PLAYED - A BRITISH BAD BOY ROMANCE (73 page)

“Preston—are
you okay?”

Maddy
looked up at me from the heap of sheets she’d made on my bed. Her brown hair
was a tangled mess around her face and her green eyes flashed with concern as
soon as she lifted her head and saw me. She was wearing an undershirt of mine
and no panties. She looked more stunning than I’d ever seen her before.

I
closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her as I committed
her image to memory. This was how I wanted to remember her: her pretty face
still bleary from sleep, completely unaware of what was about to come; that
light dusting of freckles across her nose looking golden in the mid-morning
light; her full, delicate lips chapped from where I’d roughly kissed them the
night before.

“We
need to talk, Maddy,” I said, willing my voice not to break.

She
sat up on the bed and combed her hair with her fingers, trying to wrestle it
into place as I looked down at her. Her gaze drifted to my knuckles. “Preston,
you’re bleeding…”

“It’s
over,” I said, trying to push the words out past the lump in my throat. I could
feel everything inside of me screaming not to do this, to find some way to fuck
Jane and my father over.

But
there wasn’t a way that didn’t put Maddy directly in the line of fire. My
father had connections, and with an almost laughably small amount of his
fortune, he could make the rest of her life a living hell. I couldn’t do that
to her. She didn’t deserve it. I couldn’t let her go down with the ship because
of me.

“You
quit?” she asked, a glimmer of hope flaring in her eyes. She smiled. “That’s…
that’s great! I mean, we’ll have to figure a few things out now, but it’s what
you wanted, right?”

I
shook my head at her. She wasn’t getting it. I had to leave no doubt in her
mind as to what would happen next. “No. I didn’t quit. It’s over.
We’re
over.”

Maddy
stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. With every moment that passed, a
new expression washed over her face. First there was dumb shock, then
confusion, followed by a snort of denial, and then her lips quivered. That last
one didn’t leave her, and I could see her emerald eyes filling with tears.

“You
can’t be serious,” she whispered. I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to
hide my own tears.

“You’re
so stupid,” I said, turning my sob of despair into a rueful laugh. “You’re so
fucking stupid, Maddy. Don’t you get it? This whole thing has been one big
laugh at your expense! I mean really, how pathetic does a girl have to be to
fuck her stepbrother?”

When
I lowered my hands, Maddy was still looking at me. I wished she wouldn’t. It
only made things that much harder.

“Why
are you saying this?” she demanded, her voice cracking. “Why are you being so
cruel to me?!”

“Because
you deserve it!” I roared. I tried to imagine Jane’s face instead of hers and
felt my neck and face turn red with anger. “Because you’re fucked up and desperate
and everybody knows it but you! My father and your mother—they bet me a sad,
pitiful girl like you would do
anything
to resolve her daddy issues. I didn’t believe them, but look at you. I did it.
I won!”

Maddy
launched herself up from the bed and crossed the room to me. Tears streamed
down her face and she shook like a flower in a storm as she cupped my face in
her delicate hands.

“Stop
it, Preston. I don’t believe you. You wouldn’t do this to me. Not after
everything…”

I
seized her wrists and she gasped. I knew I was hurting her, but I had to or
she’d never believe me.

“You
stupid girl,” I whispered. I managed a sneer, though the disgust I spat was
aimed at me and not at her. “You filthy slut. You’d do anything to have a man
tell you you’re not worthless, wouldn’t you? You’re just like your mother—”

Finally,
something inside Maddy snapped. She slapped me so hard across my face I tasted
blood in my mouth. Stars burst in front of my eyes and I held my breath,
staring at the wall as she panted in front of me. At least now I had an excuse
not to look at her.

“You’re
a monster,” she said hoarsely. My soul fractured. In every word, I could feel
her beautiful, perfect heart was breaking. “You’re a fucking monster. I hope
you rot in hell.”

As
she grabbed her clothes and hurried from my room, I realized she’d never know
that I already was.

It
had been two weeks since I’d
last seen him.

The
agony had faded into a comfortable numbness that, at the very least, prevented
me from crying all night. In fact, sleep came now more than ever. I found
myself spending a lot of time unconscious, and for that I was never more
grateful.

Every
moment I spent in slumber was a moment I didn’t have to think about Preston
Harvey and how he’d ruined my life. And when the dreams came—the ones where we
were still together, where his lips crashed against mine so fiercely they stole
my breath away—a bit of wine was all that was needed to chase them away again.

He’d
tried to call me more than a few times since that morning in his room when he’d
finally admitted he was the same soulless beast his father was. He’d texted,
too, but I never read them. After the first three days I changed my number, and
after that, he only made one other effort to contact me. He sent me an envelope
in the mail with a check inside of me for one hundred thousand dollars.

