Page 103 of The Encounter
She picked up on the first ring. “Well, hello, Jace. Fancy hearing from you.”
“You need to stop this. Now.”
He paced the space in front of his couch as Roxy watched from her bed.
“Stop what?”
That she pretended she did not know what he was talking about was maddening. He clenched his phone in his hand.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Stop attacking Maddie. That’s poor journalism, and you know it.”
“I’m only writing the truth. She dated a married man, Jace.”
“She didn’t know he was married. He played her. And there is absolutely no reason her past needs to be aired out for the world to see. She isn’t a celebrity.”
“Isn’t she, though? Sheisdating you, after all. Is she not?”
A twinge of hope came through on Samantha’s last question, and he almost threw his phone across the room.
“Samantha, you listen to me right now because I will never say this again. Regardless of whether Maddie and I stay together, I will never,everbe with you again. You have shown your true colors with these articles, and you are not the type of person I would ever want to be associated with.”
Her tone dropped all niceties and took on a bitter edge. “I don’t care if I’m not someone you care about, but everyone deserves to hear what a horrible person your girlfriend is. If she dates you, she’s free game, Jace. You better accept it because if I don’t write it, someone else will.”
Three beeps sounded in his ear as Samantha hung up on him.
“Fuck!” he yelled before throwing his phone across the room, where it shattered against the wall. Roxy jumped.
“I’m sorry, girl.”
He balled his hands up and pressed them to his eyes, taking several deep breaths. When he calmed down and his eyes landed on the pieces of his phone, he shook his head.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
Before Maddie arrived,Jace drove to the closest cell phone store and purchased a new phone. He got back to his place and began restoring his contacts to it from the cloud when the doors to the elevator opened.
He stood up and walked over to greet Maddie.
“Hey, doll,” he said.
The look on her face made his stomach drop. This would not be good. He took her and pulled her into his arms. She stood stiffly against him, and her arms only half-circled him in a poor attempt at a hug. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. It was obvious she had been crying.
“Did you see Celebrity Status today?” she asked.
“I did.”
“I’m assuming you have some questions?”
He pulled back and took her hand, leading her over to his couch. They sat down, and she scooted away from him, making him frown in response.
“I don’t have questions. I know there’s no way you knew he was married, and I’m not entirely convinced that the story is even true.”
“It is. About dating him, anyway,” she whispered. “And you’re right—I didn’t know. I found out one day when I went to his house to surprise him, and his wife answered. Apparently, I was one of many mistresses.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
She looked back at him, confused. “You aren’t appalled?”
He shook his head. “Not with you. The guy is a sleazeball. And I figured that was the reason you came back home.”
