BOOK TWO in the STEAMY FORBIDDEN ROMANCE series -- please read BOOK ONE, Illicit, before proceeding with this novel!
Coralie Watson, now living in NYC to focus on her singer/songwriter career, has landed herself in quite the predicament. Stuck in a...
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♫ Said somethin' was wrong with my head Told me someone was messin' with my mind Said you gotta get out the situation girl It's only a matter of time ♪ (Mya ft. Lloyd Banks—Why you gotta look so good?)
"So... you need a Gilmore Girls style pro and con list?" Delilah sipped from her chipped mug and smacked her lips.
"Yeah... I guess so. But make that three lists, for three guys." Coralie, sitting legs crossed on the floor, leaning against the couch, sighed.
The night before, she'd gotten home, snuck into bed, and wished her worries would resolve by morning. But how many times had she done that in the past few weeks, to no avail? She woke to a heavenly scent of java and an aroma of delectable pastries, and when she meandered out into the living room, she located Delilah on the sofa, patting the space beside her. She'd picked up macarons, whipped up some fancy coffee, and summoned Coralie to her side.
They'd been chatting ever since. Delilah had taken the morning off work—friendly emergency, she'd called it, and her dad had had no choice but to accept it—and Coralie didn't have to go in to the label until later that day, due to an important video-shoot that would take up the entire floor.
After a few vanilla pastries and a few sips of java, Coralie understood that Delilah, despite her judgment, was her best confidante. Not Chester, as she'd initially thought. Because Delilah, though gritting her teeth through the whole story and white-knuckling her way through her mug of coffee, wasn't biased, and saw things clearer. As an outsider to the situation, and with a smidgen of knowledge on all three men, she was the best placed to give Coralie some insight on her dilemma. And how to solve it.
"I'm in over my head," said Coralie, letting the steam coat her face, fog her eyesight, and evaporate into her nostrils. The blend Delilah had chosen—a soft hazelnut with hints of raspberry—had been their favorite back in San Francisco, and they'd been unable to find it since they moved to New York City. "You were right, and I'm an idiot. Dating three men? I mean, if you can call my situation with Chester dating... I'm not even sure."
"Hmpf," Delilah snorted and scarfed down another macaron, "I hate to say I told you so, but..."
"But one guy has no idea the other two exist, the second thinks he's top dog when in fact he's got more than one competitor, and the third keeps spitting out shit about fate and coincidences and stars aligning. Ugh, my head hurts." Coralie massaged her temples as she tipped the back of her head onto the lower couch cushion. "This is impossible."
Delilah, who hadn't moved from her end of the sofa, tucked her legs under herself and blew out her cheeks. "Well, what you need is some clarity. So yes, a pro and con list would help. It would be a start, but you'll need supervision, someone to make sure you're not bullshitting anything—"
"—what I need is to stay away from all three and discover which one I miss the most." Coralie laughed, and the sound was hoarse, haunted, displaying the torment she was battling on the inside. "If I miss any of them at all. Ha! That would fix the issue. Celibacy, like I'd planned, yeah?"
