Page 41 of Choosing the right Man

It takes a few seconds to realize Audrey’s voice has broken in on our intimate moment. I slowly turn and look at her smiling face.

“Sorry to interrupt, darling, but the jackass I was dancing with made a few crude suggestions that utterly ruined the mood, and there’s no way I’m walking out of here alone.” She turns and gives Mason an assessing look before holding out her hand. “I’m Audrey. You must be Mason. We briefly met once, but a lot has happened since then.”

Mason takes the moment in stride. He reluctantly lets me go. “Do I need to take care of someone?” he asks as he glances behind Audrey. There’s so much power in his voice that it sends another shiver through me.

“No. I’m good. But you can walk us out,” Audrey says. “I have a car waiting.”

Mason sighs, finally taking Audrey’s hand. It’s more than obvious tonight isn’t going to end where he hoped it would. It’s for the best, even if disappointment is all I can feel at the moment.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Audrey. I’m more than happy to walk you out.”

She gives him a brilliant smile, and I look at both of their faces. She’s available. She’s beautiful. It makes more sense for him to pursue her. This fills me with a sense of dread. I have no doubt Audrey wouldn’t accept his offer, but if he goes for her, it will hurt me. I hate that it will.

However, he shows nothing more than a polite interest in her. I hate how much I like this. Men tend to fall at Audrey’s feet. She’s unique, beautiful, and like a unicorn — she’s mythical and uncatchable.

Mason walks us away from the dance floor, holding an arm for each of us. The crowd seems to part as we exit the dance floor and gather our things from the valet.

He doesn’t kiss me when we get outside, but the look he gives me as he helps me inside the waiting car is one that will haunt my dreams. It’s full of hunger, full of regret.

I’m sure I look exactly the same. I ache, and I have a feeling there’s only one way this desire will be sated... Mason Alexander.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chloe

The bass thumps through the walls, pulsing like a heartbeat, like my own heartbeat — erratic, uneven, fueled by a heavy frustration I can’t shake. I’m standing in the VIP section of my friend’s club, a glass of whiskey in my hand, barely even touched.

Around me, the usual chaos of the nightlife scene plays out — women in tight dresses, men throwing money around like it means nothing, bodies pressing together in dark corners as they all chase something meant to be fleeting, like two ships passing in the night. This used to be my scene. This used to be easy.

Tonight, though, all I want is to beanywherebut here. I came to get Chloe out of my head. I came to remind myself that she’s nothing more than an illusion... a passing fixation I can break if I drown myself in enough distraction. What I feel toward this woman has to be a fluke... doesn’t it?

I try to convince myself that she’s just another woman, no different from others I’ve already had and left behind. I’m trying to prove this to myself.

A blonde slides into my space, her body draped in a tight black dress that leaves little to the imagination. She’s stunning... the kind of woman I’d normally go for... that isuntil Chloe ruined me to all others. She’s become all I seem to want.

“Are you here alone?” The woman’s smooth voice is playful, confident, and seductive. She presses close, her perfume wrapping around me in a suffocating cloud of sweetness. “That seems like it should be a crime.”

I barely look at her. “I’m not in the mood.”

She laughs, tilting her head back. “I don’t believe that,” she says with a perfected pout.

Her fingers trail up my arm, light and teasing. I feel nothing. She’s doing everything right... the slow smile, the flirty touch, the subtle lean into my body. I simply don’t give a damn. I feel absolutelynothingfor her.

“You don’t seem like the kind of man who sits back and broods,” she says, sipping her drink, her eyes sharp. “Come on, sexy, let me help you forget whatever’s got you looking like you’re about to burn this place down.”

I can’t let go of Chloe... can’t keep her from my mind.

I grit my teeth and try to force these thoughts away. The woman smiles as she sidles closer, pressing her body against mine. “Let me guess...” she muses, her lips inches from my jaw. “Work stress? No, that’s too simple. Woman problems?”

I don’t answer.

She takes this as confirmation. “Whoever she is, she’s an idiot for not being here right now,” she purrs. “It’s lucky for you that I am.”

She rises onto her toes and kisses me. I allow it. I tell myself I need this. I try to convince myself I need anyonebutChloe. The woman’s lips are soft and practiced, her hands sliding up my chest in an invitation that tells me I can take her right here against the wall. This is an invitation I might’ve taken a few months ago.

I deepen the kiss, forcing myself to feel something... anything. All I feel is disgust. The taste is wrong. The touch is wrong.She’swrong. With a growl, I tear my mouth from hers and step back, my stomach twisting in revulsion. She blinks up at me, stunned, her lips swollen.

“What the hell?” She looks mad, not used to being rejected. She’s stunning and skilled. I can see why she feels this way.

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