I
didn’t want to cash it. I wanted to pretend like I’d never need anything from
Preston, or my family in general, ever again. But now that I was out of a job,
the sad truth was that I’d have to find a new one, and in the meantime I needed
a buffer to keep a roof over my head.

When
I handed the check over to the teller, I secretly wondered how much of his
winnings from my family’s sick little betting pool this constituted. I’d become
so filled with rage that I’d nearly snapped the pen in half when she’d asked me
to sign the back of it. I didn’t think that particular thought again.

What
good would it do, anyway? It was over and done with. I couldn’t go back in time
and fix it now. And in a way, Preston had freed me. I’d never trust my family
again, and because of his confession, I had finally cut ties with my toxic
mother. It was a step forward of some kind, anyway.

I
spent my days distracting myself by updating my resume, my LinkedIn profile,
and a number of other job-related things, anything that would take my mind off
of my past and point my thoughts toward the future, one that didn’t involve
getting used and discarded ever again.

I
would even date, as soon as I could get around to it. I wouldn’t let Preston
Harvey put me off men. I wouldn’t let what he’d done to me turn me angry and
bitter. I wasn’t about to become my mother, although now I could understand
just a little bit better what had led to her downfall as a human being.

It
didn’t make it right, but at least she wasn’t such a mystery to me anymore.

Just
as I was beginning to run out of things to do, I got the call that would change
my life forever. It was a call I hadn’t been expecting, one from a very
prestigious law firm looking for a new legal secretary to manage their office.

“Can
you come downtown for an interview around three?” the appointment-setter asked.

I
glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. Fuck it—I’d make it. “Yes,” I said.
“I’ll see you then.”

The
first thing I did, after getting dressed, was ride the bus for the very last
time. It took me to a Volvo dealership where I bought my first brand new car.
It was a splurge, but it was a well-deserved splurge, and one that would ensure
I was self-sufficient from now on. No more relying on public transport to get
me to my new job in a swanky office building downtown. I was a new woman. This
Madison Hearst didn’t depend on anyone but herself.

Once
I had my new car, my resume, and my interview clothes in order, I drove
downtown and sat through the mid-day traffic while waiting for the turn lane
into the parking garage to open up. I had no idea what the problem was. At
first I thought there might have been an accident, but as I got closer to the
source of the jam, I saw that a parade of news vehicles were blocking the
intersection as they tried to find parking spaces directly in front of the
Harvey Tower. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. It figured that they’d throw
one more wrench into the gears of my life before they were done with me.

Briefly,
I wondered what the hell the fuss was about. But it was probably just some
stupid PR move Preston or his father had coordinated. Maybe they hadn’t kicked
any puppies this week. That seemed newsworthy, all things considered.

Maybe
it was something about the wedding. That was only days out now. I couldn’t
think of why Mr. Harvey would do something like that at the tower, though.
Maybe my mother had put him up to it.

I
finally made it to the garage and parked, stuffing my printed-out garage pass
between the dashboard and windshield as I stepped out in the warm summer air. I
felt good today. I felt capable and vibrant. Preston obviously had done me the
courtesy of not blacklisting me, which meant that I now had a rather impressive
resume at my disposal. Thank God for small favors, I supposed.

By
the time I made it to the sixteenth floor office, I was still ten minutes
early. I handed my resume to a very sweet, bubbly receptionist and took a few
moments to look around the lobby and get a little better acquainted with what
the law firm was expecting.

They
took up the whole floor, and they were clearly very expensive. From what I’d
read on their website they dealt in criminal law, which seemed awfully
exciting. I would’ve been excited for the job regardless, but knowing that I
might spend my days involved with the kind of cases I saw on
Law & Order
sweetened the deal. It
was better than resigning myself to something like worker’s comp and business
law, anyway.

When
Mr. Princeton emerged from his office, my jaw nearly hit the floor. He looked
like he’d just stepped out of the pages of a men’s magazine. He wore an
impeccably tailored suit and shoes that probably cost more than my new car had,
and he had one of those million-dollar smiles that lit up the room brighter
than any fancy chandelier could. Not that he didn’t have those, too, but that
smile was absolutely radiant.

His
smile nearly touched his ears as he walked toward me, and I stood up, accepting
his outstretched hand. “Madison Hearst, I presume?”

“You
can call me Maddy,” I said, and for a moment, I was reminded of Preston Harvey
and how he’d always called me that whenever we were together. No one else ever
had. It had only ever been him.

