Page 54 of The Southern Submission

The Haute List has readers throughout the great state of Georgia keeping tabs on our favorite new couple, Payton Olsen and Ainsley Montgomery. The pretty pair were spotted on a South Georgia barrier island looking cozy and cute and setting tongues wagging about their relationship. It’s pretty clear from the photos and accounts that were sent in by our Hauties in the know that these two lovebirds are getting hot and heavy and are making their fling into a thing. We were fanning ourselves when we saw the photos of their quick tryst outside of an ice cream shop and how pleased they both looked about Payton licking ice cream off Ainsley's fingers. Where do we sign up to hang out at cute ice cream shops with dripping cones waiting for our own billionaire to swoop in to clean us up?

While we still can’t explain the draw of a lowly journalist for a billionaire businessman, we’re happy to see the last eligible Olsen brother finding love and settling down after watching his brothers experience familial bliss of their own. It’s still early on for the pair, but with the way the Olsen men work, it may not be long now before he’s locking her down. We’ll be watching and reporting. Remember to hit Like and Subscribe for all the Haute gossip!

Twenty-nine

Ainsley

Ican’t wait for my day to end. I have plans with Payton. Big plans. Now that I know what his dick feels like, piercings and all, I’m taking every opportunity to enjoy it. I just have to get through another fifteen minutes of work and he’ll pick me up for a trip to his lake house for the Fourth of July celebration he’s famous for throwing. I have a bag packed and I’m anxious to leave, not getting much done the day before a holiday. I can tell the whole newsroom feels the same, with casual conversations and a lackadaisical approach to work permeating the air.

The front door to the office opens and I look up. Hope rises that it’s Payton arriving early. My stomach sinks when I see who it is instead.

Archer Donovan. Cold sweat prickles along my hairline, mystomach knotting as he casually looks around, examining the humble space I’ve ended up in. When he spots me, I shrink as if that will keep him away. He gives me a cold smile of triumph and starts toward me.

I want to run, throw up, scream for someone to make him leave, but I do nothing. I’m rooted in place, my tongue stuck in my dry mouth as bile rises in my throat. This is a living nightmare. His texts were bad enough, but seeing him in person brings back every horrible feeling and emotion of the year we spent together. It reminds me of my failures and fuckups and how easily he manipulated me, then discredited me when I wanted to get away from him.

“Ainsley, look at you,” he croons when he gets to my desk. “You’ve really taken a turn for the worse, haven’t you”? He stands over me with his hands in his pressed trouser pockets, a cruel smile playing on his lips. His blond hair is longer, but his sky-blue eyes are just as sharp and cunning.

“What are you doing here, Archer?” I ask when I find my voice. It comes out shaky and low, my eyes darting around to my coworkers, who are watching our exchange curiously. I never have visitors who aren't here for a story, so they think he’s either here for interview purposes, or it’s personal. It’s way too personal, and I don’t want him exposing everything that happened between us in front of everyone.

“Can’t I visit an old girlfriend tocatch up?” he answers. He’s here for more than a catch-up session, and this can’t be good.

I stand quickly, feeling unsteady in my heels, and attempt to push past Archer toward the door, expecting him to follow. His hand snakes out and grabs my upper arm, just hard enough to let me know he’s serious but looking to anyone else like he’s helping to steady me when I wobble a little. My skin crawls where he touches me and I want him to let go, but Idon’t make a scene, letting him half drag me out of the office into the shade of the building facade. Maybe out here we can have whatever conversation he came all the way from New York to have. I hate that I’m still afraid of him, that he can have power over me like this without repercussions. He’s a menace and I want him out of my life for good. I’m tired of hiding from him, worrying about what he’ll do to me if he’s unhappy, and being scared of him.

“Cut the shit. You don’t have any business in Atlanta and you don't care about me enough to want to catch up. Why are you here?” I ask again, my anger bubbling through my fear.

“Payton Olsen isn’t who you think he is. Whatever lies he’s feeding you to get you to fuck him are just that. He’s a sick sonofabitch who destroys businesses and breaks up families. You saw what they did to my dad’s company and now my father’s in prison because of them. You can’t trust him.”

