Who the fuck are you? – Lo
Someone you hate. – Unknown. Okay, that does not narrow anything down. Lo’s enemies from prep school and college are numerous and vast. It happened when he retaliated against all the people who thought they could bully him into submission.
Lo tries to push me off, but I have my arm wrapped around his neck, close to choking him, so he lets me be. We’re still naked, but I’m too frantic to be aroused.
Fuck off – Lo
“That’s your response?” I say, wide-eyed. “You’re egging the person on.”
“If you don’t like it, then you shouldn’t be reading my personal texts or spidering me like a koala bear.”
True.
And lose out on all the money the tabloids will pay me when I tell them Lily Calloway is a sex addict? …Never – Unknown
I blink. Reread the text. And gawk. No.
“Lil,” Lo says, shutting off his phone. “It’s okay. That’s not going to happen. Look at me.” He holds my face in his hands, forcing my eyes to his. “That’s not going to happen. I won’t let it. I’ll hire someone to go find this asshole. I’ll pay him off more than he’ll get from the tabloids.”
He’s forgetting something. “You’re broke,” I say. His father took away his trust fund because he dropped out of college. Lo hasn’t spoken to him since he left for rehab. He’s alone and poor and all my money is tied up with my family. And they don’t know about my addiction either. I’d rather not tell them. Ever.
His features darken, remembering. “I’ll think of something else then.”
The shame that my family will feel if they find out—the hurt and disappointment—I can’t bear to even think about it. A female sex addict? A slut. A male sex addict? A hero. How much will I tarnish my father’s company with the news? Sure, not a lot of people outside of our social circle know my name or who I am, but could this make tabloid news? Why wouldn’t it? Lily Calloway: daughter of the founder of Fizzle, a sex addict and a whore.
It’s juicy enough to satiate gossip columnists everywhere.
“Lo,” I say as tears threaten to fall. “I’m scared.”
He hugs me, drawing me close. “Everything is going to be okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
I hold onto his words and repeat them over and over, hoping that will truly be enough.
…To Be Continued