He Called Me Crazy, Then Regretted

Chapter 7

I tilted my head back, finally making out the face of the man standing over me. "Raymond?"

Raymond lowered his eyes, a faint, ambiguous smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "We're off set now, so you're finally talking to me casually?"

I didn't answer, just turned my head to glance at the surging river beside us. I must have lost my mind earlier, actually thinking I could fish my phone out of that churning water.

Annoyed that I was ignoring him, Raymond's voice sharpened. "I'm talking to you."

The sting from my scraped palm hit me only after a beat. I pushed myself up unsteadily. "Thanks. I wasn't trying to kill myself, I just dropped my phone." I then gave a small nod and turned to leave.

Without my phone, it looked like I'd have to walk all the way home today.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist hard.

Before I could even process what was happening, Raymond had shoved me into the passenger seat of his sports car. "Since I'm already playing the good guy today, I might as well go all the way. Free ride, on me."

I was just about to turn him down, but then I thought: if someone spotted me walking home looking like this, who knew what crazy rumors would blow up online tomorrow.

With that thought, I let out a tired sigh and told him my address.

Raymond slammed his foot on the gas. The engine roared, and the car shot forward like a bullet, wind whipping past the windows.

I hadn't eaten in forever, apparently. A searing, cramping pain twisted through my stomach, and I clutched my roiling stomach.

Raymond glanced over at me, one eyebrow lifted. "Can't keep up with this speed?"

There was a double meaning to his words that I didn't care to unpack. I stared out the window at the inky dark night. "I used to have a sports car just like this, whenever I was upset, I'd take it out mountain racing in the middle of the night."

Raymond perked up, curious. "What happened to it?"

What happened? I tugged the corner of my mouth into a bitter, empty half-smile. "Nothing happened. I sold it."

After my dad killed himself, all the unresolved mess he left behind crushed me, leaving me gasping for air under the weight of it all. That night on the winding mountain road, I'd fully intended to end everything right then and there.

I was just about to slam the gas and drive straight off the cliff when the radio host's voice cut through the silence: "Rising star, Grey's box office numbers are continuing to climb against the usual downward trend, blowing up across the internet!"

I froze, foot hovering over the pedal.

The next day, I sold the sports car. Used the money, took my mom, and moved abroad, far away from everything.

Before I knew it, Raymond had pulled up outside my apartment building.

I snapped back to the present. "Thanks!"

I'd just grabbed the door handle when Raymond caught my arm. "That's it? You're not gonna invite me up for a glass of water?"

The adult innuendo was so obvious it didn't need spelling out.

I played dumb, giving him a polite smile. "It's too late. I'll buy you a coffee on set tomorrow, Raymond." I stepped out of the car and lifted my head, only to lock eyes with Grey, standing by the building entrance not far away.

His gaze, sharp as a blade under the brim of his baseball cap, rooted me to the spot.

When Raymond saw I wasn't moving, he got out of the car too, following my line of sight. He spotted Grey and let out a low, amused chuckle. "This is interesting."

Right then, Grey was already walking straight towards us. He stopped right next to me, his voice sharp with sneering contempt. "Selene, I really underestimated you. You found a new sugar daddy that fast?"

I was just about to ask why he was hanging around my apartment building, but every word died in my throat before I could get them out.

I could barely breathe. "Grey."

I reached for his sleeve on instinct, but he wrenched his arm away. "Stay the hell away from me. I think you're dirty." He flicked the spot on his sleeve where my fingers had brushed, that last word heavy with sharp, biting emphasis.

I froze right where I stood, staring at his dismissive little gesture while my chest roiled with a mess of tangled emotions.

That single word "dirty" pierced my heart like a sharp needle. Every breath I took sent that searing pain rippling through every last inch of my body.

The next second, a shadow fell over me. I was yanked hard into a warm chest, and a searing kiss landed on me before I knew what was happening.

Raymond's light, crisp masculine cologne flooded my nose.

I was just about to shove him off, but he'd already pulled back. My whole body went completely rigid. I just stood there, dumbfounded, staring right at Grey. The emotion in his eyes was so dark and unfathomable I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

All of a sudden, Raymond's amused voice drifted from right next to my ear. "Jeez, Grey, do you ever watch your mouth? We're both single, last I checked. How does dating count as mooching off a sugar daddy?"