Second Lies (The Second Life Series) Read online

  Once we got to the elevators, I stopped and stared up at Garrett, completely overcome by his new found charm. Shit, I was drunk, but I had to keep my composure. It felt so easy to give into him, but I wouldn’t let myself.

  In a light voice, I said, “Thank you for tonight. I appreciate you for making my objective to be a classless drunk much less pathetic and lonely.”

  He gave my hand a little squeeze. He shook his head, “I had a lot of fun, too. We can be pathetic together any time.”

  My chest heaved as I took a deep breath in, holding it in place. My world was spinning. This was so fucking unexpected, yet I wasn’t sure I wanted this to end. I had fun. Should I give a shit if he was a Holden? A quick image of his young daughter corrupted my thoughts. Fuck, even if that didn’t matter, the fact that he was married with kids certainly did. There, my decision was made. This needed to end here and now.

  Garrett stared into my eyes searching for something, anything, confirmation, denial, yes, no. My expression was unreadable. Without thinking, he leaned in, kissed my lips, holding me in place, possessing my mouth with his. He inhaled sharply through his nose, and I pulled myself out of his grasp. We both stared at each other for the shortest of seconds. I took a step backwards, distancing myself from him.

  I couldn’t think of how to articulate what I was feeling or what I wanted. I gulped, forcing out the words, “Goodnight, Garrett.” I pushed open a door, opting instead to take the long flight of stairs up to my floor instead of waiting for the elevator. Fuck, I couldn’t believe that happened.

  I walked up a couple steps, grateful he didn’t try following me. I removed my heels and jogged the rest of the way. My feet felt swollen beneath me. It was such a grueling, earned punishment that I forced myself the entire way.

  Once I got up to my floor, I went to my door and unlocked it. It felt dark and lonely in here. I dropped my things to the counter and stripped myself of the dress. Once I was completely naked, I climbed into bed and stared out my bedroom window to the city. It was my favorite view. Maybe after a while, I’d feel a little bit happy.

  My lips were still tingling, missing him already. This was impossible. Garrett just strutted into my life and took it over so efficiently. Yes, I ended that kiss, but I certainly didn’t protest against it. Should I be surprised he was capable of doing this to me? He was, after all, a Holden.

  Shit, this couldn’t be real, and now that I was by myself again, all those feelings from two months ago hit me like a bus. I was alone again. I was alone and single and angry, and it was all my fault. After all, I was the one who used to strip. I’m the one who can’t keep her nose clean or her glass empty.

  After an eternity of going through old memories, I gave into sleep, completely surprising myself, because the last image that danced through my mind wasn’t of him…it was the rainbow colored woman from the painting, “Center of Attention.”

  Chapter 7

  I couldn’t believe my alarm was going off. It felt like I had just closed by eyes, but the morning sun greeted me. As I turned to my left, I realized I was still alone. I rolled over and screamed mercilessly into my pillow. I wondered if all girls went through this during a breakup. In the beginning it was easy ignoring his calls and trashing the flowers he’d send to my place. I was still so enraged by the fact that he’d gone to Dennis and confided in him about me working at Lux. I vowed that one day when I had the courage to see him again without breaking down I’d get the full story. As for now, I knew I’d break, and I couldn’t be with someone who I couldn’t trust.

  For the next thirty minutes, I started getting ready. I took a shower and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I put on my workout clothes and coat. After a short walk, I was at my gym, ready to go. At this rate, I was pretty sure I could become a professional fighter. Craig had me on a strict workout regime and diet. I didn’t mind though. All the training distracted me from my thoughts, or at least, that was how it was supposed to be until I walked into the gym this morning.

  I pushed open the double doors and peeled off my coat, jumping up and down in place to get my blood flowing. It was freezing outside. I hated the winter, but at least, the snow was holding off. Nothing was worse to me than when the sidewalks in the city were covered in snow.

  Craig sat at the front desk, leaning as far back as possible in his chair. It was dead at the gym this early in the morning. He flipped through the newspaper, slowly easing it down to make eye contact with me. He smiled, an alarming, menacing, torturous smile, “So I’m guessing you already got your workout in last night.”

