Love Bites Read online

  The only conclusion I could come to was that Theo must like variety. Because he sure as hell didn’t have a preferred type.

  “Have you been together long?” It took me a moment to realize she was asking me another question. And all I had done was stare at her.

  “About six months. What about you?”

  “Seven months and two weeks. It’s almost our eight month anniversary. I want to go away for the weekend but he keeps complaining about being too busy. Guys, huh? A dirty weekend away or work, it shouldn’t be a choice.” She moved her hands as if she was weighing up the options. I was actually very happy her boyfriend didn’t want to go away with her.

  Perhaps I should organize a weekend away for us. If Theo was already using the work excuse, it might not be too difficult for him to slip away with me.

  My phone beeped with a text message. I gave Ronnie an apologetic look before checking. It was a message from Theo. Speak of the devil…

  Babe, I have to cancel on tonight. I’ve been summoned. Sorry. xxoo

  Summoned. Of course, he had to pick up his tux so he could accompany Ronnie on her big, fun night. It didn’t matter that it was the third night in a row he had cancelled on hanging out with me. Our hook up in the hotel had been the first time we’d seen each other in a week.

  The woman sitting across from me was seriously interfering with my relationship with her boyfriend. It was starting to get out of hand.

  My salad lost its appeal. I started packing it away, keen to put some distance between us now. “I’d better get back to work.”

  She shrugged, not caring what I did. “See you around.”

  Not if I had my way.

  Ronnie put on a good show for people that didn’t know her but I had heard the threats she had delivered to Theo. She knew she was manipulating him and didn’t care at all about what he wanted.

  Bitch.

  I would like to say I didn’t stew over it all afternoon, but I wasn’t that big of a person. I wasn’t above obsessing over all the plots I could implement to get rid of her. She needed a taste of her own medicine but neither Theo or myself had the power to do it.

  “Ah good, Ivy, I’ve caught you,” my boss said as he perched on the side of my desk. As far as bosses went, Toby was actually a pretty good one. He rarely bugged me and gave me free reign on most aspects of my job.

  “What can I do for you?” I asked politely.

  “I was going to go to this event tonight but my wife is sick so I have to look after things at home.” He didn’t need to elaborate; between them they had seven children due to their blended family. “I need to send someone to represent the company and you would be perfect.”

  “I don’t really-”

  He held up a hand to stop me. “I know it’s short notice but this is important. Be ready at six and I’ll divert my already-hired limo to your apartment.”

  He didn’t say another word, just left the tickets on the edge of my desk. They were to a gala ball. And I would put good money on the fact there was only one ball in town tonight.

  The same one Theo and Ronnie were attending.

  Chapter 4

  So much for friends. I called nearly everyone on my contact list in the last hour of work. Nobody could come with me to the ball. Either they were busy or they made up an excuse.

  So not only was I going to the ball and potentially running into my cheating boyfriend and his girlfriend, but I was also going alone.

  Typical. The universe really liked to fuck with me.

  The only thing I didn’t have to worry about was what to wear. I had organized and attended enough fancy events to have a few ball gowns at my disposal. I chose the black one with lace ruffles. It reminded me of a goth princess from the middle ages.

  Toby’s limo picked me up right on six o’clock and I spent the entire journey thinking of excuses to leave early. Toby only said I had to represent the company, he didn’t say I had to stick around.

  The ball was being held in town hall, the council had done an excellent job of transforming the old building into a luxurious grand palace for the evening. Red material was draped from the ceiling, sweeping over the windows and doors. An orchestra was set up at the front, playing nothing but slow classical music.

  If I wasn’t alone, I might have actually enjoyed the whole experience – a thought I ruminated on while standing awkwardly on the sidelines hoping nobody noticed me.

  “Would you like to dance?” The male voice startled me. My gaze pulled from the crowd to look at the hot guy waiting expectantly for an answer. His inky black hair was down to his shoulders, his smile devastatingly panty-dropping.

  Perhaps the evening wasn’t a total loss.

  I curtsied like a renaissance queen would and gave him my hand. “A dance sounds perfect.”

  He swept me into his arms without any further introductions and I was transformed into Cinderella, dancing with a handsome stranger.

  And man, could the guy dance.

  He twirled me around the room like I was as light as a feather. Swaying, sashaying, sweeping, he did it all. My dress flowed across the floor like a river at midnight, elegant and perfect.

  The song was over far too soon. “Go again?” I asked hopefully. I needed to get Theo out of my system and dancing my troubles away with a Dancing God was just the way to do it. Or, at the very least, would distract me.

  He tilted his head back to laugh. “It would be my pleasure.”

  No, it would be my pleasure.

  I kept my mouth shut as we took off again. My dance partner’s hand was secured on my back, keeping me from making any wrong moves. I briefly wondered if he led the way in the bedroom with the same firm hand he used on the dance floor.

  I didn’t get a chance to indulge that thought.

