I have a girl to win over after all.
Chapter Nine
Tenielle
I walk into work feeling good—dressed in one of my favourite outfits. White tailored pants with a matching fitted blazer, a mixture of professional and sexy. I stop at the reception desk and ask Taryn if there were any messages for me. Taryn is a bitch, but I tend to find her amusing.
“No messages,” she says, looking up at me from behind her reading glasses. “You’re not important enough for message.”
I chuckle. “Keep telling yourself whatever makes you feel better sweetie.”
“By the way, how come you’re allowed to wear that piercing?” she asks.
My finger touches the hoop through my nose. “Because it’s for religious reasons,” I lie.
“What religion is that?” she asks.
I really have no idea.
“I’m Sri Lankan, if you don’t know then I can’t be bothered explaining it to you. My piercing represents my heritage,” I tell her, making up every word. I snigger to myself, knowing that this woman really has it in for me.
She’s a hater, but I could care less.
Have you ever met a hater who’s doing better than you?
Nope—because they don’t exist.
I walk off and head into my office, leaving her staring at me. I look over my workload for the day and sigh. Definitely going to be working overtime. As the youngest criminal lawyer at my firm, I generally do the research for the cases and go into court as a junior council. I work for a defence attorney, and the hours and the workload aren’t always kind.
By six thirty pm I’m finally done.
I’m about to leave work when my phone beeps with a message.
Saxon- I miss you.
He’s really making his hard on me, isn’t he?
I type back I miss you too, but then delete it and shove my phone in my handbag.
Then I mentally recite why Saxon and I would be a bad idea. When I still feel like calling him just to hear his voice, I pull out a pen and a piece of paper and start to write.
Reasons for not falling in love with Saxon Tate.
He’s cheated before.
He’s my best friend’s ex.
He hurt my best friend.
He’s Ryder’s band mate.
All perfectly good reasons.
I can restrain myself, right?
“Fuck!” I growl when I realise that I don’t actually care much about any of those reasons anymore. They’re in the past, and even though I’m trying with everything I have to hold onto them, they don’t really matter anymore. Everyone has forgiven him, and they all seem to want us to get together. Still, for some reason, I don’t think I’m ready to go there with him. Why am I being so hesitant? When the reason hits me, I bang my head on my desktop table.
I guess it’s finally time I was honest with myself.
Saxon Tate may be the only man in the world with the power to hurt me.
He’s my weakness. My Achilles’ heel.
Now I can do two things with this information.
I can give in, hand him power over me, and hope that he doesn’t hurt me, or I can run. I can push him away, and with him the possibility of love and happiness.
I can be brave, and put myself out there, or I can be a coward, and continue on as I am.
The same image hits me, of Saxon with some groupie on his lap.
God, I hate that imaginary bitch.
I pull out my phone again and reply to him.
Tee- Where do you buy those donuts from?
It beeps instantly.
Saxon- You will have to wait until I come back.
I bang my head on the table once more.
Giving in to him feels like losing and winning at the same time.
I don’t like to lose.
But winning would mean I get him. I know it’s probably not the best idea, wanting a relationship with a rock star. Ryder and Lexi make it work, but like she said—even she has doubts now and again. I guess it really comes down to whether or not I’m willing to take a chance on him. I’ve had men pursue me before but none so thoroughly. Saxon notices every little detail about me, quirks and all.
I like that.
My mind roams back to the first time he asked me out. I was sitting at Steele, my brother-in-law’s bar where Morning Alliance used to play.
“Hello,” he said, sitting down next to me. “Can I buy you a drink?”
I wave my beer at him. “I already have one but thank you.”
“So you’re Ryder’s cousin,” he says, peering down on me.
“I am. And you’re Lexi’s ex,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “Cheating is kind of a douchebag move, you know?”
He looks down and plays with the label on his beer. “Wow, didn’t expect you to call me out on that.”
I shrug. “I’m kind of inappropriate.”
His lip twitches. “So I’ve heard. Listen, I f**ked up with Lexi but that’s not me, I mean… It’s something I’ll always regret, but it’s in the past.”
I nod my head. “The first step is admitting it.”
He laughs, tilting his head to the side in an adorable way. “What are you doing right now? Do you want to go and get something to eat, talk a little?”
I stand up and glance at my wrist, which is bare. “Oh look at the time. My pet mouse is waiting for me at home and needs to be exercised. Nice meeting you Saxon.”
He had laughed at my lame ass excuse, like he found my rambling endearing.
He clearly has something wrong with him.