Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Deal’s off, Eve. I want more than six months.
Some enlightened part of her wanted to scoff at Madden’s parting shot. She’d waited for Madden to be her first time and now he was placing too much importance on a hymen. How silly.
But . . . it wasn’t silly.
Because waiting for Madden had been about a lot more than “saving herself” or “staying pure.” No, she didn’t buy into the belief that a woman had more value if she was untouched. In Eve’s case, however, the years of waiting were partly out of fear. The number of times in her life she’d been objectified and spoken to with disrespect had led to a wariness of men. Of their motives. What would happen if she put her faith in one of them?
Madden, though.
In his presence, she was free of fear. Of doubt.
Eve felt his protection and respect and love. And she didn’t want to settle for less.
So she’d waited.
“Okay, woman, you’re zoning out on me again,” Veda said, waving a hand in front of Eve’s eyes. “Please stop. It’s actually terrifying the way you’re suddenly staring at something in the corner.” Veda looked over her shoulder and whimpered. “Is it a ghost?”
“Not a ghost.” Eve waved a hand. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry; tell me why you’re staring into the ether.”
“I can’t.”
“Sometimes you take the whole mysterious vibe a little far, you know that?” Veda slumped back in her chair, crossing her legs unceremoniously. “Fine, I’ll start. Smith is cockblocking me. Vocally speaking.”
Eve sipped her coffee. “I need you to elaborate.”
Veda swallowed, her fingertip tracing a circle pattern onto her knee. “The All-Nighters are recording a demo and he won’t let me sing on any of the tracks. Nothing but backing vocals, anyway.” That finger was now stabbing into her knee. “It’s a battle every time I want to add one of my original songs to the set list. Or do anything but showcase him. I get what he means about the band sticking with its original vision, but . . . I don’t know. I’m just starting to feel more and more stifled. Creatively.”
Dump him.
That’s what Eve wanted to say.
Eve had heard Veda sing—she had pipes for days. If this guy was trying to prevent an audience from hearing that, he was afraid of being outshone. Period. That advice might come on a little too strong, however, especially from Eve, who’d never even attended one of their shows, so she took a roundabout tack.
“What do the other band members say?”
“The band was already formed when I joined. They’re all childhood friends, you know? All dudes. They’re not going to vote against him.”
Eve hummed. “What is the response when you sing at shows?”
“People like it, I think.” Veda shrugged. “Maybe they’re just being nice.”
“They’re not just being nice,” Eve said firmly. “You’re talented, Veda.”
The other girl sniffed. “I’m no Full Bush Rhonda.”
“Who is?” Eve deadpanned. “Look, keep fighting to be on the demo. Keep fighting to sing at shows. If it’s important to you, it should be important to him. Period.”
“Wow. That’s so real,” Veda said, sounding kind of hollow. “Sort of like Madden marrying you so the kids can have health insurance?”
Eve thought of Madden handing her the framed sketch outside the courthouse. How he’d spent hours cooking with the kids, teaching them how to play catch. “Yes . . . like that,” she managed.
Veda leaned forward. “I knew you were acting like a stoned ghost hunter over the Irish dude. The second I brought him up, you got that faraway look in your eye.”
“No, I didn’t,” Eve scoffed, not used to being called out. “I’m thinking about the construction. I’m running numbers and—”
“Stop lying.” Veda slapped a hand off the edge of the desk. “He banged your brains out, didn’t he?”
Eve rolled her eyes, perched her mouth on the spout of her coffee mug. “Veda.”
“Please. I’m losing faith in men. Tell me one of them knows what he’s doing. Tell me one of them isn’t just an entitled little bitch that expects everything and gives nothing.”
“Technically, I’m your boss and that makes this conversation inappropriate.”
“Then temporarily fire me, bro. Give me the dick digest.”
Eve was really good at keeping secrets, especially her own, but this odd euphoric feeling had been held prisoner inside her for a week and it weirdly wanted out. And yeah, maybe she did want to verify Madden was one of the good apples and perhaps inspire Veda to demand better from Smith in the process. “Fine, you’re fired. Temporarily.” Eve put her hands over her eyes. “He . . . um. He listens. He pays attention.”
“Stop. I’m already about to come.”
“Like, extremely close attention. When we were . . . you know. I swear I couldn’t breathe or blink or move a pinkie finger without him . . . reacting to balance me. Like his instincts are tied to mine. I don’t know how he did it, but he made me feel dominated and free at the same time. I couldn’t feel my legs afterward. I still can barely feel them.”