Roman-2(Lane Brothers, Book 5)(166)

Sasha wanted to throw up. How could an evening that ended in bliss have given way to such a horrible new day?

She pushed past Alicia and bolted for the door.

Out on the street, the cold air slapped her. She drank it in, letting it quell her panic. There was a billboard just outside her office. It was advertising Thomas’s new movie.

Sasha stared up at his face and realized this was going to haunt her forever.





Chapter Seven



Sasha woke the next morning on her sofa, feeling dazed. She had very little memory of getting back to her flat, but she did remember double locking all the doors and shutting all the curtains. And she remembered whiling away the rest of the evening curled up on the sofa, her whole body trembling as she sifted through the media reports and images. Then came the snowballing messages from friends and strangers alike; her phone constantly pinging and ringing as more and more people caught up with the news story and tried to get in touch. Suddenly, she had messages from people who hadn’t bothered speaking to her since the first year of college, all trying to get a piece of her.

The one that made her heart ache the most, though, was from her mother. It read simply: I think you should come home.

One person had rung more than anyone. Thomas. Sasha couldn’t fathom why. What was there possibly left to talk about? Unless he was just going to use his smooth talking to make sure she didn’t press charges?

She didn’t know what to do. All she knew was that she hated him. Despised him. Because of him, her life had descended from ecstasy to a nightmare in less than twenty-four hours. She never wanted to hear the name Thomas Lloyd again.

Just then, she heard a knock.

She pulled herself to standing and opened the front door. When she saw who was standing there, she staggered back in surprise. It was Chris.

“Hi,” he said shyly.

“What are you doing here?” Sasha stammered.

He looked awkwardly at his feet. “I’m sure you can work it out, Sash.”

The tape. Of course. Why else would Chris appear on her doorstep after so many months?

There was a blush rising up his neck.

So he’s watched it then, Sasha thought. Aloud she said, “You’d better come in.”

As Chris entered the flat, she noticed he was carrying a suitcase.

“You planning on staying?”

“This isn’t for me,” Chris replied. “It’s for you. For your clothes. Your mom wants me to bring you home.”

Sasha’s heart ached. She directed Chris into the living room, and they sat together on the couch.

“You must think I’m such an idiot,” Sasha said, as he lowered himself beside her.

He shook his head and clasped her hands. “Not at all. He’s an actor. It’s his job to manipulate people. I just don’t understand how it happened.”

Sasha could read between the lines. What Chris was really saying was, ‘How could Thomas Lloyd sleep with someone like you?’ She didn’t understand it herself. Because she was gullible enough to fall for it? Because she was easy prey? Because every other woman he’d slept with hadn’t been dumb enough to get themselves caught on camera?

“I don’t know,” Sasha replied, mournfully.

“You understand that he abused you,” Chris said. “That sex tape is a crime.”

Sasha wasn’t in the mood for his condescension. “Yes. I know.”

“Will you press charges?”

“I don’t know.”

Chris squeezed her hands. “Sash. Please come back home. The journalism thing just wasn’t meant to be.”

Her chest ached, as she looked down at Chris’s hands. Things had been good with him, hadn’t they? They had definitely been simple. Easy. He’d adored her.

So when Chris moved his head towards her, she didn’t move away. His kiss was soft, tender, and familiar. She let him kiss her, her lips going through the motions, her body feeling nothing. He wasn’t Thomas. No one ever would be.

But he could make her happy in other ways.

When he pulled back, there was a dreamy look in his eyes. “Let me take you home, Sash.”

After a long pause, she nodded. Chris was right. Getting out of Chicago would be the best thing. She could go home to her mom’s and rest until the whole thing had blown over, if it ever could.

Chris breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll go and pack for you.”

He squeezed her hand and left the living room.

Sasha sat on the sofa in something of a trance. She’d become the helpless damsel she was always so terrified to be. She had let Thomas use her, then let Chris come in and save the day. When had she become such a sap?

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. She could hear people shouting. “Thomas! Thomas over here!”