waited for my phone to ring. Never in my wildest imagination did I envision this (see picture). For the record, prostitution doesn’t become you … too much makeup can’t cover the beautiful princess in my memory…
     
    The paper blurred in my trembling hand.
     
    …Del Mar was a dream. Reality is here.
     
    If it’s a whore you want to be, then I’m your man. I told you my tastes were unique. We’ve only scratched the surface. Miss Collins, you’re mine—body and soul—for the next twelve months. In Del Mar you gave me two nights; now I’ve purchased 365 more. They’re mine