  I had lost all memory of the two people that I didn’t want to see at the ball, until they walked in. Theo and Ronnie swept into my vision. She wore a garish red number, the neckline definitely not appropriate for a ball with the mayor in attendance. But my eyes didn’t stick with her.

  They travelled to Theo and stuck there, our eyes locking. He was wearing a black three piece suit, perfectly tailored. His hair was combed to the side, not a style he normally wore. If Theo actually combed his hair once in a while it would have been a miracle, I was always trying to help him fix it.

  But, wow.

  If I thought my dance partner was hot, Theo was nuclear. Just the sight of him sent shockwaves jolting through my body. He was like a magnet, drawing me to him with no regard for anything else.

  And then Ronnie kissed him. His gaze fell away from me as they went to her.

  Her.

  I hadn’t actually seen them together before. I’d known about her, seen pictures, seen them separately, of course. However never actually had the real life experience happening right in front of me.

  And it broke my heart.

  They looked like a regular couple, like they were supposed to be together. Like, by some unseen force, they were brought together and matched.

  I couldn’t stay. I excused myself from my dance partner’s grip and hurried through the crowd. I didn’t know where I was going, just as long as it was away from them.

  No matter how many scenes and scenarios I’d imagined since knowing about her, seeing them play out before me was the worst of all. My imagination could never conjure the depth of the hurt and betrayal.

  But I only had myself to blame, right? The price of being with Theo was that he came with Ronnie. He had been upfront with me, never tried to hide it. The pain aching within now was completely self-inflicted for accepting those terms.

  The large corridor outside the restrooms was much quieter than the ballroom. I leaned against the wall for support, gulping in large breaths to try to fill my lungs. It felt like there wasn’t enough air in the world to re-inflate them.

  She had the one thing I wanted. The one thing I desired… Theo. I should get to be in his embrace while dancing, leave with him, and wake
up next to him in the morning. It should all be mine, mine, mine.

  “Ivy, I’m so sorry.”

  My eyes sprung open, wondering what I was going to find when they did. Theo was standing in front of me, his hands reaching for me while he was careful not to step on my gown.

  My arms remained at my sides. “Shouldn’t you be with your date?”

  His brow was wrinkled with concern. I should have focused on that but all I could see were his lips – the same ones that had been kissing her.

  He took his hands back and slid them into his pockets. He did that when he was nervous, it was his power position. “I’ve been dying to tell you how spectacularly gorgeous you look tonight. When I first saw you, I was speechless.”

  “Did you tell Ronnie the same thing?” It was a bitchy comment because I knew how much he wanted to be rid of her. But, still, I was hurting and I needed to lash out at somebody.

  His hurt was reflected in his beautiful blue eyes. “You know I wouldn’t. You know I would rather be here with you.”

  “Isn’t your date going to miss you?”

  “I told her there was someone I needed to schmooze. She seemed happy about it.” His lips quirked into a cheeky smile, one that normally made my knees go weak at its appearance.

  The frostiness and panic was starting to melt away. Slowly. Very Slowly. “I hate seeing you together.”

  “I hate it too. Every time I’m with her, I close my eyes and pretend it’s you. Even though it’s so disappointing when I open them again. I only want to be with you, Ivy. You and only you. Soon, we can be.”

  “I’ve heard it all before, Theo. When’s it going to happen?”

  “Soon, babe, soon.”

  “Soon isn’t good enough,” I sighed the words, wishing I could really believe him.

  “I have a plan. I can’t talk about it now, but believe me. It’s close.”

  I looked into his eyes. They were so genuine and sincere that maybe this time it was different. Maybe I just needed to be patient a little bit longer.

  I let him off the hook. “It’s not fair.”

  “No, I know.” His eyes slid over me, leaving my skin with goosebumps in his wake. He held out his hand again, just one this time. “Would you like to dance?”

  “Someone might see,” I pointed out. Cheating 101, don’t let anyone see you together.

  “I’m willing to risk it. All I can picture right now is you in that guy’s arms and I don’t want that to be my memory of the night.”

  I accepted his hand.

  We danced to the low hum of music escaping from the ballroom. It wasn’t the highly choreographed kind of dancing happening inside, but the gentle sway of two finely tuned bodies that responded to each other in intimate ways.

  We didn’t get long before a shrill voice interrupted us. “Theo! There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Her, of course.

  We snapped apart like we’d been burned. It was Theo who managed to find his voice first. “Ronnie, hey. I was just talking to… what did you say your name was?”

  “Ivy.”

  Ronnie looked at me more closely, probably running her lie detector over us. “I know you; you’re the girl from the cafeteria today.”

  I should get an award for my acting ability, really. “Yeah, that’s right. You said you were going to be here tonight. Glad everything worked out for you.”

  She slid her arm through Theo’s, gripping on tightly with her claws. “Yep, my man managed to get his tux.” Seeing her looking up into his eyes, speaking so intimately with him, I wanted to slap her away. “We need to get back. Everyone’s asking about you.”

  He nodded. Of course, he would snap to the click of her fingers. Jump? Certainly, how high? “Goodnight, Ivy. It was nice meeting you.”

