Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Some of her angry words replayed in my head. She'd said something about me “adding her to my list.” That sounded like something my manager had mentioned a few months ago. He warned me that I was dating too much, and that I was getting a reputation in the media. I'd shrugged off his comments without a second thought, knowing he was just concerned about sponsorship dollars. Was this what Kayla had been talking about?
I pulled off at the next exit for gas and had the bizarre impulse to search the Internet for my name, just to see what would come up. I had to assume this was where Kayla had gotten her information about me. What did she see?
I smiled at first as I started to flip through the image results. There were some good memories there; some fun nights. But the longer I looked, the more I realized how this might look to Kayla. I had dated a lot. I had been with a lot of women. But I didn't hurt them; I made it clear at the start that things wouldn't get serious.
Part of me had known that kissing Kayla might complicate things, but I couldn't resist her. Her body was amazing, and it had felt so good against mine. She was drop dead gorgeous, but she didn't act like she knew it, like most of the women I dated. And she was clearly a racing fan; I had to laugh about that. I pulled back onto the highway, knowing I would never be able to drive far enough to get her out of my head.
I needed to get in touch with her again, and I needed her to listen to me this time. She was obviously hurt by what had happened in our family, and I needed to make things right with her. I needed her to understand that I'm not like my father.
Since Kayla hadn't been honest with me when we'd met for the interview, I felt justified using a little deceit to get a chance to see her again. Actually, I wasn't going to be full-on deceitful, but I knew she wouldn't be happy about my plan.
Two days had passed, and I hoped that had been enough cooling-off time for her. I needed to leave town tomorrow, but first I had to see her one more time.
I brought up her magazine's website again and found the real Marlee Lawson. I could be wrong, but my guess was that Kayla and Marlee were friends, since Kayla had chosen her name as an alias.
I dialed Marlee's direct number and she answered on the second ring.
"Marlee Lawson." The sound of fast tapping on a keyboard accompanied her greeting.
"Marlee, this call is going to sound unusual, so I'm hoping you'll bear with me."
"Okay." She drew the word out, the typing slowed, and I could tell I had her full attention.
"This is Axel Beckers. Your associate Kayla Brewster met with me earlier this week for an interview." I paused and Marlee indicated that she was already aware of that information. "Are you and Kayla friends?"
Marlee took a few moments before finally saying, "We hang out after work sometimes. And… I know that you and Kayla have a history."
I was relieved that Marlee had some familiarity with the situation. Hell, maybe Marlee knew what was going on inside Kayla's head, and I was almost tempted to ask her, because I could really use the insight. God, I felt like a schoolboy trying to get through to a girl I liked by way of her friend.
"I could really use your help. I'm about to leave town, and I need to see Kayla before I go. I don't think she'll see me if I just show up to meet with her at the office."
"I'm not going to tell you where she lives, if that's what you're asking," Marlee said.
I was quick to respond. "No, that's not what I'm asking. I had the idea that I could visit you at the office and happen to run into Kayla, or maybe outside. Somewhere public. I just want to be able to talk with her."
The line was quiet and I estimated that I had a 50/50 chance of this working out.
Finally she spoke, her words coming out accompanied by a long sigh. "Okay. Tonight at seven. Show up at Harman's. It's on Third, around the corner from our offices. I think I can talk her into going there."
CHAPTER 8
RELEASE
KAYLA
I still wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone about what had happened with Axel. I managed to get started writing the interview, but I had erected a brick wall in my mind, keeping all the emotional stuff behind it as best I could. At times, I could feel the wall threatening to crumble.
At the same time, I was kicking myself, of course. How in the world had I thought that seeing him and flirting with him would somehow free me from him? It had made sense to me at the time, but it now seemed like the dumbest idea in the world. I'd thought I'd built him up to god-like status in my mind, but it turned out that real, live, grown-up Axel was pretty damn spectacular. And even more unforgettable than the Axel I'd been thinking about since I was a girl.