Page 87 of Crash

“Don’t call me Lucky. The unluckiest day of my life was the day I met you, and the only person I want to leave is you, Tori,” he says, sounding bored. He takes a piece of my hair and puts it behind my ear. “Thanks for the coffee, love,” he says as he takes a sip. “Did everything go okay?” he asks. It’s as if he’s totally forgotten that Tori is in the office watching us.

“Her?” she asks, pointing a manicured finger at me. “Really? Look, I don’t care about her. I hurt you and she was available, I guess, but I’m back now. She’s a receptionist, for fuck’s sake. I’m getting a law degree from NYU. Are you seriously going to take her to events and introduce her to your family and their associates? She’s no one.”

I’m hardly ever struck speechless. A sharp retort and a stinging word are always on my tongue when warranted. Call it a trait inherited by my father, but I can dish it out as well as I can take it, but Victoria Palmer has rendered me speechless.

She didn’t have the same effect on Luke, though. He throws his head back and laughs. I can feel his abs flexing underneath me. He tightens his hold on me, leans closer, and inhales my wild hair.

“I forgot what a social-climbing bitch you can be, Tori. You think everyone thinks like you, don’t you? You look at Vivi and see a receptionist and nothing else. I promise you, she’s ten times smarter and more ambitious than you will ever be. The difference is, she doesn’t shit on others on her way to the top. In case you didn’t hear me the last time, and I admit, maybe I wasn’t forceful enough. I had just come back from Arizona, hadn’t seen Vivi in over a week, and I was desperate to be with her. I might have given you a little more regard than you deserved, so listen up. I feel nothing for you. Whatever feelings I had, died a long time ago. There is nothing that you can say or do to get me back. I’m sure you can get your claws in some other rich boy at NYU or Columbia. Harvard is only a few miles away. Why don’t you go try your luck there? Just get the hell out ofhere.”

I see the tears flood her eyes, but she catches herself fast. She takes a deep breath, fluffs her hair, and takes another step closer to the desk.

“I deserved those words, Lucky.”

“I told you not to fucking call me that.” In an instant, we’re out of the chair. He stands over the desk, both hands planted on top. “Don’t you fucking come in here and make declarations. Get the hell out.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, sounding desperate. “We made a child together. You wanted to marry me, and now you want to act as if those things meant nothing. We will always be connected.”

“What?” I say. I turn to look at Luke, who has now gone completely white. His lips are pursed shut as well as his eyes. When he opens them, he looks at me, and from that one look, I know her words are true.

Having enough of this woman, I step in front of her and look up at her face. “What the hell are you talking about? You have a child?” I look at the plastic Barbie in front of me, disgusted. No way would the Lucas Clark I know have a child and not be in its life. No way.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?” she says, triumphant. “Listen, you don’t know—”

“Tori, shut the hell up and get out of here. Now!”

“I still love you! There is no one out there like you!” she yells.

“Well, I don’t love you. I’m in love with this woman,” he says, grabbing me and holding me to his side. “What we had was nothing, Tori. It’s over.”

“It was enough to make a baby,” she pleads, tears falling down her face.

“A baby you didn’t want. A baby you aborted behind my back, and you didn’t even have the guts to face me after doing it. What the hell makes you think I would ever have anything to do with you again?”

The entire room hears my gasp. She looks at me, eyes me up and down, flips her hair, and turns back to Luke. Her tears continue to fall as she angrily swipes them away.

“I made a mistake, Luke. Please.”

“You made achoice. You made it and didn’t even tell me until three days later.” I feel him tense around me, and to absorb some of his pain, I wrap my arms around him, offering him solace. “I’m not going to tell you again. Get out.” The venom is gone from his voice. He’s simply resigned.

Her shoulders sag, and she quickly wipes away a few stray tears.

“I know you’re angry, but please call me. I can make this right. We can make another baby in a few years.” She starts to walk away, but she stops when I call her name. She doesn’t bother to turn around as she waits for me to speak.

“He’s not going to call you.” I can see her shoulders tense at my words. “You were right about one thing, though. There is no one else out there like Lucas Clark, and I have him. I can give you a long speech about how great our relationship is, but you might get it in your head that you’re competition when in reality, you’re nothing. You’re not worth it.”

Dejected, she walks out without another word.

“That bitch has some nerve coming in here and declaring her love for you with me sitting on your lap. Who the hell does she think she is? I should follow her outside and kick her condescending ass. What did you ever see—”

He shuts me up by kissing me senseless.

“Don’t you dare kiss me, Lucas Clark!” I yell. I surprise us both when I push him away and he takes a step back. Shocked by the display, he takes a step towards me, but I hold my hands up.

“I’ve told you every detail about me and my life. I’ve invited you into the clusterfuck relationship I have with my mother and you keep this from me. I asked you the last time she was here, and you told me she was your ex. You never mentioned she was pregnant with your baby and that you wanted to marry her. You basically lied by omission.”

He takes a step forward, and I take one back. I shake my head, warning him not to come any closer.

“Is this what you do? Do you ask everyone woman you’re involved with to move in and marry you?”

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