Lie to Me (Sexual Misconduct Volume III) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cares? You’re on my side, right?”
    He chuckled. “Sure, but how long before you take him back?”
    “ Never.”
    “ Uh-huh… sure.” He hooked an arm around my neck and walked me to my car. “I give you a week.”
    “ Asshole.” I glanced over at him.
    “ Why? Because I know your heart?”
    “ Fuck you, Matt.”
    “ Don’t blame me because love got its dark hold on your heart.” he said as we stopped in front of my car.
    Yeah … and it came with a gray cloud hanging over my head. And like the divine intervention I spoke of earlier, thunder cracked and the sky opened up and cried its tears on me.
    *~*~*
    Later that day, I walked into my office to find Ellie waiting on me.
    It ’s the day that keeps giving.
    I stilled at the doorway , and she stood. I’d been relieved to find the house empty when I stopped at home. I wasn’t ready to talk to Ellie. Her collusion with Xander devastated me.
    “ Do you have a minute?” she asked warily.
    “ No, I don’t.” I continued to my desk, dropping my briefcase on top and opening it.
    “ Avery, I just want to explain.” She followed, standing on the opposite side of my desk.
    “ I need to work and listen to other people’s problems.” I sat down and Ellie did the same.
    “ And ignore your own?”
    “ I’m not ignoring them. I’ve decided the best course of action is to not think about it at all. You lied to me for God knows how long about stripping, and then you let me carry on with a man you’d already been with.”
    I sto od and tried to make my way to the door to let her out, but she grabbed my arm and stopped my progress as I tried to walk past her. I glanced at her hand on my arm, and she let go promptly.
    She stood up and faced me. “I’m sorry, okay? You seemed to really like him and I wanted you to be happy.”
    “ Do you know how fucked up that sounds? You were willing to let me be with a man you… fucked because you thought it made me happy.” Just saying the words made me feel ill.
    “ You loved him.”
    “ You know what? Fuck him. How about you tell me why you’ve become a stripper?”
    She sighed and sat back down in the chair. “I was tired of being a burden to you. I promise you all I ever did was strip there. Xander was a mistake. He was rich and handsome, and I wanted him. But I realized he was cold, arrogant, and had issues, so I sent him to you.”
    “ I don’t want to hear this.” I couldn’t listen to her, because the flashes of them together began to emanate in my mind’s eye.
    “ I’m sorry. I didn’t send you into the lion’s den. I sent him to you. But even the lion has a heart, and I think he loves you, Avery.”
    Un-fucking-believable . Was everybody on Xander’s side?
    “ You think I should be grateful because Xander loves me? Well, he was never in my plans. He’s an obsessive deceiver, and his insomnia is so severe I don’t think his brain functions correctly anymore. But I can’t stop thinking about him and wanting him. So yeah, you inserted Xander into my life. And he’s rich and successful and can fuck like a maniac, but he’s not what I wanted. Now I need him. I was going down a straight road, and now I’ve veered off to the left. I’m headed for disaster, and I can’t even stop myself. So what exactly have I won? His love?”
    “ I’m really sorry, Avery. I know you’re angry—”
    “ I’m not angry. I’m disappointed and hurt. When I turned eighteen and left you in that home, I came back every weekend for five years and made sure you were okay. I worked my ass off to finish school early so I’d be able to make a home for you when you turned eighteen. I’ve carried you on my back for so many years, Ellie, that I feel empty without you. You’re more than a friend to me. You’re my sister, you’re like a daughter to me, and I’d do anything for you.”
    She looked away, tears rolling down her face as she quietly sobbed. Tears weren’t a luxury I afforded myself, and I couldn’t