Page 12 of Gilded Dreams

As if the Universe is finally working with me, my phone pings, and I silently hope it’s a dumpster fire that requires us to work endless hours to resolve. Justice grabs my phone from where I left it on the corner of the desk before I can.

“See, work work work.” Justice peers at the screen and I cringe and keep the lump in my throat from choking me. While I hope for a raging fire of one kind, I know it’s not. No one with anysense calls before seven in the morning, so it could only be one person.

“Blocked caller?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

She nods and confirms my suspensions. Fuck.

“Are you still getting messages from this asshole? How many phone numbers have you changed already because of this?”

“I’ve lost count. It started up again last night. The messages went fromthinking about you heart emojito close-up dick pics in the span of an hour. He’s not even all that impressive either. He keeps finding my number. I don’t know how. And the random weekly flowers sitting outside my apartment building freaks me out. I’m scared.”

“What do the detectives say? Any news there?”

At that moment all I want to do is pick up a phone and call Brogan or Ryder. Atlas too. They would know what to do, but that isn’t gonna happen.

“I wish. What can they say or do with no name, number, or anything to go on? The dating profile is all gone if it was real to begin with. I report the incoming phone number, they jot it down, but it’s a burner phone. Untraceable. I change my number and he finds it two weeks later. How, I don’t have a clue. I’m close to ditching phones altogether. I’ve already suspended all my social media accounts because of this crap.” And the reason I want to lock myself in my apartment for the holidays, but I keep that tidbit to myself. It’s the only way I can see getting any peace if only short-lived.

“Have your men found anything?” It’s a long shot but I ask anyway.

“Nothing yet, sweetie, but I promise Jacob and Seth have not stopped looking for answers. Whoever this is, he’s crafty and knows how to hide his digital tracks. But we’ll catch him.”

I’m no mastermind lawyer, cop, or detective but it’s going to take something big for my stalker to actually come out of whatever wormhole he’s hiding in.

Justice picks up the phone and snatches the paper from my fingers.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Making sure you have some fun. Safe fun. There are three problems you have, my friend— getting laid, hung up on old loves, and the need for good sleep. This knocks all three out of the ballpark.”

“You’re not my boss anymore. I can argue with you on this, you know.”

Mischief lights her eyes. “You could. But I’d still win. Besides, payment has been made and it’s nonrefundable.”

Justice holds up a finger.

“Yes, I’d like to confirm the reservation for Ms. Kandy Lockhart. Yes. Eight this evening.” Satisfied with herself Justice returns the phone to its cradle.

“Why is it so expensive? Does every room come with the same price tag?”

“No clue. All I know is they dropped that price tag on me to get you in. Maybe it depends on what your needs are. I do know reservations are like gold for non key bearers. Hard to dig up and once found they turn into dreams coming true. Once in the room—by the way, I took care to pick the right one just for you—you’ll need extra time, so I made sure you have that, and I made sure to claim a reservation for a second date should you need it.”

I almost choke on my tongue. “Second? I don’t even know if I’ll take the first.”

“You will. What other plans do you have for Christmas Eve? Besides, non-refundable, remember?”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Yep.” Justice pulls fresh strawberries from a small fridge tucked out of sight and we settle on the couch again.

“I haven’t had a man’s touch since the night they rejected me, Justice. I don’t know if I can do this. And with complete strangers,” I say honestly.

My friend pops a red berry into her mouth and considers me for a moment. “You have a few hours to get in the right headspace. Trust me when I say tonight will meet every expectation you have of finally taking a man and then some.”

Trust isn’t something I give freely. But I do trust Justice. She always has my back and I have hers.

“You can do this. Once you break through the fear barrier in here.” She taps the side of my head. “You’ll find a side of yourself you’ve never known. It was that way with me and the men. When I sold myself at auction with the hopes of trying to move on from the very men I ended up with, I never dreamed it would actually put me right where I needed to be. You can find that same level of happiness too. Life is more than sliding away to your castle and being lonely.”

Talk about nailing down my life in a nutshell. “I’m happy for you, babe. I just don’t hold any high expectations of happily-ever-after happening for me.”

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