  He released a boisterous laugh. I huffed, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I hung up my coat and started stretching.

  Craig slammed down the newspaper. It was an article about the art show last night. The largest pictures was of the “Center of Attention,” which made me smile, but then, off to the side, was another picture that made me cringe.

  Garrett held me in his powerful hands, leaning into my hair with the side of his face. If you didn’t know us, you’d swear we were couple. I had to admit we did look good together. My face was contorted into pure bliss, something I hadn’t seen on myself in a long time. Shit, our clothes even matched. I hadn’t noticed that last night. We definitely looked like we’d gone together. Below the picture, the caption read, “Adriana Ward, socialite, and Garrett Holden, entrepreneur, engaging in the finer arts.”

  Craig laughed at my expression, “If I had any idea, I was training a socialite I would have been more delicate on you, Paris.”

  “Shut up and let’s get to work,” I threw the paper back at him and stalked towards the heavy bag. I was going to kick the crap out of this thing.

  Craig, still laughing, walked over and handed me my gloves. He used to be a professional fighter, so he was a large guy who kept himself in phenomenal shape. Somehow, that still wasn’t intimidating enough to me because I felt like I could take him out with one hit. He’d be begging for mercy by the time I was done.

  I couldn’t believe that picture was published, and I couldn’t believe they labeled me a “socialite.” That made me sound like some snobby, rich bitch who took everything for granted. I hit the bag hard at the thought. Truthfully, I guess I had recently earned the title. After all, I was being photographed at every event in the area downing expensive drinks and dressed in extravagant, designer clothing. Dennis had me set up with a stylist. He said he didn’t want to be seen next to the whore stripper from Lux, so my wardrobe was filled with the best names in the business. I hit the bag again. Part of me missed working at Lux. I didn’t like this asshole paying my way like the dog he saw me as. I might’ve been a stripper, but at least, I could afford the lifestyle I wanted to live. Again, I hit the bag. Hard. The shock ran up my arm.

  “Faster,” Craig muttered. “You’re thinking too hard about this.” I struck the bag, left, right, with powerful blows. I kept going until my sides and arms hurt with an intense burn. “Good.”

  He handed me a bottle of water, and I guzzled it down while he strapped on these leather, cushioned pads on each of his hands. This was my favorite part. Of course, I was aiming for the pads with each of my kicks and punches thrown, but they were still directed towards Craig. This man knew exactly how to drive me crazy, so it was pure ecstasy to target my aggression at him.

  “Keep going,” he said as I continued my combination of hits. “C’mon, you can hit harder than that. Don’t make me start calling you Paris again.” He shot me a grin that boiled my blood. I was definitely not Paris.

  An hour went by, I was completely spent. I felt a lot better than before though. Craig took a seat next to me on the bench where I was downing water. He stared ahead while he spoke to me, “So this guy, Garrett, is he your new boyfriend?”

  “More like my ex-boyfriend’s brother,” I rolled my eyes. My life was always throwing a curve ball at me. “It’s not complicated. We were drunk and having a good time. That’s it. There was nothing sexual about our relationship.”


  He laughed and shook his head full of his trademark bleach blonde spikey hair, “I saw the picture, Adriana. It looks like he’s got a hard on sticking in your ass.”

  “Well, he didn’t. Garrett is just a guy who I kind of knew who I ran into at a boring art show,” I shrugged. “It was better than drinking by myself.”

  As infuriating as he could be, Craig had turned into quite a friend over the past couple months. He said what was on his mind and called me out when I was distracted about misplaced emotions. It was exactly what I needed. He was good to me…even though I wanted to hit him sometimes.

  “So if he’s not your boyfriend then that means you’re free to date?” He smirked his wide toothy grin at me. I sighed, wondering where this was leading to. “My buddy’s in Philly for a few days. How do you feel about a double date? I promised him a good time if he came up to visit me, and all of Taylor’s friends are busy.”

  “So I’m your last resort?” I shrieked. “Let me guess. He’s some sort of giant meat head professional fighter like you?” I hated that type of guy. They were all magnetized to my gym; it was like a constant, giant pissing contest in here.

