Page 8 of Tame Me

“You only just figured that out? Listen, the best revenge is showing that you’ve moved on. Make him see that the time you had with him was insignificant.”

Insignificant. I dwelled on her word.

In comparison to this year and the wonderful men I’d met, it was true. My time with Alexander, on the other hand, barely even registered on my radar anymore. It was like he was just a bad storm, a storm that had been replaced with many wonderful rainbows. “You know what? You’re right. This is the dress.”

“You bet it is, babe. You look smoking hot. Men will be on their knees begging you to walk all over them.”

“Oh my god. Stop it, you crazy woman.”

“No, I won’t stop. You’ve waited over three years to get your revenge on that bastard, and in this dress, you’re going to get it a thousand times over. Oh, I wish I could be there to see his face. Turn around.”

Grinning, I did a slow spin. I felt like a million dollars.

“I think we should bring out the animal in you and match this with leopard-print shoes and a clutch.”

“Oh, I’ve got my Givenchy zebra-print stilettos and the matching clutch.”

“Black and white . . . perfect. And what about long, dangly gold earrings and a chunky gold bracelet?”

I nodded and turned to my reflection again. As I admired every inch of the dress on my body, a layer of anticipation rumbled through me. For the first time in years, I was actually looking forward to seeing my cheating bastard ex-fiancé.

I felt no pain handing over three hundred dollars for the outfit. It was going to be worth every cent.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in more dress shops, and after trying on dozens of styles, we succeeded in finding seven outfits, including two possibilities for Friday night and new workout gear just in case, according to Lolly, I felt the need to run off some of the calories I’d no doubt consume over the weekend.

We also found a treasure trove of accessories to go with each outfit and two new pairs of shoes. In one day, I’d spent a little more than two weeks’ wages. But I didn’t care—I was worth it. Besides, I was well and truly overdue for a wardrobe overhaul.

By the time she drove me home, it was half past four, and I was exhausted. We said our goodbyes, and with my abundant shopping bags hanging off my arm, I made my way to my apartment, placed my bags on the floor, and flopped onto the bed. As the muscles in my back unraveled, my mind turned to Billy.

My sexy cowboy was waiting for me just two apartments away.

I rolled off the bed and strolled to the bathroom. At the bath, I turned the taps to full and poured in a good slosh of Marjorie’s bubble bath. With the water running, I returned to my shopping purchases, and one by one, I unwrapped them, cut off the tags, and hung them in my closet. I added my shoes to my collection and put the jewelry away.

By the time I’d finished sorting my shopping, the bath was ready. I turned off the taps, and just before I hopped in, I poured myself a glass of wine. With my hair pulled up on top of my head and my glass of Shaw & Smith Sauv Blanc resting on the edge of the tub, I stripped off and slipped into the warm water. I felt as if I’d run a marathon, and the warm water was the ideal therapy for my aching body.

As I shaved my legs, I played through my mind all the people I was likely to see when I returned to Mildura.

There was Mom and Dad of course, and it would be great to see Tyler again. I hadn’t spoken to my brother since he’d called me for my birthday. It will be wonderful to see Aunty Ann. Of all the people I’d left behind, she was the only one I truly missed.

My thoughts drifted to Alexander. How much had he changed?

When we’d first started going out, I’d thought he was the most handsome man in the world. He had rugged good looks and could sport a three-day growth in the space of twelve hours. His eyes were dark, framed by equally dark eyelashes.

By the end of our relationship, however, after I’d learned of the evil he’d done, he’d become as ugly as sin, and his eyes had darkened to menacing.

The tragedy of our breakup, and the thing that infuriated me the most, was that I’d learned to hate.

Hate was a soul-crushing emotion that ate me alive.

Every second I was awake, the hatred had consumed me, creeping into my personality at every opportunity. It took me a long time to eradicate that hatred. Too long.

Chelsea-Lea was as much a driver of that hatred as Alexander had been, and from what I’d heard about the demise of her life and body, my revenge was already sweet.

I sat in the bath and clutched my hands around my knees as one more name came tumbling through my brain. George Whiteman. The very first man to meet Memphis. I grabbed my wineglass and with a huge gulp, I realized I was looking forward to seeing him.

He’d literally changed my life. Hopefully, our paths will cross again.

As my thoughts drifted from George to the many other men I’d met this year and onto Cowboy Billy, who was waiting for me a short stroll away, I realized that all the hatred I’d been through was worth it.

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