The Dare Read Online Free PDF Page B

gave her immense satisfaction. She raised it again. “Get out.”
    The bastard nodded and quickly dressed. As he made it to the door, he turned to her and said, “I know it doesn’t matter, but I’m sorry.”
    “That and a dollar will get you shit. Now leave.”
     

     
    When the door shut behind him, Katy stood staring at it for several long minutes. Stunned was the only word to describe what she felt at that moment.
    Stunned.
    She hadn’t seen that bomb coming.
Oh, but Katy, you had to have known
… What a stupid fool she had been! How did she
not
see the signs? Oh, my God! They were all there! They kept their affair secret from the people they worked with. They only met on the weekdays, he always had to be somewhere on the weekend. He never spent the night at her place and they never went to his place. The rare times he had his phone turned on he guarded it like it was Fort Knox. And at work? How had it never come up?
Why didn’t she know this?
Because she was a lab rat and so were her coworkers. They were scientists who kept to themselves, never discussing personal matters. The perfect environment for living in a fucking bubble!
    She jumped into the shower and scrubbed every inch of Evan Scott from her body. God she wanted to hurt him. She had believed his lies. Every last one of them! What a naive fool she had been!
    Even after scrubbing her skin raw she still felt dirty. Naked and dripping wet, Katy paced her room. She couldn’t decide if she was more angry, embarrassed or hurt. Hell, why not the trifecta? She was furious she had been led on to the extent that she had developed feelings for Evan. Angry with herself for being so damn naïve. Embarrassed didn’t begin to describe how humiliated she felt. Not so much for being used, but trusting Evan enough, wanting to please him so much she had agreed to sex with a stranger!
Who did that?
Why had she allowed herself to be manipulated into such a tawdry scenario?
    She was a brilliant scientist for God’s sake! Her IQ 175! Pharmaceutical companies threw obscene amounts of money at her to simply mention their name in her research papers or AMA articles. For one so brilliant, how could she be so dumb?
    Her chest ached. She didn’t love Evan. She didn’t know if she was capable of such an emotion. Not in the romantic sense. She loved her mother and she loved her best friend Rosie. She even loved Rosie’s hubby Elliot. She had a cat once and loved him until he ran off abandoning her like every other male in her life. But she dealt. She had her work. She had her charities and she had her foundations. It had been enough before Evan walked into her life, it would be enough after. With that understanding, Katy grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her damp body. The only problem with all of this logical deducing was that it didn’t fill her new need. Because up until just a few hours ago, her life didn’t consist of one orgasm much less multiples. And she kind of wanted another one. Or two. Or ten.
    But that meant a man. And men were public enemy number one.
     

     
    The next morning she strode into the conference room as if nothing had happened, when in reality, she was dying inside. She couldn’t help it. Embarrassed heat rose in her cheeks as she caught Evan’s impassive gaze. How nice for him that he could look right through her as if she were as insignificant as a fly on the wall. Her pride kicked her bruised ego in the ass. He wasn’t worth her time.
Married bastard.
She deserved a man who chose her and only her. And she sure as hell deserved a man who wouldn’t lend her out for free fucks.
Fuck you,
she mouthed, then strode past him to the podium.
Eat your heart out Evan Scott. It took a stranger to do in less than ten minutes what it took you over six months to do.
    Today was her day to shine as she presented her groundbreaking studies on a new breast cancer gene study. And she was damned if she was going to allow anything or anyone take the spotlight