Flesh: Part Three (The Flesh Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

know the details—and
you will tell me the details later—I should probably get back
to bed. It's going to be another long night.” Her lips dip into
a frown.
    “ Yeah. Go
sleep.” I grin to myself as I watch Janice walk back into her
room, thinking about those details, the way that Lucian seduced me.
It was so hard to resist him. I still can't believe I ruined it by
crying.
    The memory reminds
me of a night of too much drinking, the kind that starts fun, but the
more you drink, the more stupid stuff comes out of your mouth, and
eventually it all culminates into a clusterfuck of horror. It's one
of the memories you wish you could forget, even if there are good
parts attached to it. I can't forget though.
    I try to distract
myself by getting ready for work, but Lucian is never far from my
thoughts. Even though I'm not around him anymore, I still feel like
I'm on that emotional roller coaster. The highs come when I think of
how kind he was, taking care of my foot, when I picture his gorgeous
smile, when I recall the sound of his laughter, and when I remember
the way that he kissed me, so passionately. Then the lows hit me like
a ton of bricks, and I internally tear myself down. How could I be so
immature as to cry in front of him, as if he was hurting me.
    All I can do to
comfort me is to tell myself that days and weeks will make this a
distant memory. In time, I'll be able to put Flesh and that horrible
consultation behind me. Then I can return to my regular boring life,
a life without sex and excitement—a life more my speed.

    ***

    There's a sick
feeling in my stomach as I approach Environ Design. While I had
thought that telling Tyra that Lucian was undecided would be the
worst of it, I just remembered I never even finished taking pictures
of his house. This is going to look bad. Really bad.
    After sitting in my
car and weighing my excuses for several minutes, I finally decide to
pretend that the pictures somehow had erased themselves. For a
moment, I think about deleting all the pictures I took, but then I
realize that would look even worse. At least, the few pictures I do
have will be proof that I actually went to the consultation.
    I inhale deeply as I
climb out of my car and limp up to the building. While my foot feels
better than it did yesterday, it still hurts. If I didn't feel
obligated to give Tyra and Derrick the news about the consultation, I
might have called in. As it is, this is news that should be delivered
in person. And besides, since I botched up landing the contract, that
probably means I won't have to leave the office today. If I'm not
going to be doing a lot of walking, then there's no point in staying
home.
    I make my way to my
desk and am displeased to find Derrick sitting in my chair. He smiles
up at me expectantly. It looks like he doesn't have any intention of
moving, but then he notices my limp and quickly stands and makes way
for me to sit down. I pretend to ignore him as I take my seat and
pull the camera out of my purse, setting it on top of my desk.
    “ You're not
talking, and you're not smiling.” He places his palms flat on
my desk as he leans over. “He didn't sign, did he?”
    I sigh, not wanting
to deal with this right now. “There's always the next client.”
    “ Damn it.”
He punches the top of the desk lightly. “What happened?”
    “ You don't
even want to know.” I shake my head.
    “ Worse than
the cookies?” He quirks an eyebrow.
    “ Far worse.”
I press the button on my computer to bring it to life.
    “ Want to talk
about it later? Maybe over drinks,” the pissed tone deflates
from his voice and melts into sympathy. I'm glad he didn't stay mad
at me for long.
    “ I'll think
about it.” I give him a weak smile.
    “ You know, I'm
always here for you, sweet pea.” He places a hand on my
shoulder.
    I open up my email
and find it as expected. Empty. “Looks like there's nothing for
us today.” I turn to Derrick. “Did you get anything?”
    “ Nope.