I slowly pull back, my cheeks on fire from my arousal.
“Fuck. Is this a wind-up? Did Elliot pay you to do this to me?” He smiles.
I sit back in shock, my stomach turning. “You think I’m a prostitute?”
“What? No!” He reaches for me, trying to run his thumb over my chin, but I snap my head away and wipe it with my forearm.
My eyes burn as I look down at the sticky spot.
I think I’m going to be sick.
“I’ve got to go.” I start to scramble for my things.
“Wait! What? Nina, hold on a second.” He tries to untwist from the sheets, but I’m faster and make it out of the room and down the stairs before he can stop me. I rush to the elevator with my shoes and bag in hand, shimming my dress up my legs and discarding the T-shirt on the floor.
The elevator doors slide open, and I’m met with myself. I look into the mirror, tears burning behind my eyes.
All I see isher.
Just as the doors begin to close, Mason rushes forward, putting his body between them and forcing them back open.
He grabs me in a desperate hold.
“Get off me!” I yell, hiding my face from him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he demands. “Did Elliot fucking pay you last night?”
I snap my head up, looking straight through him. My chest feels like it’s cracking into two.
Does he honestly think that?
He can’t think that.
The first tear breaks the dam, and he releases me as if I’ve slapped him.
“Shit. Nina, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He runs his hands through his hair, his eyes wild.
I slam my palms against his chest with everything inside me, pushing him back and clear of the doors.
“Leave me alone, Mason.”
THREE
Nina
Isit in the back of the taxi with my legs pulled up under me, my head lolling to the side as it thuds against the window in regret. I’ve never felt so dirty—the need to scrub at every inch of my body is overwhelming.
Is this how she felt?
My eyes grow heavy, and I blink them closed before they can fill with tears. I refuse to feel sorry for my mother. It’s the last thing she deserves.
Rain falls fiercely on the windshield, the pelting so savage and unrelenting it demands my focus, but does nothing to deter my thoughts from the internal storm that’s raging inside me. I stare straight ahead, feeling completely lost.
I’m not angry at Mason (lie). I’m angry at myself. Mad that I put myself in such a degrading situation. I’ve had one-night stands before, most of them while at university, but I have never been left feeling so cheap in my life. Puffing out a breath, I pull out my phone and call Lucy.
“Nina, where the hell are you? You’re missing pancakes,” she whines.
“Luce, I—” My voice cracks and I try to swallow the lump that’s lodged in my throat.
