Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel Bella Emy (best ebook reader for laptop .TXT) 📖

manage. I can’t even keep a fuck buddy on the side before I blow up and scare him off without thinking of the past.

Yeah, so maybe I hadn’t scared Kalen off. Maybe I had scared myself away, but I know for a fact it would just be a matter of time until he’d take off once more like he did way back when.

After Joanna and I head our separate ways, I decide to use the restroom before I head back home. The last thing I need after drinking this much is to pee on myself while I’m on the ride home. No, I’m not too far from home, but still. I don’t want to take that chance.

I head inside the stall and relieve myself. How long had I been holding that in? I shrug, wiping myself, and then walk up to the sink to wash my hands. I get a glimpse of myself in the mirror and cringe. Did I really leave the house looking the way I do?

I’ve got on a black shirt that looks like it belonged to my grandmother. All the women my age in the bar are showing at least a little bit of cleavage. Me? I’m covered all the way up to my neck. I look up and stare at my face. Not terrible, but could be better. At least my hair is still in place.

I leave the ladies’ room, head back to the front of the bar, and pull my cell phone out of my back pocket. Still no calls or messages from Erin. Damn, I must have really messed up this time for her not to return any of them still. I felt like I didn’t have a choice but to leave though. How could I stay any longer when I was feeling the way I was?

Empty.

Devastated.

Heartbroken.

I was heartbroken all over again. Not because of something new Kalen did, but because of all the memories that being with him brought back. How could I possibly move past them and disregard everything that took me so long to forget?

But had I ever really forgotten if everything came rushing back the minute I set eyes on him once more?

“Lexi, what a pleasant surprise!” I hear a familiar voice calling from behind me.

Spinning around, I’m greeted by a handsome smile and deep blue eyes that even the dim setting of the bar can’t hide.

I swallow hard. “Mark. How are you?”

He walks up to me and pulls me in for a hug. “Come here, girl.”

I suck in a deep breath but let him greet me in a very tight embrace.

I feel his hands start running down the length of my body, and that’s when I decide to pull back. “So how’ve you been?” I ask once more, trying to divert the conversation into safer grounds.

He stands back and lets his eyes scan my body. I’m suddenly glad I decided on a shirt that covered my cleavage. If I could shudder right now, I would. Why does he always make me feel this way? He’s not a bad looking guy at all. He’s actually very cute. But something about the way he acts and the way he carries himself just turns me off completely.

“Good,” he almost whispers but continues assessing me. “Damn, it’s so good to see you again. You here alone?”

“I was with Joanna… she just left, and I was on my way home.”

He nods, still smiling at me. “A little birdie told me you were coming back to me.” A wicked smile forms on his face.

“I’m sorry? What?”

He chuckles, looks down at the ground before him, and then once his eyes meet with mine, his hand shuffles through his messy blond hair. “You’re coming back to work for me… my little sexy receptionist.” He licks his bottom lip and takes a step toward me.

Can I hurl now?

“I don’t work for you, Mark. I work for Mr. Elmers. And yes, I made the decision to come back to the office. The lounge didn’t work out.”

He frowns and tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “Yes, I heard about that. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can make you feel better though.” He pulls me closer to him so that my body is flush with his.

Should I let him comfort me? Maybe sleeping with him would make me forget how awful I feel about everything that happened out in California. Maybe if I lose myself with him tonight, it will take away all the pain and stress I’ve been feeling each time I relive my memories with Kalen.

He leans closer to my ear and whispers. “Damn, sexy. Your curves feel so nice on me. Even though your tits are covered, I know how amazing that cleavage looks, and this ass…” he grips my backside, squeezing hard and adds, “is so damn tight…”

I shake my head. I can’t do this. I can’t sleep with Mark. It wouldn’t be right.

I push away from his hold on me. “I’m sorry, Mark. I’ve got to go, and you hitting on me will get you reported to HR. Good-bye.”

“Wait, Lexi!” he calls out after me, but I’m already heading out the door, dashing for my car.

“Ow… never again.” I lift my head off of the pillow but immediately decide that was a bad idea.

Did I say bad? I mean terrible. The worst.

It pounds. Like a damn stampede of elephants and other jungle animals running through it. Why had I decided to go out drinking last night?

Ah, yes. Because Joanna had asked me. Because after I told her I’d be coming back to work, she had told me she needed to talk.

But when the hell had I gotten home last night? I don’t even remember leaving the bar.

“Ugh… how could I?” But I do remember Mark, and me almost considering to sleep with him. What the hell had I been thinking? Maybe I wasn’t. Maybe that was the crazy amount of alcohol I had consumed that evening.

I flip over