  I didn’t have the energy to say anything, just flashed an impossible smile instead. I watched them walk down the corridor together, the perfect couple.

  They’d probably dance together all night, in each other’s arms and having fun. What would happen after they left the ball? Alone, happy, feet sore. They’d probably do what most couples would – fall into bed together.

  Have sex all night long.

  Theo and a woman that wasn’t me.

  Those thoughts were going to torture me all night long.

  Chapter 5

  My phone beeped with a text message the next morning. I had somehow dragged myself to work after a sleepless night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw them and it was the most effective form of torture in the world.

  I checked my phone to find the message was from Theo. He wanted to see whether I was up for a hook up at lunch time. Was he kidding? After seeing them together last night? Having sex was the last thing I wanted.

  But I responded with an affirmative answer anyway. I needed to see Theo privately and a hotel room would ensure we couldn’t be overheard or seen together.

  My stomach was in knots all morning. When lunch time came, I was nothing but a bundle of nerves being held together with a loose piece of string. One little tug and I would unravel like a cheap rug.

  We never met at the same hotel twice, making sure nobody got too familiar with us. I guess a part of the reason why I put up with the whole situation was because it felt like we were doing something wrong. Sneaking around, covert meetings, being anonymous, it all made our secret liaisons salacious.

  Except today.

  I paced the hotel room, my bare feet padding on the thick carpet while I waited for Theo. He was late, which wasn’t like him. After the unsettling events of the night before, any change to the routine sent up a glaring red flag.

  Knocking on the door made me skitter to it in a hurry. I pulled it open, relieved to see Theo like never before. I was completely on edge, about to tip over with the slightest of breezes.

  Instantly, he swept me up into a hug. “I don’t have much time but I really wanted to see you today,” he mumbled between kisses down my neck.

  I pushed him away, determined not to get lost in his body. We needed words today; I needed to have a conversation. One that had been brewing for weeks now.

  “Hey, we need to talk.”

  His body completely tensed up, nothing but steel instead of flesh. He let me go and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at me expectantly. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “We can’t keep going on like this,” I started. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was brave enough to speak everything that was plaguing my mind. “Last night, seeing you two together, I can’t take it anymore. I should be your date, not her.”

  “You know I can’t right now. Soon, we’ll be able to be rid of Ronnie and we won’t have to see her ever again. You know that, Ivy.”

  “I don’t want to wait any longer. It’s killing me. I can’t share you.”

  He stood up and closed the gap between us, taking my hands in his own. He looked down at me with those blue eyes that could melt panties. “It’s killing me, too.”

  “So dump her. It doesn’t matter about your job, we’ll work it out. We’ll sort it all out together,” I pleaded. I was well aware of the fact I was fighting for the man I loved right then and there. The conversation could go either way.

  “But it does matter about my job. You’re not going to want an unemployed bum for a boyfriend. I’m doing this for our future, not just for me.”

  “I would take an unemployed bum over someone else’s boyfriend any day.”

  “Ivy…”

  “No, don’t, Theo,” I cut him off. We’d had the same conversation too many times for it to have any effect on either of us. I couldn’t do it anymore. I just couldn’t. “If you don’t make a decision and give her the flick, then I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I mean it this time.”

  He looked like I had taken my hand and slapped him with it. I hated giving him an ultimatum but I was dying inside sharing him. Nobody should have to live like this. I loved him, and I thought he loved me too, but not even love was enough for a three-way
relationship.

  Theo let my hands drop to my sides as he took a step back. His hands slid into his pockets. “I can’t break free of her yet. I need more time.”

  “Time’s up, Theo. It’s time to choose what’s most important in your life. Me or your job.”

  One more glance at his beautiful face told me he was speechless. It spoke volumes about what was going on inside his brain.

  I’d issued the ultimatum and I’d lost.

  There was nothing more to do than leave. I slid my shoes back on and slammed the hotel door behind me. The tears started to sting my eyes by the time I reached the elevator.

  For the whole time we were dating, Theo had never truly been mine. I had fooled myself over and over again, used a multitude of excuses to keep myself going.

  He was probably never going to leave her. She was good for his career, the boss’s daughter, the perfect socialite. I was just a shadow of her, a pale comparison that had been an easy lay.

  God, how did I get so stupid?

  Chapter 6

  I called my own cell phone on no less than eight occasions to make sure it still worked after that day. I didn’t hear from Theo and it didn’t appear to be because of technical difficulties.

  The days turned into a week and I was pummeling down the breakup blues highway. I had stocked the fridge with ice cream – triple chocolate – and was planning on having a chick flick marathon with Cecily over the weekend.

  No amount of chocolate was helping to repair my heart. I had been so sure Theo and I wanted the same thing but I guess I was wrong. So very, very wrong.

  I purposefully avoided his building. I didn’t even venture down to the cafeteria in case I ran into her or Theo. Or, God help me, both of them. My desk was my safety zone and nothing short of a fire alarm was going to get me out of it.

  Unfortunately, the universe still had a way of messing with me.