  “Yeah, he’s a pro fighter,” Craig laughed, “but that doesn’t mean he’s not a cool guy. Come out with us tonight. Have a couple beers. It’s not like you have a life anyway. You’re always working out here.” He gave me a small push to my arm. “You have my permission to take a night off.” He waved his hands in circles around me, making an annoying ghost noise at the same time. “I use my magical trainer powers to release you from a night of kicking the shit out of the bag while pretending that it’s me.”

  “You know that I do that?” I laughed.

  Craig frowned, “Well, now I do, but I guess I’m glad to be of some inspiration.”

  “Fine,” I laughed, going to the front to grab my coat. “Set it up. Message me where to meet you, and I’ll be there.”

  Gloria walked into my apartment, carrying a bag full of makeup and accessories. She looked me over, standing in nothing but a bathrobe with wet stringy hair. “Jesus, you weren’t kidding when you said you hadn’t put any effort into your outfit.”

  “I just got out the shower,” I closed the door behind her and plopped myself on the couch. “Honestly, I’m not sure why I agreed to this. Dennis keeps calling me to attend these fucking dinners and shit, and this is my first night off in a while. Why would I agree to do something where I have to dress up when, for once, I don’t have to?”

  “Because you’re a girl, and you should want to do this kind of thing,” Gloria plugged in a blow dryer and took to my hair with expertise. I swear if she ever gave up on her dreams of being a nurse, she could easily become a stylist. “Now, hold still, while I work my magic.”

  Gloria primped and painted me until I looked somewhat presentable. It was nice having her here to help me out. Even though our friendship was going perfectly fine, we still hadn’t been seeing much of each other lately. She was juggling her job at Lux, upcoming finals, and a new relationship with Vicki. At first when they started dating, I felt uncomfortable because I had never seen this side of my best friend before, but that was short-lived. Vicki ended up being a really cool girl, and she brought out the best in Gloria.

  “Where are you drinking tonight?” Gloria asked as she brushed through my hair. She had created these gorgeous soft waves that I could never replicate on my own. Whenever I had tried in the past, it always ended up in a big, frizz ball.

  “Some new place on Chestnut. I’ve never been there before,” I answered with a shrug. She finished my hair and handed me some clothes. I stared down at a white cable knit off-the-shoulder sweater dress and black knee high boots, an outfit that was definitely not my style. “What the hell is this?”

  “Put it on. You’ll look so hot in this,” she shoved the clothes in my lap. “C’mon, you called me here for a reason.”

  I frowned but listened. She was right. I did call her over here for a reason. As I stripped my clothes off and replaced it with the new outfit, Gloria looked ecstatic. She straightened the dress at my sides and brushed at the arms. She smiled, “There, you look hot,” she eyed my chest, “especially those boobies.”

  I swatted at her. “Yes, thank God, these giant, obnoxious men have my giant, obnoxious chest to enjoy this evening.”

  After adding a pair of earrings, a black belt for my waist, and a chunky bracelet, Gloria gathered her things, “Okay, you have fun tonight. I have to meet Vick for the movie. Call me tomorrow and let me know how you had tons and tons of fun and didn’t ruin this date by overthinking every, little thing.” God, she knew me so well. I waved her goodbye and searched for my keys.

  I handed my fake ID to the bouncer who was too busy checking me out to know it was bogus. He handed it back to me without a second glance, and I walked into the bar. It was crowded in here. With the current drink specials, people from all over Philly filled the space from wall to wall. After several minutes of pushing through the crowd, I spotted Craig with his girlfriend, Taylor, seated at a booth.

  Taylor was a pretty girl with long red hair, large brown eyes, pale skin, and freckles. Every time I saw her, she was always wearing a shirt with the name “Dead Leg” etched on it. It was Craig’s nickname when he used to fight, Craig “Dead Leg” Everest. For some reason, I always thought her support of him was ridiculously cute, even though it consumed her wardrobe.

