A Woman Scorned

Part 21

After a quick shower you slipped into a new skirt and top you bought in Paris. It took a few minutes to apply your make-up and lipstick before you spritzed your hair with dry shampoo and brushed it through. Considering you had just spent the last 8 hours on a flight from Paris to New York, you didn't look half-bad. You'd asked Billy to meet you an hour after your plane was scheduled to land so you could spruce up and get ready, and booking that hour at one of the luxury lounges in the airport had been worth it. Although tired, you looked good, you felt great, and you were bursting with excitement at the thought of seeing him again.

Two weeks without him had felt like hell; you'd never experienced that kind of aching emptiness before. Not long ago the sheer intensity of your feelings for him would have scared the hell out of you but you felt more secure in his feelings for you and knew how much he valued you. Billy talked a lot about the connection you two shared and as much you tried to stay grounded and not get swept away by his words you had to admit he was right. The bond you had with him was unique. It was special, and it meant the world to you.

Which was why Roger's offer left you feeling so confused. Apparently Valiant's board members had been impressed with your track record and now you were being considered for a promotion that would have you leading the Paris site. It meant being the top executive in the European market with a huge bump in title and salary and the chance to make real changes in the sector. In the past the thought of such an opportunity would have excited the hell out of you but as soon as Roger brought it up all you felt was nervous hesitation. Taking the job would mean leaving Billy and that thought - you shook your head internally, reminding yourself there was no point in dwelling on this when you hadn't even been offered the promotion.

You tipped the attendant and then headed down to the baggage area to pick up your suitcase. A few minutes later you made your way to the arrival gates. There was a huge crowd of people waiting and you scoured the crowd eagerly for any signs of Billy. Your phone vibrated in your purse and you reached for it to find a missed call from him and a voicemail message.

"Hey babe, think there was a mix-up or something. It says your flight landed already? Thought it wasn't getting in for another half hour. I got here early. Anyway, I'm waiting by Gate E, near the back... miss you."

His voice was effusive, filled with excitement, mirroring your own feelings. Before you could hang up, the next message started playing.

"Hey, it's me. I get it. You're pissed but we need to talk. Call me."

It was obviously an old message from Billy, one you hadn't heard before.

"I make you feel worthless? What the fuck did I do to make you feel that way? Tell me. Because you actually haven't given me any reasons. You just spouted some bullshit about having feelings for me before you walked away. Now you've blocked my number and I'm sitting here trying to figure out what the fuck I did wrong. Eleven fucking months we've been sleeping together and you tell me nothing about yourself. Nothing. You were a glorified sex doll. A fucking fleshlight who spoke and only told me things I wanted to hear. Yes, Billy. No, Billy. Fuck me, Billy. You kept everything bottled up! Not once did we have a real conversation. And then all of a sudden you come alive and I find out there's more to you and I want to get to know you better but then you tell me you have feelings for me, that you might actually love me and instead of giving me a chance to process any of this shit you dump my ass and block me? Fuck you, Y/N!"