AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What this woman is looking for is a sugar daddy who’ll give her everything she wants without any kind of expectation in return.
I lean closer and drop my voice, not wanting to be overheard. “But…he thinks you’re together again. He’s under the impression you’ll stay by his side and help take care of things at the house, like hosting dinner parties and events.” I pause for a heartbeat before forcing out the rest. “All the things you didn’t want to do the first time around.”
The vulnerability filling her expression disappears as she rolls her eyes.
Can you believe that?
The woman actually has the audacity to roll her eyes like a surly teen being called out for bad behavior.
“In case you haven’t noticed, the man is a workaholic. He’s never around. He has no interest in taking off and going on vacation or spending quality time together.” She thumps her chest. “I need a man who will focus on me. My wants. No one’s ever done that before!”
I can only stare. What Pamela really wants is a man who has nothing else going on in his life so he can cater to her every whim and spoil her rotten with attention.
How is this woman an actual grown up?
It’s like she’s a selfish seventeen-year-old trapped in the body of a thirty-eight-year-old woman.
Even though I’m only twenty-one, I feel lightyears more mature.
It’s sad.
Worse, I don’t think there’s anything I can do or say that will make a difference.
It’s like screaming into the wind. And I’m smart enough to recognize that and save my breath.
Lola drops off our entrees before asking if either of us need anything else. I paste a smile on my face and shake my head. This lunch is going about as well as I imagined. Everything I was concerned about has now come to fruition.
“Let’s not forget about all the benefits you’ve reaped with this marriage,” she rebukes mildly. “Your education has been paid for and you drive an expensive car most kids your age could only dream about.” Her blue gray eyes turn stormy. “You have no idea what it’s like to hustle for a couple bucks.”
Those comments are like a punch to the gut because she’s not wrong.
“The love I have for Crawford has nothing to do with the monetary things he provides for me,” I whisper, needing her to understand that we’re not the same. I would never stick around for someone’s money. “He’s been a wonderful father. The only one I’ve ever known. He’s kindhearted and dependable.”
“Yeah, and his bank account certainly doesn’t hurt either,” she says before downing her margarita in one thirsty gulp.
“I don’t love him because of his money,” I grit between clenched teeth.
“Oh, Carina,” she says with a weary sigh before her expression turns sympathetic. “You really need to stop deluding yourself. Everything has to do with money. Everything. Money is what makes the world go around and Crawford has more than Midas.” She angles herself closer as her voice sobers and she drops the pampered princess act. “If you had any brains whatsoever, you’d sleep with Ford and get pregnant. Then he’d have no other choice but to marry you. Or, at the very least, support you in a comfortable manner for the next two decades. One day in the not-too-distant future, he’ll inherit a multi-million-dollar company. It would be a mistake to let that slip through your fingers.”
Her calculated plans curdle the contents of my stomach.
Is that what she did?
Got knocked up in an attempt to force someone to take care of her?
Except…it didn’t work out that way. My father took off before I was even born.
The little bit of enchilada I’ve managed to choke down threatens to make an unexpected appearance.
Heat floods my cheeks. “How can you say that? Ford is like a brother to me.” I wince as the lie slips easily from my lips.
She blinks as if she doesn’t understand why I’m getting so upset. “What? You know damn well that someone will snap him right up. Might as well be you. It probably wouldn’t even be that hard. He’s always had a soft spot for you.”
“No, he hasn’t,” I mumble, only wanting to put an end to this disturbing conversation.
“You need to be smart, Carina. Think about your future. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
I’ve always suspected that this was how Pamela operated, but to hear the words fall so bluntly from her lips disgusts me.
