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“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“When do you need this done by?”

“Next Friday,” I say. “Send me an invoice with whatever you find.”

“Don’t you have interns or an assistant who can do this for you?”

“My most trusted assistant has too much on her plate right now.”

“Understandable. Just so you know, I’ll have to invoice you for this phone call, too.”

“Thank you for reminding me why I don’t like you.”

“You love me, Jameson.”

“I tolerate you.” I end the call and look over at Rachel. “Happy?”

“For now,” she says. “See you in an hour for the Lippman deposition. Don’t make me come looking for you.”

“Last I checked, I’m the boss here, Rachel.”

“Well, whenever you stop moping around and forgetting appointments, I’ll go back to treating you like it.” She leaves the room and I plop down in a chair.

Before I can call Scarlett again, I notice she’s sent me new text messages.

Scarlett

DO NOT EVER CALL ME AGAIN & DO NOT COME SEE ME.

I’m flying into town this weekend for a FRIEND, not you, and I’ll be flying back out to my new life WITHOUT YOU.

Forever.

Thank you in advance.

I had no idea you flew away to begin with...

WAIVE (V.):

TO VOLUNTARILY GIVE UP A LEGAL RIGHT, CLAIM, OR PRIVILEGE, OR CHOOSE NOT TO ENFORCE A CONTRACTUAL TERM.

SCARLETT

A few days later

New York welcomes me home with a cold slap of wind and a blanket of freezing rain. It’s as if it wants to mirror exactly how I’ve felt since I left, like it can’t help but make my heart hurt even worse.

Slipping inside an Uber, I hold back tears as the driver coasts onto the road.

Stop thinking about Jameson. Don’t you dare think about Jameson.

The warnings fail the moment we reach our first stoplight, when I remember the first night we met.

Suddenly, my mind is serving me memories of his lips on mine, his fingers threading through my hair, his whispers as I rode his cock.

Ugh. I shake them away and look outside the window.

Through the glass, Manhattan’s skyline twinkles brightly—every light a reminder of how my life used to be here—but I’ve promised my heart to Los Angeles.