Page 8 of Abel

That’s easy, a number of things such as my boss.

Thatpigfired me after I denied him the rights to my goodies.

Can you believe that? He thought that I was a starving artist that would do anything to rise to the top.

I mean, sure, if he were a silver fox and had the daddy vibe going for him, I would have maybe thought about it.

Thankfully he wasn’t, so I was able to respectfully decline his advances, but clearly, he isn’t a man that’s used to being told no.

I should have punched him in the balls or even taken him firing me to the higher ups, but since he owned the gallery… There was nothing I could have done.

There were many qualities I found as to why I loved my job, like showing off my work when he would allow it.

That was the first sign… When he would allow me to show my work. I should have seen right through that, saw that he would want something in return, but I didn’t.

Until it was too late.

But he isn’t the only reason things have gone from bad to worse.

My ex-boyfriend is the big one.

I still can’t believe he dumped me, on Christmas Day, andafterthe amazing sex we had.

I should have seen it for what it was… Break-up sex.

It was damn near perfect in every way I could have imagined it to be.

Jake had me doing all kinds of different things with my legs which made me deem myself the human pretzel because I’m sure that's exactly what I looked like.

Rearranging my guts never felt better.

I’m only kidding, it was good, but it wasn’tthatgood.

I’ve yet to meet someone that can do that to me, but he did make my toes curl.

Jake’s never given me multiple orgasms the way he did that night.

Fucking Jake! “Ugh, shut the fuck up about that dirtbag already! Hedumpedyou!” I shout, willing myself to stop thinking about him.

Rolling over in my queen size bed, taking my pillow with me to toss back over my face, I groan, remembering what I thought was going to be the best day of my life because clearly I have issues and won’t let it go.

“Darling, are you paying attention to me?” He asked. I lied and said yes even though I wasn’t. I was so focused on the little, black, velvety box he pulled from his coat pocket that I couldn’t hear anything else.

My nerves bunched together in the pit of my stomach as I watched the box burn a hole in the pristine, white tablecloth next to our half-eaten meals.

I was giddy, excited, and nervous all in one, and with good reason. He began speaking as a beautiful, blond waitress, or so I thought, came to stand near him, hand resting a little too possessively on his shoulder for my liking.

Red flags began to blur my vision, but I pushed them to the furthest corner to where I could no longer see them, ready to give this man my entire life and whatever else he asked for.

“So, you agree with me then?” He asks when I hadn’t even realized I was shaking my head.

“I’m sorry, agree with what? Who’s the blond?” I nod in her direction as a shit-eating grin beams back at me. It made my palm twitch with the need to smack the shit out of her scrunched-up, mousy face.

She picks up the box, taking out a beautiful, Princess-cut, pink-ice diamond ring and slips it on her boney, little finger. “I’m his fiancée and it’s time he stops parading around with the likes of you so we can get started on our forever together.”

Stars.

That’s all I could see beyond the words this little bitch was speaking to me. The blood drained from every part of my body, traveling up to my face, cheeks, and neck because I felt and saw it.

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