Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
My hands dropped to her hips, guiding her to inch closer, and I was just starting to get into it when my blood ran cold. I couldn’t understand it. I had a beautiful woman in front of me and she was giving it all she had, but it wasn’t enough to keep an image of Toni from flashing through my mind.
I tried to push her from my thoughts and focus on the amazing woman before me, but that didn’t stop my stomach from twisting with the memory of her smile, her warmth, and her touch.
Damn.
Damn.
Damn.
I gently pushed Star out of my lap and stood. Without a word, I left the room and went back to my post. Ghost glanced over at me, but the second he saw the expression on my face, he could see that I was in no mood to talk. I turned my focus to the crowd and submitted to the fact that it was going to be a long damn night.
Ghost and I made sure the girls were cleared out and gone, and it was well past midnight when we finished locking up. We headed out to the parking lot. I’d just straddled my bike when Ghost asked, “You headed back to the clubhouse, or are you going on home?”
“Going to the house. I need a night in my own bed.”
“Alright then. Have a good one.”
“You, too. I’ll catch up with ya tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.”
I put on my helmet, then waited until he was in his pickup before I turned the key and followed him out of the lot. After endless hours of loud music and bright lights, I needed some quiet, so I decided to take the back way home. Riding at night down the old, winding roads was always the best part of working the late shift.
It gave me a chance to clear my head after a long day.
But tonight was different.
Something was off.
Maybe it was just my exhaustion catching up with me, or maybe it was something in the air, but something didn’t feel right. I figured it was just my mind playing tricks on me, so I twisted the throttle and let the darkness swallow me whole.
The road stretched out before me, a narrow ribbon of asphalt winding its way through the countryside. My headlight illuminated a glimpse of the road ahead, but beyond that, there was nothing but shadows and silence.
I was becoming lost in the quiet when suddenly, I saw it—the beady eyes of a possum crossing the road. I tried to slow down and ease around him, but it was too little too late. The tires lost traction on a patch of loose gravel, and before I knew it, I was skidding out of control.
Time seemed to slow as my bike went down, ripping me from my seat and onto the asphalt. I hit the ground with an excruciating thud, and the impact knocked the breath from my lungs. I slid for God knows how long, only stopping when I slid into the bridge railing. I lay there, stunned and disoriented, and it was all I could do to keep myself from blacking out.
It was bad.
I was out in the middle of nowhere with no one around.
I didn’t know how bad it was until I tried to get up.
I eased off my helmet, and as soon as I tried to move, I realized that I couldn't feel my legs. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me, so I tried once again to move. That’s when I realized something was wrong—very, very wrong. Panicked, I tried to reach for my phone, but it was nowhere to be found. I started calling out into the darkness out for help. I called and called, but it was pointless. There was no one around for miles.
Out of pure frustration, I laid my head back and closed my eyes, trying my best not to think the worst. But deep down, I knew the truth.
I was fucked.
Antonia
"Hey, Mark!" I peered over the large stack of files on my desk. “You got a sec?”
“Sure thing.” Mark was one of the associates I shared an office with at my firm, and he had quickly become one of my favorite people. He was smart, handsome, and always eager to give a helping hand. “What's up?"
"I really need your help with the Smithson case.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
"Could you help me go over that contract? We need to see if there are any loopholes that might give us an edge.”
“Absolutely.” Mark replied with his fingers already flying across his keyboard. “I’ll get started on it right now.”
“Awesome. You’re the best!”
"Of course.”
"Oh, and when we get done, I thought we could try out that new BBQ place down the street.”
"Yeah, that sounds great."
“Perfect.”
I looked back down at my files and let out an overwhelmed sigh. I was beginning to worry that I’d bitten off more than I could chew. I’d been hired to handle a breach of contract, and there was more to it than I’d expected. The construction company was family-owned and run, and over the years, they’d made a real name for themselves. They were sought after by many around the area, so they stayed quite busy.