Page 30 of Necessary Roughness

I shook my head. “They’re too dark. Let’s head back.”

Leonard hesitated but eventually agreed. He disappeared quickly, going to turn us around.

Claire and Brett talked as I moved myself onto the upper deck, hoping to get a better view. And to relax for a second. The tension in the room was suffocating, and not just because of the incoming storm that Leonard didn’t seem worried about.

But I was worried. Rain had already started to fall, and winds had picked up noticeably since we were all last on the deck.

My mind went back to Brett.

It was obvious I’d been eyeing him. Any idiot could see that.

I had no idea what my next play was. Months of hating Brett from a distance while he humiliated me daily on his podcast, and now I was next to him, unable to formulate a simple sentence.

I didn’t know what had taken control of me.

Claire had noticed. Leonard had noticed.

I wondered if Brett had noticed.

There was obviously some sort of love/hate relationship going on between the two of us. But I needed to absolve myself of the notion that someone like Brett could love someone like me.

It wasn’t within the realm of possibility. He had his world, and I had mine. There were clear lines drawn on the field, and we both needed to play our roles.

Brett’s job was to provide commentary. Snarky, condescending, over-the-top commentary.

The kind of nonsense that had cost me a sponsorship.

I looked around at Leonard’s extravagant yacht and realized that I could have purchased several boats just like this with the money I lost from Monarch Watches.

It wasn’t lost on me that the weather outside seemed to match the storm brewing inside me.

But it wasn’t just about the money. Something else about Brett had captivated my thoughts, my dreams, my motivations.

Here I was, on a boat with him.

It was as if the universe was trying to tell me something. Trying to manifest something that I wanted to fight against.

Looking up at the raging sky, I wanted to tell the universe to fuck off.

I wasn’t interested in the universe’s theatrics or plans for my future. I was in control of my own destiny, and I wasn’t going to let Brett Mercer throw me off track. I’d simply spend the summer relaxing, then I’d get back to work building a brand that I could bank on.

Evidently, based on the oversize rental house I’d been mistakenly placed in, I needed a new agent. And maybe a new public relations office. Hell, I needed a complete and total rebranding.

And I needed to do it without Brett. Or rather, in spite of him. I wanted to build myself back up, land a new sponsorship, then throw it in Brett’s face.

That’d show him.

That would wipe the smug look right off his smarmy face. I hated the way he walked around the beach house as if he owned it, as if the entire neighborhood belonged to him. Building a legacy off of tearing mine down. In many ways, I wanted to get back at him. Make him suffer for the pain he’d caused me.

Standing there with the rain hitting my face, I realized I needed to devise a plan.

A counterattack.

I was going to get back at Brett for what he’d done. I just wasn’t quite sure how yet.

Slowly but surely, I noticed the boat turning around to take us back to the dock.

Apparently, Leonard had taken my advice and was ready to get back to safety.

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