Page 36 of Range
“And, Ms. Childers.”
He placed emphasis on a name he didn’t want to refer to me as.
Range. I corrected.My name is Range.
“Yes, Mr. Blackwood?”
“Next time we meet, I expect you to have returned that ring, thanked that man for his time, and let him know he’s not whoever or whatever the fuck he thought he was to you. That cut and style of diamond does nothing to complement your hand. You deserve custom everything.”
My thoughts were caught in my head. My words were caught in my throat. My breath was caught in my chest.
Silence.
I watched him disappear behind the steel door as I processed his words, unsure if I truly understood them. Understood him. Understood what had just happened. Understood what would happen next.
The hand of the guard never touched the hem of his garment. Words were never exchanged. I watched as he exuded the power and arrogance of a godly man—a man I’d suck into oblivion on the holiest day of the week, every week.
Breathlessly, I gathered my things. I shoved my folder into my briefcase, anxious to be alone. Anxious to put the correctional facility behind me. Anxious to put him behind me.
He’s trouble. Big fucking trouble.
I rushed through the door, out of each door I’d come through to enter the room that held my deepest, darkest desires for the man who’d made a few minutes feel more like a lifetime than any other moment in my life.
Out of the door and into my car, I released the breath I’d been holding.
“FUCK,” I grunted.
My chest rose and fell dramatically. Shaky hands flipped the cell from the armrest upward. I pressed the first number on the pad and then the green button next. With the cell against my ear, I waited for my source of comfort to appear on the line.
My wait wasn’t long. The phone rang once before his voice attempted its revival tactics. They were useless.
“Speak.”
Silence.
I rubbed my temple, hoping to resolve the fuzziness in my head and the pain of my heart.
“Baby–”
“You have given me a mess I am incapable of cleaning,” I rushed out.
“B–”
I slammed the cell shut. On unsteady legs, I exited my car as I removed the SIM card from the phone. I placed it on the ground and stomped, breaking it in half.
I couldn’t bear the disappointment in Teddy’s voice. I couldn’t bear the heartache of his words.
TO NOTE.
Between the covers of this book ismyart piece —beautifully paired words structured formycreative satisfaction and later consumed by others for enjoyment.
It’sleisure for you, it’slife for me.
This is just a book to most.It’s art for me.
Myart. I’ve hadmytime. Haveyours.
happy reading