  “Hey pretty girl,” she greeted me with a hug, “way to totally outshine me. You look so gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” I said while taking a seat next to her at the table. I shot a look at Craig who was shoving his face full of nachos across from me. “Okay, where’s this friend of yours?” I turned back to Taylor, eyeing her with suspicion. “Did he set me up with a complete loser? Tell me the truth.”

  Taylor laughed and shook her head, “No way. You know I wouldn’t let him do that to you. Declan’s a good guy.” She pointed passed a couple girls. “Actually, you can check him out now. He’s getting us beer from the bar.”

  From across the room, I spotted Declan. He looked like he was a couple inches taller than me and composed of bulky muscles, just as predicted. His tan arms were covered in tattoos and his hair was pressed into a spikey Mohawk. He looked like the stereotypical douche that worked out at my gym, but for the sake of Taylor and Craig, I was willing to give him a chance. Besides, this whole mess with Garrett left me feeling confused. I needed to spend time with a guy whose last name wasn’t Holden.

  Declan spun around with a pitcher of beer in his hands and spotted me staring. His smile was crooked but endearing. His bright eyes lit up. Perhaps, this evening could be fun. I deserved to have some fun after all.

  “This is Adriana,” Craig said as Declan made his way to our booth.

  He put the pitcher down, and I stood to shake his hand. He said, “Hey, it’s great to finally meet you. Craig went on and on about you.”

  “Did he?” I shot a look in Craig’s direction that made Taylor choke from laughter while she was taking a drink. We both sat down. “It’s great to meet you, too. Craig told me you were visiting. Where are you from?”

  “Virginia originally, but I moved to Atlanta a couple years back.”

  “My dad bought a hotel in Virginia Beach a year ago. He just finished renovating it. It’s absolutely gorgeous,” I answered while pouring some beer into a glass.

  Declan laughed and said to Craig, “Damn, are you trying to get me into trouble, Everest? She’s gorgeous and rich. What have you gotten me into?”

  “And she’s a socialite, according to Philadelphia’s most accurate newspaper,” Taylor laughed with a raise of her eyebrows.

  “No! You saw that picture, too?” I winced. Taylor nodded her head with a glint in her eye. Shit, I should’ve known. Craig never read the newspaper. She must have told him about it, so he could make fun of me this morning. “I’m not a socialite. I just drink like one.”

  “Now, we’re talking,” Declan raise
d his glass in appreciation. We all took down a big gulp of beer and set our glasses back on the table, almost in unison. “So if you’re not Philadelphia’s sexiest socialite, what are you then?”

  “Living off my parents and spending weekday nights getting drunk apparently,” I laughed. “Maybe, I am a socialite.” I shook my head, refusing to live in a pity party. I deserved to have fun. I had to keep telling myself that. “I took off school for the semester. I needed a break for personal reasons. I start back up in January.” With my new found time, Gloria had convinced me to sign up for school for the spring semester. I picked out a lot of night classes. I figured it would help keep me from attending some future events with Dennis. “I go to school in the city at the University of Pennsylvania.”

  “I owe you, man,” Declan casually put an arm around me. He leaned in a little closer to where I sat. “Beautiful, rich, and smart, she’s got it all.”

  Granted, Declan really wasn’t my type, but he was still a blast. He bought the whole table shots and told the most hilarious jokes. It turns out he met Craig several years back at a huge tournament in Vegas. They kept running into each other over the years and just ended up becoming good friends. All in all Declan was a good guy, and I didn’t do anything to sabotage this night. Gloria would be so proud.

  “Babe, we should get out of here,” Taylor faked a dramatic yawn. Fuck, I knew what she was doing. “We have to wake up early tomorrow.”

  “But the game’s on,” Craig motioned to a flat screen TV, completely oblivious. “I don’t want to miss it.”

  Taylor shot a look in Declan’s and my direction. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’m ready to get to bed. Maybe you should take me home.”

  “Yeah, don’t keep your girl up all night if she’s got to wake up early,” Declan jumped in. “Don’t worry. I know my way back to your place. I’ll get home fine. Besides, Adriana wants to do more shots.” His hold around my arms got a tiny bit tighter.