How to Stay Out of Prison: A Modern-Day Woman's Guide

Chapter 24

Nixon~

It was almost midnight, but I was still wide fucking awake. I was still drowning in regret at what I'd done to Lyric earlier, and the longer that I thought about it, the more I realized that I wouldn't blame her if she'd really meant what she'd said about never wanting to see me again.

Staring at nothing, the fourth tumbler of whiskey went down smoother than the first three, and I wondered if I was drinking to get drunk or just to take the edge off. Tomorrow was a workday, but since I was the boss, I could call in with a hangover, no problem.

I set the empty glass down on the coffee table, then ran my hands up and down my face. Maybe I should just go back to her apartment and beg for forgiveness. Maybe I should just get it over with and tell her that I was pretty sure that I was in love with her. I mean, it had to be love. No man in his right mind would tie himself to a woman that was certifiably crazy if it wasn't love, and more than anything, I wanted to tie myself to Lyrical, no matter her level of insanity.

I also didn't care about her insecurities. Sure, I hoped one day that she'd be able to see herself the way I saw her and know that she was beautiful and loved for exactly the person that she was. Nonetheless, if I had to spend the rest of my life buying her flowers every week and telling her that she was beautiful every night, then I'd do it. I'd do it because nothing and no one had ever made me feel the way Lyrical did.

During my lifetime, I had constructed the most amazing structures in this city, designed the most elegant buildings in this town, and felt the highs of deadlines and the pure elation of standing before a finished masterpiece that had my name on it.

I'd also bedded women with perfect bodies and flawless faces, and I had fucked women that'd had absolutely no limits in bed because they'd thought that my wallet would buy them respectability. I'd been surrounded by models, heiresses, and escorts that had embodied perfection, and had used their feminine talents like weapons.

Still, nothing...not any of my buildings, not any of those women, not the best champagne in the world, not the most expensive meal on the planet...none of it made me feel a fraction of what I felt when I was with Lyrical. Whether it was being buried deep inside her or trying to figure out her crazy, being with her made me feel...alive. Like every color would dim and nothing would ever shine if she weren't waiting for me at home at the end of the day.

Fuck, I was in goddamn love.

There was no question about it, and now armed with that certainty, there was only one thing left to do; I had to go beg.

It was almost midnight, so I contemplated just going over to her place dressed as is, in lounge pants and nothing else...well, maybe some shoes, but as I stood up seriously nixing the idea of decent clothing, I heard the sound of my front door unlocking. There were only four people on the planet that had keys to my place, and they were my parents, Jackson, and Lincoln.

I remained where I stood as I watched as Linc pushed open the door, then walked inside. I could feel the beginning tingles of adrenaline start mingling in my blood. If Lincoln was here this late, then something was definitely wrong.

His steps faltered the second that he noticed me standing in the middle of my living room. "Oh, hey, Nix," he greeted. "I just came by to let you know that you owe me twenty-grand."

My brows shot up in surprise. Not what I'd been expecting, but my mind also couldn't conjure up what I could possibly owe Lincoln twenty-grand for. "Oh, really?"

He chuckled, sarcasm in that small act. "Yeah. Really."

I eyed him as he shut the door behind him, then walked into my place until he was standing only a few feet away from me.