The Bishop Affair (Dominated by the Billionaire Brothers - Part Four) Read Free

really shine, but some of them were still trying to put on a show.
     
    “Do you mind if I walk out
to the waves?”
     
    “You may do as you please,
Miss Gable. I’ll stay with the limo. Just so long as you promise me you won’t
go into the water. I’m afraid I’m not a very good swimmer at my age and there’s
no lifeguard at this hour.”
     
    I smiled at him. “Thanks
George, I promise I’ll be safe.”
     
    I padded onto the sand,
George lingering behind in the parking lot. Aside from the occasional pebble or
rock, the grains were soft and cool beneath my feet, soothing away the ache
from Sam’s stilettos and my run across the parking lot. I neared the waves,
standing just out of their reach, watching the surf tumble onto the shore, the
endless repetition mirroring my thoughts—examining and re-examining how I got
here, where things went wrong, and where they were going to go.
     
    Just like Eric . I couldn’t shake the coincidence from my
mind. I hadn’t been at the Alpha Pi Epsilon party for long, just enough time to
grab a plastic cup of Yuengling to fit in and chat with a few of Eric’s
friends. Although I hadn’t seen him on my first pass through the kitchen
dodging inebriated party-goers and ping pong balls, they all said he was around
the house somewhere. “Probably in the bathroom upstairs, puking,” they had
joked, having witnessed it on more than one occasion. Slightly embarrassed at
Eric’s reputation, I prepared myself to find my boyfriend in a less than ideal
state as I headed up the wooden staircase at the side of the house. The
bathroom was empty but I heard some noises from one of the open bedrooms
nearby. Curious, I entered and froze at the sight of him seated on the bed
making out with some wavy-haired brunette I’d never seen before. Spotting me,
his dazed eyes grew wide and he pushed her away. “Lori! Oh my god.” I stood
there for a moment unable to process. “It’s not what you think. I swear. I just
had too much to drink,” he sputtered, his face red as a beet. As if that
somehow excused infidelity. Afraid that if I tried to speak I’d start crying, I
took one last look at him and that dumb brunette who showed not a hint of
remorse, before I ran home and sobbed my eyes out. That english paper I had to
do never got finished that night and I had to turn it in late for a ‘C’—my
first one ever.
     
    Why are men so stupid
sometimes?
     
    Robbed of energy, I plopped
my butt onto the sand. The powder-fine granules invaded my gorgeous dress and I
noticed I had lost some of the beading somewhere between the charity event and
the beach. On the plane ride to California, I’d been so careful not to spill
anything on myself, even trying to minimize how much I shifted in my seat to
avoid sweating. It’s funny how quickly things change.
     
    It was easy to get lost in
my broodings, wondering how to deal with my mess of a relationship with Jordan. Jordan. The name I’d so fondly repeated to myself in my private moments
at my desk or at night before falling asleep, enjoying how it rolled so easily
off my tongue, how it sounded when I said it, as if he was mine. Jordan,
more like Whore-dan. Negative thoughts pierced through my usual optimism
and I fought to prevent them from taking over. No, quit being so petty Lori.
Don’t give him the satisfaction. You can’t change the past, only the future. Yeah,
well what kind of future would that be, Mr. Smarty-Pants Conscience? I’d be
surprised to even have my job after this. Fired because I couldn’t play along
as the cheap lay for the CEO. Because I developed feelings . Then it’s
back home, moving in with my parents until I can find another job. Just the
thought of both being unemployed and having to deal with my mom’s craziness
again, made my head want to implode.
     
    The sea wind lifted my hair
from my neck and gave me goose bumps. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my
knees. As beautiful as the view was, it was downright