Page 63 of Her Last Audition

Pulling it to my face, I scream as loud as I can.

“Fuckkkk!!!”

The curse helps.

35

Atlas

Fell in Love with a Girl

No amountof liquor can tame the fury in my blood, though I don’t know if I’m more mad at myself or at her. I’ve never allowed a woman to become so close to me, to get under my skin the way Kinsey has begun to.

What just happened? Feels like fucking betrayal. And I feel like a fucking moron. That I’d let it bother me this much is as bad as the rest.

I’m almost across the warehouse to my office when I hear a muffled “Fuck!” come from Kinsey’s room and feel the corner of my mouth turn up. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the bitch swear and get a small but perverse satisfaction that I affect her as she does me.

Always figured her too sweet for that kind of thing, but then again I thought her too good for a lot of shit. Apparently, it doesn’t matter how fucking good you are; duplicity is still the name of the fucking game for everyone but me. Always a goddamn game.

At least when I’m an asshole, I fucking own it.

I consider going home but a look at the clock tells me it's almost 3 AM. The sight of the shitty couch along the wall of my office instantly makes me realize the tiredness in my body. It’s been a long fucking day.

I catch sight of the forgotten tequila bottle and drink down the last dregs before dropping onto the couch.

But as angry as I fucking am, and as drunk as I am, I still can’t get the fucking knot of guilt out of my stomach.

It takes me a long time to fall asleep.

* * *

“You’rea real piece of work, you know that, kid?”

I groan at the sound of Jason’s voice above me and look up squinting into the face of the bastard himself. I glance quickly over to the clock and realize I’ve only been asleep for a few hours.

“Fuck off,” I tell him, turning over to my side, despite the couch being significantly too small for my frame.

Something nudges my back and I whip around with a growl. Before I can say anything, a fist flies out and hits me in the face. I look up at Jason with a stunned expression.

“What the fuck, man!” I jump to my feet, but the idiot only takes a step away, crossing his arms.

“I warned you not to hurt her, man. You’re lucky all you get is a punch in the mouth,” Jason warns, wagging a finger at me. I groan and run a hand down my face, rubbing out the soreness.

“What fucking lies is the bitch spouting? I didn’t do shit.”

Jason raises an eyebrow at me.

“No?”

I bristle at the condescending tone, but brush past him and toward my desk. Ignoring him, I pick up my phone and scroll through.

“Atlas.” Jason’s voice holds a warning and I grit my teeth.

“Can you stay the fuck out of my business? Seriously, man, what the fuck.” I throw my hands up, exasperated.

“That girl is my business, whether you like it or not. What the hell happened? I’ve been gone a day and she’s in her room sobbing. What did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did anything?” I reply as I realize she didn’t tell him, anyway.

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