“Someone shallow, dishonest, narcissistic.” He smirked. “Thankfully I’m a grown-ass man who makes my own decisions.”
Still, I’d neverforgotten the warning Victoria Allen had given me the first time I met her. She pulled me aside and looked down her surgery-reconstructed nose and said, “Aren’t you just the cutest little plaything for my children? You’re new and interesting now with all that small-town inelegance, but they’ll outgrow you soon enough. They were bred for more than someone like you can possibly offer, so don’tget too attached, Dylan, I’d hate for your heart to break and for you to lose that precious wide-eyed wonder of yours. It’s so naïve.”
I’d never told Addison or Asher what their mother had said. At first, I figured she was right, and theywouldget tired of me. Over the years, she’s made hundreds of like comments, clearly annoyed by the way I “weaseled” my blue-collar self into their white-collarfamily. I probably should have said something, but Addison and Asher had enough animosity toward their parents, and didn’t need me adding to it. I could tell them now, but that would be like tattling on a lifelong bully. I didn’t need or want them to go to bat for me, I just wanted Victoria to stop pitching insults.
It was already going to be a nightmare to try to find another job, and VictoriaAllen wasn’t exactly the type of woman I wanted for an enemy. She had more than enough contacts to get me blackballed by the entire city. Who knew what she’d do when she saw me on Asher’s arm? I was already on trial for murder, with the real killer after me. I didn’t need added complications from the rich, bored, and powerful.
“My parents do not control me, Dylan,” Asher said, reclaiming my attention.“Don’t worry about them.”
Easy for him to say. But he kissed me again, and all rational thought and worries melted away.
“Come on, Dylan, the limo’s here. Wash your mouth out and let’s go. We don’t have all night,” Addison shouted from the living room, interrupting us.
“And thank God you’re not classy like my sister,” Asher said, tugging me out of the room.
