“Not this time, Audrey. Not from me. You made your choice when you jumped into bed with Judd.” He glared at her, clenching his hands into fists, his fingernails biting into his palms. “And frankly, you did me a favor. You and me, it was over well before you slept with Judd.”
“Judd means nothing to me. He was just a tool to get your attention.”
“Oh, you got my attention. You did. But your plan backfired, just like this little escapade of yours is backfiring. Because while my pride was hurt when I found you with Judd, I couldn’t have been more relieved. But now, now you’re hurting Sabrina, and I’m not going to let you get away with hurting the woman I love.”
He took another step toward her, his jaw tight, and fury blazing from his eyes.
***
Sabrina double-checked the address Holly had given her to make sure she was at the right place. It was a turn-of-the century apartment building with a doorman. Holly had warned her in her voice message that she would have to sneak past the doorman, since apparently Holly wasn’t supposed to let anybody else use the apartment. It appeared that one of Holly’s clients was loaning her the apartment—but clearly didn’t want any wild parties taking place during his absence.
Grateful that Holly had arranged this place on short notice, Sabrina watched the doorman from outside. At some point, the man would have to go to the bathroom, and then she could sneak in without anybody seeing her and ride up in the elevator.
“Excuse me, please, ma’am,” a voice said from behind her.
She whirled around and immediately stepped aside to let the UPS guy pass with his dolly, which was loaded with packages. He rolled it into the lobby and headed for the reception desk. Seeing her chance, Sabrina waited another few seconds, before following him.
As the doorman looked down at the clipboard the delivery guy handed him, Sabrina snuck to the right where she saw the sign for the elevator. She pressed the button and a ping announced that the elevator was already on the ground level. The doors opened.
“Miss? Who are you here to see?” the doorman suddenly called after her.
Sabrina quickly rushed inside and pressed the button for the floor Holly had given her, then jammed her finger onto the “close door” button.
“Miss! You have to sign in!”
But the doors closed before the doorman could hurry to her and stop her. Relieved, she released a breath and watched the buttons of the individual floors light up until the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened.
She found the right door and pressed the doorbell, eager to be let in before the doorman chased her down.
The door was answered quickly, but not by Holly as she’d expected. An older woman with an apron addressed her. “May I help you?”
Maybe the apartment came with staff? “Yes, I’m supposed to meet my friend Holly here.”
The woman’s eyebrows snapped together. “I’m afraid, there’s no Holly at this address. You must have the wrong apartment.”
Sabrina stared at the number on the door once more. “No, this is the correct apartment. Maybe your employer hasn’t mentioned to you that Holly will be using the apartment for a few days—”
“That’s impossible. Miss Audrey never mentioned anybody by the name of Holly. You must be—”
“Audrey?” Sabrina choked out.
Then she heard loud voices from the inside of the apartment. There was no mistaking who the male voice belonged to: Daniel.
Sabrina pushed her way past the woman, who protested vehemently.
“You can’t just come in here!”
“Daniel?” Sabrina murmured under her breath and followed the direction of the voices.
“You won’t do anything to me, Daniel. No matter what you say, I know you still have feelings for me. Why else would you be here?”
“The only feeling I have for you is disgust. It’s over, Audrey; it’s been over for a long time.”
Sabrina had only once before heard Daniel’s voice so cold and unyielding: when he’d found Audrey waiting for him in his hotel room in San Francisco. He’d sounded the same back then. At the same time, his words confirmed something else: he was through with Audrey.
“You still want me!” Audrey continued. “What do you see in her? She’s got nothing! She’s a nobody, a tramp!”
“Not another word! I love Sabrina more than life itself and I will not stand by and let you trash her. She’s everything you’re not, Audrey! She’s got a heart, compassion, class. And something else: she has my love.”
“Judd means nothing to me. He was just a tool to get your attention.”
“Oh, you got my attention. You did. But your plan backfired, just like this little escapade of yours is backfiring. Because while my pride was hurt when I found you with Judd, I couldn’t have been more relieved. But now, now you’re hurting Sabrina, and I’m not going to let you get away with hurting the woman I love.”
He took another step toward her, his jaw tight, and fury blazing from his eyes.
***
Sabrina double-checked the address Holly had given her to make sure she was at the right place. It was a turn-of-the century apartment building with a doorman. Holly had warned her in her voice message that she would have to sneak past the doorman, since apparently Holly wasn’t supposed to let anybody else use the apartment. It appeared that one of Holly’s clients was loaning her the apartment—but clearly didn’t want any wild parties taking place during his absence.
Grateful that Holly had arranged this place on short notice, Sabrina watched the doorman from outside. At some point, the man would have to go to the bathroom, and then she could sneak in without anybody seeing her and ride up in the elevator.
“Excuse me, please, ma’am,” a voice said from behind her.
She whirled around and immediately stepped aside to let the UPS guy pass with his dolly, which was loaded with packages. He rolled it into the lobby and headed for the reception desk. Seeing her chance, Sabrina waited another few seconds, before following him.
As the doorman looked down at the clipboard the delivery guy handed him, Sabrina snuck to the right where she saw the sign for the elevator. She pressed the button and a ping announced that the elevator was already on the ground level. The doors opened.
“Miss? Who are you here to see?” the doorman suddenly called after her.
Sabrina quickly rushed inside and pressed the button for the floor Holly had given her, then jammed her finger onto the “close door” button.
“Miss! You have to sign in!”
But the doors closed before the doorman could hurry to her and stop her. Relieved, she released a breath and watched the buttons of the individual floors light up until the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened.
She found the right door and pressed the doorbell, eager to be let in before the doorman chased her down.
The door was answered quickly, but not by Holly as she’d expected. An older woman with an apron addressed her. “May I help you?”
Maybe the apartment came with staff? “Yes, I’m supposed to meet my friend Holly here.”
The woman’s eyebrows snapped together. “I’m afraid, there’s no Holly at this address. You must have the wrong apartment.”
Sabrina stared at the number on the door once more. “No, this is the correct apartment. Maybe your employer hasn’t mentioned to you that Holly will be using the apartment for a few days—”
“That’s impossible. Miss Audrey never mentioned anybody by the name of Holly. You must be—”
“Audrey?” Sabrina choked out.
Then she heard loud voices from the inside of the apartment. There was no mistaking who the male voice belonged to: Daniel.
Sabrina pushed her way past the woman, who protested vehemently.
“You can’t just come in here!”
“Daniel?” Sabrina murmured under her breath and followed the direction of the voices.
“You won’t do anything to me, Daniel. No matter what you say, I know you still have feelings for me. Why else would you be here?”
“The only feeling I have for you is disgust. It’s over, Audrey; it’s been over for a long time.”
Sabrina had only once before heard Daniel’s voice so cold and unyielding: when he’d found Audrey waiting for him in his hotel room in San Francisco. He’d sounded the same back then. At the same time, his words confirmed something else: he was through with Audrey.
“You still want me!” Audrey continued. “What do you see in her? She’s got nothing! She’s a nobody, a tramp!”
“Not another word! I love Sabrina more than life itself and I will not stand by and let you trash her. She’s everything you’re not, Audrey! She’s got a heart, compassion, class. And something else: she has my love.”
