Page 100 of Call Me Mrs. Taylor

The comments roll in.

maxmillionz You look tired sis

monsternikkiinsrilanka Who did it?

bobsnvagine626 As soon as you say something nice about a man, they embarrass you. I saw it coming

I blink fast, refocusing, then swipe the foundation over my skin.

“Don’t y’all worry about me,” I say. “I get down, but I don’t stay down. No man can ever hurt me. Trust and believe. The only time I’m hurt is when I let myself down.”

Because that’s all this is, really. A mistake in strategy. And that’s something I can fix.

“Next time y’all see me, it will be handled,” I say. “Might even have the ring on my finger. Bet it.”

meetthegramz Delulu

boytoy6969 I’m concerned

kevinsamulzheart09 If you pull this off, bottle it and sell it

I smile into the camera. “It’s very simple, ladies. You just have to give men their space sometimes. We don’t chase, right? We give them space and wait for them to come back home. That’s it, and that’s all.”

Ace’s back door opens without a sound.

The only thing a modern smart lock can’t outsmart is an observant woman. I memorized the code the second time I saw Ace key it in.

I also know he never arms his alarm system. He thinks because he has two guns, he doesn’t need the added security. I think it’s a whole macho thing.

I also knew I needed to wait until after 1 a.m., because it takes Ace a couple of hours to enter REM sleep. He doesn’t hear the door chime when he’s in REM.

Best of all, no ring camera back here.

Inside, the condo smells just like him. I smile at the lingering trace of his cologne, closing my eyes to breathe it in, letting it settle into my lungs like oxygen. It’s fuel for me, something I need to power me through this next phase.

It will be worth it in the end.

I tiptoe up the stairs, stopping outside his bedroom door. The faint sound of his intermittent snores makes me warm all over. I wish I could spend tonight being lulled to sleep by that sound, but I can’t.

I push the door open and slip inside to find him on his back, one arm thrown over his face. The gentle glow of the moonlight casts shadows across his jawline, making him look like something that belongs in the Louvre.

I kneel beside the bed, close enough to feel his warmth, and to touch. But I don’t. Not yet.

Instead, I grab his phone. My fingers move quick, finding his messages, emails, and call logs. My heart pounds, and my breathing speeds, but I get the job done, sending what I need to my phone. Tori’s guy sent me clear instructions.

I put his phone back, then stand to watch over him like I’m his guardian angel. The steady rise and fall of his chest is hypnotic.

I lose track of time.

Even now, after unceremoniously dumping me the way he did, he’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And after everything I’ve been through, don’t I deserve to have something beautiful in my life?

I do.

It infuriates me that he doesn’t get that.

He doesn’t stir when I settle onto the bed. Doesn’t move when I slowly pull back the duvet cover and reveal his nakedness.

My mouth waters.

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