Stop that,
I told
myself, pushing thoughts of my asshole of a stepbrother from my mind as I
followed Mr. Princeton down the hall.
You’ve
moved on. He’s in your past. Mr. Princeton is your future, and you should count
your lucky stars that he is.

I
sat down in his office and watched as he closed the door and stepped around the
opposite side of his desk. “I have to say,” he began, adjusting his perfectly
form-fitting blazer, “I’m impressed. This is one hell of a resume,
Madison—sorry. Maddy,” he corrected himself.

I
beamed. Then Preston really
hadn’t
added insult to injury. I was relieved. “Thank you, Mr. Princeton,” I said.
“This is one hell of a law firm, from what I hear.”

He
laughed. It was a sweet, honeyed sound. “Let’s cut to the chase. Your
qualifications are top-notch. And from just the few minutes I’ve spent with
you, you seem like the kind of employee who would fit right in here at
Princeton & Kline. All that coupled with the personal recommendation we
received from Preston Harvey himself, I’m ready to offer you the job right
here.”

I
couldn’t help it. I had to ask. “Mr. Harvey contacted you directly?”

Mr.
Princeton nodded. “Oh, yeah. He called this morning. Said he saw our ad on a
jobs site and knew the perfect woman for the job.”

My
heart skipped a beat. Preston had been trawling the job boards for me? Why?
What the hell did he care?

A
recommendation was one thing. The fact that my stepbrother had been actively
interested in my employment was another. I knew for a fact that Preston had way
better things to do than scour Craigslist ads on my behalf. Had he grown a
conscience since I’d been away? Was he actually feeling guilty?

I
tried not to think too hard on it, though it flustered me all the same.
“Working for Preston Harvey was… a wonderful experience,” I said. And it had
been—right up until the point that it wasn’t anymore. I didn’t count it as a
lie. “I’m so thrilled that he was satisfied with my service enough to call you
and get my foot in the door.”

Mr.
Princeton grinned. “He spoke so highly of you that I was afraid someone else
had snatched you up already. You seem to have it all, Maddy. Which brings us to
your salary…”

I
was on the edge of my seat now. I was sure a place like this paid handsomely.
Visions of renting an actual house danced through my head, and Mr. Princeton
was about to speak again when his receptionist burst through the door.

“Mr.
Princeton,” she said breathlessly, “I’m so sorry to interrupt. But you have to
see this.”

He
frowned at her. “Can’t it wait, Amy?”

She
shook her head so hard I was sure her earrings were going to fly right out of
her ears. “No, sir. Come quick. It’s all over the news.”

Mr.
Princeton raised his eyebrows at me. “I guess that means you should come too,”
he said.

I
stood up, my stomach flipping as I followed Amy and Mr. Princeton down another
hall toward the break room. What the hell was going on?

As
soon as I walked in, I saw it plain as day on the TV. Just outside Harvey
Tower, several news crews had gathered around my stepbrother, each one of them
shoving their microphones in his face, yet all standing so deathly still as he
spoke. Someone turned it up and I gripped my clutch tightly as I listened to
what he said.

“…in
cooperating with state and Federal authorities, Harvey Enterprises has exposed Harold
Verger’s intent to collude with government officials in order to shut down the
39
^th
Street homeless shelter on fabricated charges of code
violations. Mr. Verger then intended to demolish the shelter to make way for a
person investment project: a luxury condo development that would cater to the
wealthiest citizens of this fine city. Meanwhile, hundreds of homeless would be
displaced, including battered women and children for whom there was no other
place to turn.”

I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Preston was actually admitting to God and
country what Harvey Enterprises had intended to do just to retain a client—one
with senatorial aspirations, no less. He was selling himself, Mr. Verger, his
father, and his own company out to do it. But there he was, admitting
everything on live television.

“Holy
shit,” I murmured.

Mr.
Princeton folded his arms. “You’re tellin’ me.”

Preston
continued, “In light of this and other incidents which have come to light over
the past few weeks, Harvey Enterprises will be restructuring. Mr. Harvey—my
father—will step down from his position as the head of our company, and with
the board of directors’ unanimous approval, I will take his place.”

My
knees almost gave out from under me. This was huge. The only way it could have
been more shocking was if a nuclear bomb had detonated in the heart of the
city. But then Preston delivered one more surprise for me.

He
looked into the camera and said, “There have been a lot of people who were hurt
along the way, people who didn’t deserve it and who never should have been in
the line of fire to begin with. As a company, we have often asked others to
sacrifice for us instead of being willing to sacrifice anything ourselves. The
future of Harvey Enterprises is simple: more ethics, more honesty. If that
means less money, so be it.” He paused. I felt like he was staring right into
my eyes. “If that means those that we’ve hurt can finally see some justice now,
so be it.”