Page 61 of Keeper
And she’s going to take him home and screw his brains out,I thought, a nausea sinking in the pit of my stomach.
Still, I desperately clung to some hope that I could be mistaken. But those hopes were quickly put to rest when the Lamborghini doors slid up and out stepped the tall, handsome man from the club.
I pressed the ball of my fist to my forehead and discreetly mourned.
Nooooo.
Tanner wasn’t in a suit this time, but even in joggers and a plain muscle tee, his aura screamedmoney.Do rich people get their sweatpants tailored? Because his weregluedto his tree-trunk thighs.
“That’s him!” Marta squealed, bouncing in her seat.
Carried by his long and strong legs, the athlete strode ahead, towards the entrance of the Arboretum. His round ass jutted up and out, defying gravity and daring you not to drool at the spectacle.
“Quick!” Marta turned to me. “How do I look?!”
How do you look?I’d sacrificed my whole morning to make sure she looked her absolute best.Look at me.I looked disgusting—no makeup, my tangled hair pulled into a messy bun, and looking dumpy in a baggy t-shirt and leggings. Not evenniceleggings, by the way, but basic ones that had gone through the wash a thousand times and had the ratty pilling to prove it.
“You look great,” I muttered. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Great!” she cheered as she reached for the door handle.
“Wait!” I stammered. “Marta, I have to tell you something.”
But it was too late—Marta wasn’t stopping for me. She pushed her door open and jumped out to chase afterherathlete.
I didn’t move. All I could do was think how, once Tanner saw me, he was going to laugh, and wonder how I’d ever managed to trick him.Ifhe even recognized me. I stayed seated, clutching the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I couldn’t move if I wanted to. I wished this couldallgo away.
Would he say something? Would he tell her? She’d never forgive me, even though I didn’t do anything wrong.
Marta realized I hadn’t moved. She ran back to the car and yanked my door open. “Hey! Aren’t you coming?” she said. But she reeled back when she laid her eyes on me. “God, what’s wrong with you? You look like shit. Are you okay?”
I glanced at the sickly image of myself in the rear view mirror—I was as white as a ghost, my lips blue.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” I murmured.
“Ugh, don’t youdarescrew this up for me, Ainsley. All you have to do is take the pictures. Leave the rest to me,” she said, stamping off after Tanner.
My hands shook as I picked up my camera. I opened the door and stepped out, my knees trembling.
23
Tanner
I made my way up the paved path to the Arboretum entrance.Before I could get there, a pair of feet wentclompingon the pavement behind me.
“Tanner! Tanner!”
I turned around. A girl waved frantically as she raced after me, her breasts bouncing with her hurried step.
“That’s so funny!” she said as she neared. “We parked right next to each other!”
I could see why Pete drooled over this girl and set this thing up in the first place—she was attractive and she obviously knew it. Her curvy figure was stuffed into skin-tight jeans and, through her sheer top, I could plainly see her black bra and the ink that ran down her side in cursive lettering. She looked like she could’ve been one of the girls at the club last night.
But then, over her shoulder, lurking twenty feet behind, I spotted a familiar face.
Ainsley?
Euphoria gripped my heart—the world suddenly made perfect sense, and I knew my performance in net last night wasn’t a fluke.Thiswas exactly what Cooper had been trying to make me understand: that everything truly doeshappen for a reason, and the mysteries of the world would gladly reveal themselves to you if you simply watched and listened.
