Lover's Road Read Online Free PDF Page B

a lot to take in.”
    She believed me. “Okay.”
    “So, where is this publishing house?”
    “It’s only a few blocks away. Actually, it’s really close to the shop.”
    Well, that was good news. “Now I can fuck you on my lunch breaks.”
    She rolled her eyes. “So romantic…”
    “Who’s this friend of yours? Did you go to college with her?”
    “Yeah,” she said. “He and I had a few English classes together. We both wanted to be writers but we became editors instead.”
    He? “It’s a dude?”
    “Yeah…” She glared at me. “Why does that matter?”
    “So, I can’t hire girls but you’re going to run off and work with some guy that pulled a bunch of strings just to get you a job? That sounds hypocritical.”
    A fire rose in her eyes. “It’s not the same thing and you know it, Ryan Sisco.”
    “Don’t say my whole name like that. It’s king.”
    “No, it’s pig,” she snapped.
    “It just sounds weird to me,” I said. “Why is he so desperate for you to work with him?”
    “Because I’m qualified.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Because I’m good at what I do. Because I have fifty clients under my belt and countless novels with my name on them. That’s why.”
    “No…”
    Now she was getting pissed. “Get over yourself, Ryan.”
    “Are you working with this guy directly?”
    “No. I’m the boss of a department, and he’s my boss.”
    I was liking this less and less.
    “Why would this guy help you out? It doesn’t make sense to me.”
    “Because he’s my friend, you idiot.”
    I shook my head. “He wants to get laid.”
    “Or he’s a good guy,” she countered.
    I shook my head. “No such thing.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I already took the job so I don’t care.”
    “Does he know you have a man?”
    Janice was about to explode. “If you don’t trust me, why are we even together?”
    “I do trust you. I don’t trust men.”
    “I can take care of myself.” She wasn’t backing down.
    “My sister was harassed until she was almost raped. I’m innately distrustful of men with power.”
    “Well, if it ever came to that, I would just quit. Problem solved.”
    “Or you don’t have to work at all because I make plenty of money for both of us.”
    That just pissed her off even more. “Fuck you, Ryan.”
    “No, fuck you.”
    She stormed off. “I’m taking that job. I don’t give a shit what you think. You were supposed to be happy for me that I’m getting something I really want, but all you care about is how this affects you. You’re pathetic.”
    “I couldn’t hire the most qualified applicant because you didn’t want me working with a single female in the office. How fucking psycho is that?”
    “It’s not the same thing!” Her eyes were wide.
    “Just because I fucked inked girls before doesn’t mean I’ll cheat on you because they are impossibly irresistible. You’ve fucked just as many partners as I have. How do I know you aren’t going to hook up with him at work?”
    She slammed the door. “Go to hell!”
    “You’re such a hypocrite,” I screamed back.
    She opened the door again, flipped me the bird, and then slammed it again.
    I wanted to grab my keys and storm out, but I promised myself I wouldn’t do that. I was livid with Janice for her behavior but I couldn’t walk out on her. She hated being alone in the apartment at night, and if my sister’s relationship with Sean taught me anything, it was to not leave during a fight. Instead, I opened a beer and chugged it while I watched the Yankees game. Hopefully that would calm me down.
     
    Janice didn’t come out of the bedroom for hours. She knew I was still there because she would come out if she suspected I was leaving. It was past midnight and time for me to head to bed.
    I locked the doors and turned off the lights before I walked into the bedroom. She was already lying in bed, facing the wall. I removed my clothes then got into bed beside her. I set my alarm before I lay