Page 24 of Tender Offer
“Tam, I promise I’m okay. I like Preston, but I’m not some naïve girl who thinks meeting a handsome man—”
“Who might have a hidden family—”
“He doesn’t.” I laugh and sit on the sofa. Like clockwork, room service delivers fresh fruit with a pastry every morning. Today’sispain au chocolat. I hold the phone in the crook of my neck and dig in. “His family business keeps him on a plane, not a wife and kids.”
“And where is he now?” Detective Johnson interrogates.
“London, I think.”
“See!” she says, like she solved a game of Clue.
“No!” I mock heraha!tone. “We talk on the phone, and we email.”
“Every day?”
“Just about,” I say around a bite of flaky dough. “There are times he works late, but he always makes a point to check in. Stop looking for a scandal that isn’t there, Tam. He’s kind and considerate. Being with him is easy, but we have an expiration date. Simple as that.”
“Maddie. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Just…take care of yourself, okay? Getting so close so quickly could be a recipe for disaster, especially if you’re not up-front about who you are.” Tammi gentles her voice. We’ve only been friends for as long as I’ve known Preston, but we tell each other everything.
“I hear you,” I say. “Put your books away and get some sleep.”
She yawns. “Don’t have to tell me twice. Same time in two weeks?”
“It’s a date.”
Tammi and I kicked off our junior year with jobs. She’s interning at a financial services company to build her résumé. My part-time gig is less sexy. I tutor French students in English at the host university. The money is decent, and the hours are flexible. I don’t have to rely on my credit card, and I earn spare change to buy international calling cards.
Preston offers to pay for whatever I need. Money is no object to him, but to me, it’s freedom. I refuse to put myself in a situation where I have to rely on a man to take care of me. Staying in his penthouse already crosses that line.
Tam’s words sit with me for the rest of the day. Am I in over my head? I’ve never lived with a man before. So far, it’s good. There’s no pressure to do anything I don’t want to do—not that I see him all the time. We haven’t had sex yet, which is an anomaly. We can’t keep our hands or mouths off each other, but it never escalates to more.
Preston is affectionate with forehead kisses and hugs. We go out on dinner dates or strolls whenever he’s here, and he still makes his presence known while he’s away, sending the sweetest handwritten cards with his flowers.
Maybe Tammi is right. Maybe Preston has someone else who satisfies that physical part of him. I don’t want to believe it, but if he pays for this penthouse, he can afford a harem.
We talk about our lives to a certain extent. Part of the reason I hold back is because he does. I can’t be homelessandsprung.
I told myself not to jump into another relationship, and I won’t with someone who lives overseas—even if he takes my breath away with a single look.
When our time together ends, I’ll walk away.
No hard feelings.
No regrets.
Chapter 13
Madison
Now
Styling is an art I don’t take lightly. It requires a certain finesse to assess trends, experiment with looks, and cement a personal brand. Fashion shows. Photo shoots. Red carpets. My résumé is photographed moments of time in unforgettable fabrics.
I’ve come a long way since I was a poor college student who chased after rich kids to touch up their closets. Celebrities and other high-profile clients now absorb my time, but I don’t discriminate. If you can afford my fee, which includes travel and accommodations, I’m yours.
Wearing hard wigs that double as helmets.
Stepping out in clothes two sizes too big.
