“Oh my God. Chad had a key to Curated?” Kelsey’s voice sounds hushed as she stares at the single key on top of the scrawled note on a piece of my stationery on my kitchen counter.
Hope your fuck boy is worth it.
Chills skitter over my skin, like invisible spiders I can’t shake.
“Oh my God. He was here,” I whisper in shock. “I forgot he had a key to the side door. We have to check the security feed. Make sure he didn’t do anything else.”
Kelsey nods so fast that I think her chin might connect with her chest.
I rush to get my laptop from my bedroom, access the security footage in the cloud, and scroll through last night. It’s after two when I see Chadwick’s face on the screen, unlocking the door that leads directly to the stairwell to my apartment, but it doesn’t allow access to Curated without walking through my apartment. I lose him as soon as he heads for the stairs.
From beside me, Kelsey watches as I flip to the next camera feed. All the doors in the stairwell that lead into Curated use a different key, so it’s no surprise that he walks past those and unlocks the back door to my apartment.
“I can’t believe he was here,” she says, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “God, that’s so fucking creepy.”
Once he disappears into the apartment, I have nothing.Because I don’t have cameras in my apartment.I didn’t want to lose my privacy.
“So creepy, especially because I don’t know what he did in here. At all.” I look at her, and I can only imagine the combination of fear and disgust that must be plastered on my face.
“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Kelsey spins around and scans the room. “Would you know if he’d taken something?”
A ripple of revulsion unleashes a full-body tremor that nearly makes my teeth chatter.
“I don’t know. I mean, I think so? Maybe?” My movements shaky, I drift into the bedroom, looking at the bed I just made and the jewelry on top of my dresser. My nightstands’ lampshades are still perfectly level.
“Why would he come here to leave me a shitty note and his key? Why not just mail it?”
Kelsey appears behind me. “Because he wanted this. To freak you out. To make you feel unsettled in your own home. Because that’s the kind of thing a douchebag does. Ugh, I fucking hate that asshole even more now than I did before.”
He knew exactly what he was doing when he violated my sanctuary. That motherfucker.
“He probably expects you to call him and ask why,” Kelsey says as she turns to grab my hand. “But you can’t. No communication. Just let it go. Don’t give him the energy and attention he wants. He’ll just try to suck you back in.”
I think of the nasty things he said last night, and she’s right. It still blows my mind that Chadwick really expected me to fall in line with his ridiculous ultimatum and for us to get married over Christmas. Another shudder courses through my body.
“I’m done with him. I will never let him be part of my life, ever again.” It’s a vow leaving my lips, one that calms the concern on Kelsey’s face.
“Good. Because you don’t need him. Trust me. He’s been riding your coattails for so long that you got used to the weight. He needed you to secure his position at your dad’s company. That’s why he’s been so fucking persistent.”
I know she means well, but Kelsey’s words are another blow. Because I didn’t realize that was literally the only reason why Chadwick stayed with me. I thought, just maybe, it had something to do withme.But, no, it was all about what I could do for him and his status. I think of all the business dinners I attended and all the hands I shook and small talk I made. His cachet grew when he had me on his arm, and that’s all he cared about.
Never. Again.
Never again will I be with a man because he wants what I can do for him more than he wants me.
Of course, my mind goes instantly to Legend and the text that was on my phone when I woke up this morning.
Unknown Number: If you think you can handle what I want from you, I’ll see you on Saturday night.
I have a feeling that whatever he wants from me, it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with my name, my status, my money, or my family.
I still haven’t told Kelsey about the text, because I’m not sure what she’ll say. And if there’s a single chance she’s going to try to talk me out of going next Saturday night so I don’t get involved with him, I’m not ready to hear it.
Plus, it’s still so new and exciting, I want to keep it to myself for a little bit longer. I haven’t even unlocked my phone yet, because I keep glancing down at the text on the screen every few minutes to assure myself that it’s real.
Then, there’s the little thrill I get every time I think about the fact that somehow, Legend got my number and texted me.
Which brings up the memory of what he said before I left.“Knowing what you feel like in my arms will haunt me for the rest of my life.”