Free CHISELED (A BAD BOY ROMANCE) by Alexa Rynn Page A

“Look, Addison, I had ever intention of coming here and humoring you, I
really did but I’ve had kind of an frustrating day so I’m just going to get
right to the point here.”
    “Oh.”
    “Yeah, oh.” He
leaned back and sighed. “You have to let this whole thing go, okay? I read the
E-mail you sent us before I even knew you were the same woman I was considering
giving a job and you know what I thought?”
    I gulped. “That
you were curious?”
    He shook his head.
“No. That you sounded like a complete nut. No one is going to publish a story
about a man who breaks into houses saving woman from rapists, especially not
one in a mask and a broken voice. You want to know why? Because no man fucking
exists, Addison.” He downed the rest of his scotch and tossed the empty glass
so far across the table that it almost fell to the floor and shattered.
    “Yes, he does,
he…”
    He pounded his
fist down on the table and the silver wear rattled against one another. “No, he
fucking doesn’t. This isn’t a movie, okay? It’s real life and I can’t have a
crazy woman working for me, running around telling people stories about
characters she invented in her mind.”
    I could feel the
tears starting to form behind my eyes. Why was he being so damn mean to me?
“But, I just… I was just trying to find the man who saved my life, Mr. Nash.”
    His eyes lit up
for a second. “Say that again.”
    “What?”
    He rubbed his lips
together. “My name.”
    What the hell was
wrong with him?
    “Mr. Nash…”
    A light came over
his eyes but he shook his head after a second and it went away. “You don’t need
to find him because he’s a fragment of your imagination, maybe you read about
him somewhere or dreamed about him one night but he’s inside of you, Addison,
you saved yourself, that’s the reality here.”
    I shook my head
and bit my lip to stop myself from losing it. I wasn’t going to cry in front of
him, no matter what, I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. “No, I… I
couldn’t have… could I of?” Suddenly I didn’t feel so sure. Somehow, he had a
way of making me feel like his word was God or something.
    But… I had been so
sure.
    His voice softened
just a little bit but the same sternness was behind it. “You did, Addison,
there’s no maybe about it. And I get it, you just went through something I
would wish upon no one and while I sympathize with you, I still have a business
to run and I can’t have a loose cannon running around the office telling fairy
tales.”
    I looked away from
him. I was too ashamed to face him. This whole thing was so humiliating and he
didn’t even seem to have any empathy for my feelings, for the situation as a
whole.
    “You’re going to
have to decide, Addison, do you want to have a career or do you want to have
this fantasy you’ve invented to help yourself cope with someone breaking into
your apartment and attacking you? The decision is yours but you need to make it
and fast.”
    I felt about as
big as a stone. What the hell was the matter with me? Was it possible that he
was right? That the whole entire thing was just a fragment of my imagination? I
guess I could have taken my fears out by creating a character that didn’t
really exist. But had I? It had felt so damn real.
    “But the glove…”
    He chuckled.
“Right, the mystery glove you suddenly can’t find. Was it ever really there to
begin with?”
    “I don’t… I’m not
sure.” Suddenly I felt so lost and crazy.
    “Addison?” He
sounded like a master talking to his servant.
    I shook my head.
“I guess… I guess I could have imagined it all.”
    He nodded. “I think
you’re a nice girl, Addison, I really do. I want you… I think you could have a
very bright future here if you just set the dramatics aside.” His eyes traveled
up and down my body again.
    My legs felt like
they were on fire.
    What was happening
to me?
    My phone started
buzzing next to me on the table. I glanced at it then