Rekindling Love (British Billionaires Series) by Sorell Oates Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sorell Oates
in their sport. Rupert fought the urge to run home, strip off and shower away “disaster” from his skin.
“ It's you. It's October. Winter's only two months away and there's air-conditioning on,” said Imogen smartly.
“ I'm going out for a breath of fresh air. It's stuffy and I need to clear my head.”
He stalked out the main entrance. It was cooler. Rubbing his temples he acknowledged the situation was not nice. Not nice for Liz and it must be horrific for Susie.
“ Hey stranger.”
“ You look different with your hair down and fully made up. I should have placed your face from the gym.”
“ Either way, you didn't recognize me. The gym or an art gallery. You still didn't have any idea who I was.”
“ It's been fifteen years, Susie.”
Nauseous, she steadied herself to prevent vomiting. No one, not even her father called her Susie. Only Rupert had. Horrid, hateful, hurtful Rupert. The man who toyed with her heart-strings. Things were different now.
“ Fifteen years or fifty pounds?”
“ Susie, don't do this.”
“ Don't do what?”
“ Don't rake up something hurtful for you. You deserve happiness. Don't focus on something horrendous that an immature, thoughtless, cruel teenage boy did. You’re so much better than that now and you were so much better than that at school.”
“ Are you worried about me raking up something hurtful that will upset me, or is it that you don't want to have to deal with what happened?”
“ I was there. I know what happened. If you think I haven't lost sleep over it, you're wrong. Seeing you now has raked it up for me, but I deserve that. I deserve sleepless nights. I deserve to consider the boy I was and the man I've become.”
“ You've barely changed.”
“ Meaning what?”
“ Liz tonight, Jasmine at the gym. You asking for my number while Jasmine was present.”
“ Liz and Jasmine are my friends.”
“ Friends with benefits. I'm not fifteen anymore, Rupert, and you aren't eighteen. I'm not blind to your philandering ways. I realize tonight our interaction in the gym was designed for me to become another entry in your little black book.”
“ That's not true,” he protested.
“ No?”
“ No. I was going to call.”
“ We met on Monday.”
“ I was applying the three-day rule.”
“ Will you ever grow up?”
“ Susie, you were talking about playing cat and mouse games at the gym. In the spirit of your playfulness, I was adhering to the customs of dating.”
“ I suppose that could be true.”
“ Did you lose your cell phone or were you trying to make sure it was me?”
“ No and no! When I realized you didn't know me, a lost cell phone was the only excuse to pop in my head for lurking round the men's dressing room. As for making sure it was you, I'd done that five minutes earlier. I was hunting you to say hello.”
“ You look totally different to when I last saw you, but it's as if you haven't changed at all. You're incapable of lying.”
“ You think?”
“ I know. You were always open and honest. You've not changed. I have. And for the better, I add. Knowing you weren't tainted by my behavior as a teenager is a relief.”
Imogen and Dylan joined them.
“ The Brighton College crew reunited,” welcomed Susan.
“ Are you okay?” asked Dylan.
“ She's fine,” answered Rupert on her behalf.
“ Susan-Marie can speak for herself.”
“ I am fine, thanks for asking,” assured Susan, placating.
“ Rupert, seriously, Liz looks on the verge of tears. Sneaking out here with the toast of Broadway isn't easing whatever insecurities she has,” remonstrated Imogen.
Susan threw Rupert a frown, letting him know she didn't believe a word regarding his “friendship” with Jasmine and Elizabeth.
“ I'll go collect her. Take her to dinner now–if Radmacker's
“ It's you. It's October. Winter's only two months away and there's air-conditioning on,” said Imogen smartly.
“ I'm going out for a breath of fresh air. It's stuffy and I need to clear my head.”
He stalked out the main entrance. It was cooler. Rubbing his temples he acknowledged the situation was not nice. Not nice for Liz and it must be horrific for Susie.
“ Hey stranger.”
“ You look different with your hair down and fully made up. I should have placed your face from the gym.”
“ Either way, you didn't recognize me. The gym or an art gallery. You still didn't have any idea who I was.”
“ It's been fifteen years, Susie.”
Nauseous, she steadied herself to prevent vomiting. No one, not even her father called her Susie. Only Rupert had. Horrid, hateful, hurtful Rupert. The man who toyed with her heart-strings. Things were different now.
“ Fifteen years or fifty pounds?”
“ Susie, don't do this.”
“ Don't do what?”
“ Don't rake up something hurtful for you. You deserve happiness. Don't focus on something horrendous that an immature, thoughtless, cruel teenage boy did. You’re so much better than that now and you were so much better than that at school.”
“ Are you worried about me raking up something hurtful that will upset me, or is it that you don't want to have to deal with what happened?”
“ I was there. I know what happened. If you think I haven't lost sleep over it, you're wrong. Seeing you now has raked it up for me, but I deserve that. I deserve sleepless nights. I deserve to consider the boy I was and the man I've become.”
“ You've barely changed.”
“ Meaning what?”
“ Liz tonight, Jasmine at the gym. You asking for my number while Jasmine was present.”
“ Liz and Jasmine are my friends.”
“ Friends with benefits. I'm not fifteen anymore, Rupert, and you aren't eighteen. I'm not blind to your philandering ways. I realize tonight our interaction in the gym was designed for me to become another entry in your little black book.”
“ That's not true,” he protested.
“ No?”
“ No. I was going to call.”
“ We met on Monday.”
“ I was applying the three-day rule.”
“ Will you ever grow up?”
“ Susie, you were talking about playing cat and mouse games at the gym. In the spirit of your playfulness, I was adhering to the customs of dating.”
“ I suppose that could be true.”
“ Did you lose your cell phone or were you trying to make sure it was me?”
“ No and no! When I realized you didn't know me, a lost cell phone was the only excuse to pop in my head for lurking round the men's dressing room. As for making sure it was you, I'd done that five minutes earlier. I was hunting you to say hello.”
“ You look totally different to when I last saw you, but it's as if you haven't changed at all. You're incapable of lying.”
“ You think?”
“ I know. You were always open and honest. You've not changed. I have. And for the better, I add. Knowing you weren't tainted by my behavior as a teenager is a relief.”
Imogen and Dylan joined them.
“ The Brighton College crew reunited,” welcomed Susan.
“ Are you okay?” asked Dylan.
“ She's fine,” answered Rupert on her behalf.
“ Susan-Marie can speak for herself.”
“ I am fine, thanks for asking,” assured Susan, placating.
“ Rupert, seriously, Liz looks on the verge of tears. Sneaking out here with the toast of Broadway isn't easing whatever insecurities she has,” remonstrated Imogen.
Susan threw Rupert a frown, letting him know she didn't believe a word regarding his “friendship” with Jasmine and Elizabeth.
“ I'll go collect her. Take her to dinner now–if Radmacker's
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