One Night to Risk It All(15)

                “And I know who you are! A... A... I can’t even think of a bad enough word for what you are. And you’re no kind of man.”

                “You and I both know I am.”

                “The ability to trick a woman into letting you put your hard penis inside of her does not make you a man!”

                “Did I trick you? Or did I, like you, not tell you everything. I hardly forced you into bed.”

                No, he hadn’t. And that meant it was her fault. Her stupid, stupid fault.

                “But you...seduced me knowing that you would ruin my engagement. With the express intent of doing it!”

                “And you thought my seducing you would leave it intact? Is that it? Or are you just pissed because I planned it?”

                “Yes! I am pissed that you planned it. I thought we had something... I thought...” Her throat closed off, emotion, anger choking our her words.

                “Such a virgin, Rachel,” he said, his tone dry.

                “No, I’m not, and I think we both know it. Because of you!” And even before that she’d lacked innocence. Which meant she should have known, she did know. But he’d made her forget.

                “Because of you, agape,” he said, tugging his slacks up and doing the button. “You made your choice. Don’t be angry with me because I outed you as being faithless.”

                Before she could measure her response, his wallet was sailing out of her hands, skimming his ear, hitting the wall behind him. “Out!” she screamed.

                She had just destroyed her engagement. The future of her family’s company. All for sex. Sex with a man who’d been using her. Tricking her. Trying to hurt Ajax...

                Ajax, who hadn’t deserved this treatment at all. Who cared for her. And her father... After all he’d done for her...

                She pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Out. Out. Out,” she said.

                “Rachel...”

                “You ruined my life!” she screamed, flinging her arms wide. “I thought you were different. I thought you made me...feel something and you were just lying. I blew up my life for you and it was a lie!”

                “I never promised you anything. You made a mistake. Unhappily for you.”

                “Don’t call him,” she said, her stomach sinking. “Just don’t call him.”

                “I don’t have to,” he said. “You won’t marry him.”

                “One night with you and I’m going to leave the man I’ve been engaged to for years? I hardly think so,” she said. Only a few moments ago, she would have. Just a few short moments ago.

                She would have exposed herself to scandal, exposed her family to it. She would have destroyed everything she’d spent years rebuilding for him. What had she been thinking?

                And now...what had she done? What was wrong with her? She hadn’t thought, not for a moment. She’d been feeling. Lost in some inane fantasy that had no hope of ever coming true.

                Now she was sitting here, all of it burned down, ash at her feet, the hero of the story revealed as a villain.