Page 5 of Engaging Evelyn (Blissful Bets)

The door closed behind her, and she locked it, still half in a daze from what had just happened. Evelyn brushed her finger against the plastic still clutched against her palm. Shit! Now she would have to go and drop off the key. Bill must have slipped it in her purse when she wasn’t looking.

What in the hell was she going to do? Evelyn collapsed on her black leather couch and kicked her stilettos to the floor. Deep breaths, that’s all she could do. Robotically, her head turned into the direction of her purse sitting beside her on the couch. The phone was sticking out of the top like a red flag. She grabbed it, knowing just who to call. Julie answered on the third ring.

“Evelyn, what’s up? You’re calling early.”

At her soothing voice, Evelyn smiled and, closing her eyes, leaned back against the cool leather. “I only had one house to show today. How are things at the office? Hopefully, Henry isn’t giving you too much trouble for being late to court.”

“No, he’s in a good mood today, thank God. Mr. Boss-Man must have got him some ass last night.”

Evelyn laughed. She couldn’t help it. Henry owned the law firm where Julie worked. She had been a paralegal there before finishing school to become a lawyer. Now, she practically ran the place when Henry wasn’t in the office. Julie was a damn good lawyer, specializing in divorce and child custody cases.

“Evelyn, what’s wrong. Something is bothering you, I can tell. Talk to me.”

She rolled her eyes against the tears already starting to collect. “I’m not sure. I thought the bets would help. They’re not helping. If anything it’s getting harder.” Evelyn noticed the last of the words almost didn’t make it from her lips. This was bad. Worse than she wanted to admit out loud.

“You’re lonely.” Julie got quiet for a few seconds. “I’m going to give you a word of advice. You’ve been running for too long now. I understand you don’t want to get into a relationship, but you need to take the first step. Get a boy toy or fuck buddy—it’ll help.”

“A boy toy, what the hell is that?”

Julie laughed. “It’s someone you fuck on a regular basis, no relationship attached, if you know what I mean. You fuck each other, maybe cuddle at night, and then lead your lives as if you’re single, no jealousy or messy breakups. It’s perfect.”

Evelyn twisted her mouth. “I don’t know, cuddle? It sounds a little intimate.”

“That’s the point, Ev. You get intimacy without a relationship. It’ll fill the hole, trust me.

I have one myself, and I still get to play Bets, so it’s all good.”

“You might have a point. Who’s your boy toy? You never told me you had one.”

Julie laughed again. “No way. It’s too embarrassing. Just take my advice and find yourself one. I have to go. My client just got here.”

Evelyn hung up the phone and looked back at the number nine. Would Bill make a good boy toy? It’s not like she had to tell anyone. With a flick of her wrist, Evelyn tossed the key on her glass coffee table and tried hard not to stare at the six that twisted her heart. Nine and six, which would it be this time? Why was she starting to feel like this was some sort of sign for her to open her eyes to something she was clearly missing?

Chapter 4

With one last look in the mirror, Evelyn was trapped by the sight of her reflection. The mass of dark waves swirled around her face, a face that looked paler than usual. Large green eyes, trimmed in blue, were almost blacked out by her pupils.

She looked as scared as she felt. Why was the thought of possibly spending the night with Bill so hard to come to grips with? Well, for one, she hadn’t slept in bed with a man since Stephen. Deep down, she knew she didn’t have to do this. She didn’t, so then why did she want to? Evelyn exhaled louder than necessary. She had no idea. With determination, she tried to focus on her appearance.

Black probably wasn’t the choice color to wear to make herself glow. It emphasized the paleness of her skin, which, for the coast, wasn’t a good thing. The men who frequented the area seemed to like their women tanned. Oh well. The girls were waiting, and she didn’t have time to contemplate what she was going to do, who she was going to be with, or what she was going to wear. One minute at a time, and if she decided to go to Bill or someone else, then she would, end of story.

Evelyn slid on her black stilettos to go along with the short black dress that hugged her curves. The open back was a little too much to wear into the cool weather, so she grabbed her black leather jacket, sliding it on. She had already transferred her makeup and ID into the black clutch and grabbed it as she walked out of the door.

The last person Evelyn expected to see was the golden-eyed stranger standing two doors down from her on the walkway. The keys stopped jingling in her hand as she froze.

“Now, now, where are you going looking like that?”

The look on the stranger’s face had her wanting to run down the stairs. My God, this guy was dangerous to her heart. He looked about ready to eat her alive. There was no hiding what his intentions were. He wanted her. That was evident from his eyes. Just thinking about the possibilities of how good they’d be together made her glance away from him. She couldn’t even risk thoughts leading in that direction.

The blood coursed like fire throughout Evelyn’s body. “I’m going out with friends. Have a great night.”

She spun around, locked the door as fast as she could, and headed right for the stairs. There was nothing to say, and she didn’t want to talk anymore. Panicked, her mind screamed for her to run. If she didn’t leave as fast as she could, she might just pull Mr. Drop-Dead-Gorgeous back into her apartment and never let him go.

As much as he would make a great boy toy, he was way too delectable. This stranger was someone a girl would fall in love with, and he wouldn’t think twice about breaking her heart. Well, that wasn’t going to happen to her again.

“Where are you and your friends going? Maybe I can meet you there.”

His words had Evelyn stumbling. She could feel herself pitching forward. Her air was suddenly cut off by a massive arm wrapping around her lower stomach.

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