Page 72 of Fool's Gold

I’m barely aware of her ending the call as I collapse over top of her, kissing the back of her neck and relishing the touch I’ve denied myself for the last month.

A moment of tense silence spreads into ten, then twenty, neither of us willing to move.

Empire pants beneath me. “Marcus? What was that?”

I force myself to come back to logic and sanity, which is just as hard as pulling my cock from her body. That was inexcusable. That was—

“Goodbye,” I say. “I’m setting you free for good. Guess I just couldn’t resist one last taste.”

TWENTY-THREE

One last taste.

It’s the only thing I’m good for, apparently. My only piece of worth left in Marcus’s eyes.

My pussy throbs from his wild fucking, his pace so brutal I know he’s left scars on my heart even as my body trembles during recovery the following day.

Since Marcus is so fucking determined to move on, then I have to do that, too.

I said nothing to him after he took off. What’s new? He’s heard my arguments repeatedly.

I have to make a stand for real this time because if I let him keep pulling me back, I’ll drown, and there will be no resurfacing. I have to start living my life for me and kill this frantic hope that he’ll choose me before I do any more damage to myself.

He’s never going to choose me.

He wants me. I know that much. My body. There’s got to be more than physical chemistry to make things work. Time for me to take him at his word. That last time was goodbye, the door slammed in my face.

“Miss Stone? Are you okay?”

I glance up and blink to clear my vision, focusing on Damon Clinestammer, the producer for the picture Jacob recommended. Days after the harried fucking in the office, and here I sit, ready to make my next move on my terms.

I offer Damon the blinding smile I’m known for, hoping one of these days it will start to feel natural again, and fluff my hair. “Yes, I’m totally fine. Thanks.” The smile remains primed when Jacob offers me the pen to sign on the dotted line.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Oh, sure. Born for it.”

I’m not sure why he felt it necessary to be present at the meeting today, but I’m grateful it’s him and not Marcus.

Getting things set up is as far as he’s willing to go for me. Fine. Exactly as I said. It’s totally fine. I grip the pen and sign my name across the contract line, finishing it with a flourish and the date.

Jacob whistles, clapping like I’ve actually done something worthwhile.

I got the part. It’s mine because I want it, and it has nothing to do with Marcus and everything to do with me, with a little bit of help from Jacob. I never would have come across the script if he hadn’t made the suggestion.

“Get ready for excitement, Miss Stone.” Damon steeples his fingers together, the long end of his goatee nearly reaching the peak. “This is going to be a fun project. It might not be the kind of thing you’re used to doing, but I guarantee you’ll leave the set excited for the finished product.”

No doubt.

This frothy Christmas movie is nothing like what I just went through, so yeah. I actually am excited to do it.

Damon holds out his hand for me to shake, and I do, rising in the same fluid motion. “I appreciate you taking the chance on me,” I say.

“The pleasure is ours, trust me. I already see the chemistry between you two.” He glances between me and Jacob and winks. “This is going to be a breeze for us to shoot.”

“You’re sure about the hours?” I’m not positive I’ll ever be able to push through the way we did in the last picture. Twenty-plus hours of shooting a day?

I worked myself to the bone, and it doesn’t matter how many times Belinda spoke to me with a laugh and a cheeky smile, telling me that I was young and I’d bounce back.

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