Page 15 of Naughty Nelle

I cut him off. His pending question unnerves me. “No!” Big fat liar. “Kurt’s sexy as sin.”

The conceited egomaniac looks a little deflated. “What makes him sexy?”

“He may think with his cock like most men, but he’s ruled by his heart.”

Clueless Brandon screws up his face. “What do you mean by that?”

“He’s damaged but so passionate. I mean, just look at his abiding love for his wife, Alisha. He won’t stop until he finds her killer.”

Brandon is all ears, listening intently. I continue.

“Every woman wants a Kurt Kussler to love, protect, and cherish her.”

“Yes, don’t we all.” A sardonic breathy voice enters the room. I look up. My stomach churns. It’s Katrina. The temperature in the room drops ten degrees as the willowy blonde stomps toward us in her gazillion dollar stilettos.

“Well, if it isn’t little Miss Chubster.”

My boiling blood heats my skin. “Hi. Nice to see you again too.”

I remember the first time I met her. I thought she was here for a business meeting with Brandon and Scott. She acted like I was invisible and then had the nerve to tell me to take her Mercedes for a car wash. As if I were her servant. I told her to take a hike—no pun intended—and pissed her off royally. Until I started seeing pictures of them together online and in various tabloids, I had no idea they were romantically involved. And truthfully, knowing Brandon’s reputation as a player, I thought it was just another casual hook-up. His latest conquest. You can only imagine my shock when I learned of their engagement—the news broke just hours after Brandon’s horrible accident. It was bad enough that the gorgeous man I worshipped was lying in a coma but then to find out he was engaged sent my emotions into a tailspin. I cried for hours, knowing that even if he lived, I was losing him to America’s It Girl.

Fraught with jealousy and loathing, I meet her predatory gaze.

She smirks and then snubs me. “Brandy-Poo, are you ready to go out with Mommy and me?”

Brandon’s eyes blink several times. “What are you talking about?”

“Seriously, don’t you know we have a reservation at The Ivy to go over wedding plans? We made it weeks ago.”

Brandon looks perplexed. “I’m sorry. It’s one of those things I don’t remember.” He turns to me. “Zoey, did you write it down somewhere or put it on my calendar?”

“This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

“Maybe, I forgot to tell her,” mumbles Brandon in my defense.

Katrina huffs. “Honestly, darling, you really should look into getting a competent assistant. This one’s a bigger waste of space than the space she occupies.”

I’m seething. Bitch! I bite back my tongue. Katrina again ignores me and plants a kiss on Brandon’s forehead.

“Well, darling, don’t just sit there. Throw on a jacket. I don’t want to keep Mommy waiting.”

Slowly, Brandon stands up. His eyes penetrate mine. “Set some time in my schedule to review more episodes tomorrow.”

“Sure,” I murmur. I stay seated while Brandon dons an outrageously sexy leather bomber jacket. It’s just what Kurt Kussler would wear.

Emptiness fills me as I watch Katrina shuffle Brandon out of the house. And then a wicked thought brightens my spirits. Maybe the bitch and the asshole deserve each other. My moment of satisfaction is fleeting. Who am I kidding? I wish it were me.

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