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“Go where?”
“Beating yourself up for Ibrahim getting fired. He had a lot of fun with you over the last few years—by choice. He was well aware of the risks, so Samuel firing him is on Ibrahim. Not you. You have your own mess to fix.”
“I still feel guilty, though.” I shifted in my seat, staring at the abundance of pine trees as we drove into town.
“Good. I would be worried about you if you didn’t. But, unless you need to talk about it, I say let’s get our nails done, buy some ice cream, then head to the liquor store.”
I gave her a wistful expression. “I can’t. My credit card is frozen, remember?”
Zoe batted her dark eyelashes at me, then blew me a kiss. “Bitch, what are best friends for?” She giggled, then took my hand in hers. “It’s going to be okay, Shae. I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but it will.”
“Thanks.” As long as I had my girls and my relationship with Daddy was repairable, I believed her. I absolutely had to stay away from Cole. Anytime I was around him, my intelligence dribbled right out of my ear and onto the floor. When he was near, I was a stupid, hormonal mess. That wasn’t who I was, and if he held that kind of power over me, I would pretend he didn’t exist until I was able to form and implement a plan. Sweet, satisfying revenge was the balm I needed to soothe my soul.
Over the next several hours, Zoe did everything possible to cheer me up. She even had me in a fit of giggles at one point. It was a relief to think about something else for a while. My fingers and toenails looked good again, and it was nice to relax and have a mimosa while we made plans for the summer. Zoe had reminded me that, even though Daddy had restricted my funds, I had four very wealthy friends who loved me and that our vacation wasn’t ruined.
Once I discussed the situation with Zoe, she was on board with the idea of a new doorknob for my bedroom and happily stopped by the store. We agreed that I would feel better if I could lock the door from the outside when I left the house. Fortunately, I’d had enough emergency cash on me to make the purchase, which was a huge relief.
After we picked up takeout at P.F. Chang’s, Zoe eased to the edge of the restaurant’s parking lot, and my heart jumped into my throat.
“Wait!” I grabbed Zoe’s arm. “I’ll be right back.” I opened the car door and hurried to the side of the street. After looking both ways, I jogged to the other side.
“Ibrahim! Wait!” I weaved through the afternoon crowd, hoping to catch up with him. Ibrahim had been walking in the opposite direction when I’d spotted him. I had to know if he’d found work or if he was so angry with me that he never wanted to look at me again.
He peered over his shoulder, then came to a stop, waiting for me to reach him. My sneakers smacked against the sidewalk as I grew closer.
“I’m so sorry. Ibrahim ...” I slowed a few feet ahead of him. “Are you okay?”
A sarcastic smile eased across his face. At times I forgot how tall Ibrahim was until I was next to him. His six-foot-four frame towered over my five-foot-seven. His dark eyes flashed with anger. “Although I’m furious, I’ll be fine.”
“Ibrahim.” I reached for his hand. “I had no clue about the video. I swear. I would never hurt you ... hurt us like that.”
He glanced around nervously, then returned his attention to me. “What happened?”
At least he was willing to hear me out. “Apparently cameras were in the limo ...” I pressed my mouth into a thin line, a rush of guilt squeezing my chest. “I had no idea. Please believe me.” Zoe’s words rang through my thoughts as I pleaded with him. She had said the same to me the other evening. “While I was at a party to kick off summer vacation, someone leaked the recording.” Memories of everyone laughing, pointing, and gaping tortured me. I wasn’t sure I would be able to move past it.
I gulped, trying to assess where Ibrahim’s mind was at the moment, but his expression wasn’t revealing his feelings. My cheeks and neck heated with shame. “Then someone cast it to the big screen television. Our afternoon was on full display.” I looked away from him, anger rushing to a boil inside me. “So, I will be slut shamed or laughed at for the rest of my life, but even worse, you lost your job.” My chin trembled with my confession. “This mess is all my fault, and I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”
Ibrahim’s brows knitted together. “I’ve never heard you apologize before—to me or anyone else. Hearing those words means a lot to me, thank you.”
“I should go. Zoe is waiting for me. I kind of jumped out of her car and left her up the street.” The corner of my lips turned up in a small smile. “I just wanted to try to talk to you.”
His eyes softened as he raised his hand to my cheek. “This is for the best. You’re my kryptonite and I could never refuse you. I have work already, though. Don’t worry.”
My heart lit up with the news. “You do? Is it with a good family?”
His gaze flicked to the floor, then back to me, seemingly uncomfortable. He nodded. “They’re very kind people. I’m sure we will see each other on occasion. We can keep it friendly.”
I had a feeling Ibrahim was hiding something from me, but I had no idea what.
“Okay, that helps me feel a little better. The entire situation blew up, and I didn’t have time to warn you. I’m not even sure how the video got leaked.” I leaned into his touch, relieved the conversation was turning out better than I’d anticipated.
Ibrahim dropped his hand, and I immediately missed the warmth of his palm. “You should go. Take care, Shae.” He bent down and pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of my mouth. Suddenly, Ibrahim jerked and spun around. A loud crack filled the air, then Ibrahim’s body lurched, and his arms flailed as he struggled to keep his balance.
“Ibrahim!” I scooted to the side of him, trying to see what the hell was happening. A fist landed in Ibrahim’s face, and he crumpled to the sidewalk, blood gushing from a gash over his eye. His nose bled, and at a glance, I realized it was most likely broken. “Ibrahim!”
Ibrahim grabbed his head, moaning in pain. As I started to kneel to help him, a black boot caught my attention, and I slowly looked up.What the fuck?
ChapterNine