“That’s rich, coming from you!” I seethe, unable to stop myself. “You and your dad are just as bad. Andreas took advantage of companies in the same way and didn’t have any scruples about saving family businesses. He took what he wanted however he could and used anyone to do it. You’re no better, you fucking nepo baby with a giant fucking chip on your shoulder. You’re so insecure, you have to make yourself feel bigger by hurting others.” The words rush out of me in a torrent fueled by years of hurt.Holy shit, did I just say all that?

Archer’s eyes narrow and I see the moment he snaps. His grip on my arm tightens and he shakes me until my teeth clack. My head spins and my heart races, realizing he’s dangerous and could hurt me, for real. I look around for help, but the parking lot is empty and no one’s around to flag down easily. I could try to go back inside, but he’d be able to stop me before I made it three steps. Oh, fuck, thisis so bad, and I’ve made him even angrier. I can only hope there are security cameras somewhere capturing this, or someone will drive by and take pity on me.

“You dumb clingy bitch. You can’t see what’s right in front of your face. He’s using you for media coverage and doesn’t care about you. Why would he want someone as broke, ugly, and stupid as you, when he can have anyone he wants with his money and connections? You’re a means to an end for someone like him. I’d know. I used you for the same thing, remember?”

My heart clenches and my stomach feels like I’ve swallowed hot rocks that are burning me from the inside out. He hits on every insecurity I have, flaying me alive and staking me where I can be picked apart the easiest. He knows just how to fuck with me, every button to push. I have to get away from him. He’s not the kind of person to see reason and come to a compromise with. He escalates and gets worse unless you appease him. I’m not about to stroke his ego and fall back into those old habits of our relationship.

I pull against his grip as I push his chest with my other hand. I have to get away from him. “Fuck you.”

His other hand grips my neck and squeezes, cutting off my words and forcing me to look at him as I fight for breath. My hands latch onto his arm, trying to pull away, but he’s relentless, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

“You would want to fuck me again, you sloppy, degenerate whore. But I don’t do repeats with the same trashy, bad lays,” he says cruelly. “I don't want you, but you sure as hell aren't fucking Payton Olsen. I see you with him again and you’re going to regret it.” He squeezes my neck and shakes me again, forcing a cry out of my clenched teeth when it goes beyond what I can tolerate.

“Let me go,” I beg hoarsely, holding back tears andgrasping onto anger so he doesn’t see just how badly he’s hurting me. I wrench my arm hard and pull free of his grasp, using both hands to pry him off my throat. It hurts like hell and I flinch, which thrills him.

“Touch her again and I’ll put you through that wall, motherfucker.”

We both spin around at the growled threat. Payton’s stalking toward us through the parking lot, his eyes deep blue flames, face set into a menacing scowl, anger radiating off him in palpable waves. He’s scarier than I ever imagined he could be, but to me, he’s a beacon of hope and safety, my harbor in this shitstorm, and the one I want to tread water for me when I feel like I’m drowning.

He doesn’t stop, grabbing Archer by the shirt and around his neck, and lifts him off the ground before slamming him into the wall of the building. Archer looks shocked, his face gone bloodless, eyes wide. He’s never been handled like this in his life, not knowing what it’s like to be on the receiving end of treatment that scares the shit out of him.

“Do you know who I am? You’re going to jail for touching me!” he squeaks out, finding his outrage at this treatment, sounding unbelieving that anyone would look at him as anything less than a god worthy of worship.

Payton growls, pulling Archer off the wall, only to slam him back into it, forcing out a breath and rattling his head against the brick with a sickening thud that makes me cringe. Oh fuck. Payton’s not exhibiting the tight control he usually does. I might not be able to stop him now that he has Archer in his grasp after everything Archer's done.

“I know exactly who you are—a blight on this world. Listen closely. I won’t be repeating myself. Harass her and I’ll make your life a living nightmare. Look at her and I’ll carve out youreyes. Put your motherfucking hands on her again and I’ll cut them off and feed them to you digit by digit. Come for my girl and I’ll end your miserable life. Got it?” His voice is deep, serious, vibrating with wrath and menace, unlike anything I’ve heard from him.

I hear a splattering sound and see Archer’s pissed himself. I gasp in shock, Archer whimpering in embarrassment. I take a step toward them and place my hand on Payton’s back, trying to soothe him.

“He’s not worth it. Let’s go.”

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