Free Beautiful and Broken by Sara Hubbard Page A

name track pants and a henley shirt. His hair is freshly showered and damp, falling over his eyes so he flicks his head to push it back.  
    "Yes, it is. I'm waiting for someone."
    "Oh, really. A date?"
    "That's none of your business." I fold my arms across my chest and sit up straight. I need to be on my toes with this one. I barely know him and yet everything about him disturbs me. "Haven’t you done enough damage?" I say as I lean in. He leans in to meet me.
    He points to my face and drops his hand onto the table. "Your face doesn't look so bad."
    I scowl at him. "Thanks. Just the kind of compliment every girl wishes for.”
    He clears his throat and changes the subject. "Does it hurt?"
    "What do you care? The damage is done. Now if you don't mind, I'd really rather not see you ever again."
    “Dane said you were insulted that I sent him.”
    “I’m not a gold digger. And you if you wanted to make things right, you could have come to the hospital and apologized instead of sending your lawyer. I mean, it's not like we're complete strangers, is it?" I feel the heat pooling in my cheeks. I really don't want to think about that night we spent together. I can barely remember it anyway, but the look on his face, the frown and the head tilt, I wonder if he remembers me at all—other than our incident at the party.  
    "Did we hook up?" He points between his chest and mine.
    I want to slap him across the face. Okay, we were both drunk, but could he make me feel any smaller? The heat in my cheeks burns hotter, this time from anger. At least I remembered sleeping with him—sort of. The least he could do was afford me the same courtesy.  
    “I wasn't at my best when I saw you at the party,” he adds.  
    "No. We didn't." I look away hoping he doesn't see through my lie.  
    He shifts in his seat and taps his thumbs on the table. His eyes go blank, as if he's somewhere else.  
    "I am sorry about the…" He points to my head.  
    I take a deep breath and study his face. Somewhere on the edges of his cheeky smile, I see a flash of sincerity. As much I’m decided on accepting his apology, now is not the time for making amends. I have more pressing things to deal with. My watch reads one-oh-five.  
    “What were you even fighting about? Let me guess, a girl? Maybe the girl you slept with at the party? Real classy, by the way.”
    He scratches at the scruff on his cheek and takes a deep breath. “How did you know about the girl?”
    “I was in the bathroom when I heard your marathon sex session.”
    “Wow.”  
    I expect him to be embarrassed, to blush or something, but he doesn’t. He just looks a little surprised.
    He massages the back of his neck as he chuckles. “This really isn’t going the way I planned.”  
    "Listen. We're cool. I accept your apology, but you need to go, all right? I'm waiting for a client."
    "A client, huh? What kind of work is it that you do?”
    I glance around the room. I have no idea who I’m looking for. Dina said the client would find me. "Real estate."
    "Really. Well now that’s a coincidence, because I'm in the market for a new house."
    I spin back to face him and my eyes narrow. Celebrity client. Now it's clear. No wonder she wouldn't give me a name. He had to have told her I wouldn't accept her offer, and she would have been right. Fuming silently, I stare him down. His smile grows. He knew.  
    Is there a big, black cloud above my head? “ You're my client?"
    He dips his head, just once. A single nod to acknowledge and infuriate me.  
    "Why?"
    "I wanted to make amends and I heard you needed some big clients. I’m as big as they come right now.”
    "Ugh." His cockiness makes me want to vomit. Forgiving him doesn’t mean I want to spend any more time with him than I have to. And now I have to. At least all afternoon and probably several more days after this.  
    "Wait. Who told you I need a big client?"
    He leans back in his chair and signals to the waitress. She comes over