Wild Renegade by Andria Large Read Free Book Online Page B

chair. No! No, this can't be happening! I bring a shaky hand to my
mouth.

 
    "I'm
going to take that as a yes. Dammit, Nicole! What were you thinking?"
Raelynn scolds.

 
    "What...what
do the articles say?" I whisper.

 
    "That
you - an unidentified woman - and Ace were all over each other on the dance
floor before disappearing into the men's bathroom, where club-goers confirmed
that you two were having sex in one of the stalls," Raelynn says in
disgust.

 
    "How
do you know it was me?" I ask.

 
    My
heart is pounding and I swear that I'm about to have a heart attack. This can't
be happening to me!

 
    "There
were pictures of you two together. I saw one of you guys dancing together.
There was another one of you two disappearing into the bathroom and then
another of you sitting on his lap on a couch. They are all a bit grainy and dark,
but I know you when I see you, Nicole."

 
    "Oh
my god," I breathe.

 
    "Is
there something going on between you two? Because if there is, that would make
this situation so much better," she says.

 
    "No,
I was drunk and stupid. It was a one night stand," I whisper.

 
    "Jesus,"
Raelynn bites out.

 
    "Do
you think my parents know?" I ask hoarsely.

 
    "Not
unless they saw the magazines or someone saw them and recognized you then told
your parents."

 
    I
close my eyes. This is a nightmare. It would be one thing if Ace and I were
dating, but now I just look like some slut he picked up in a club. And god forbid
my parents find out. My Roman Catholic, straight off the boat, Italian parents.
Nightmare, I tell you! They are going to disown me if they find out. They
probably think I'm still a virgin! They've told me many times that they
expected me to wait until I marry a nice Italian boy. Fuck me! I'm doomed.

 
    "Alright,
Rae, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later," I murmur.

 
    "Okay,"
she says sadly. She knows exactly what I'm thinking.

 
    We
hang up and I sit there for a moment. I feel like I'm drowning. I am officially
a whore. Wow. I never thought that would be a label attached to me. I am not a
crier, but right now, I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Fucking Ace.
I wish I’d never taken this job. I need to get out of here and think over this
whole disastrous situation. I collect myself as best as I can so I can go tell
Kara that I have to leave.

 
    I
walk back into the studio and head right to Kara, who is actually talking with
the one person I had hoped to avoid – Ace. I steel myself as I walk over
to them.

 
    "Excuse
me, Kara, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" I ask, my voice
shakier than I would have liked.

 
    Ace
immediately frowns at me. "Is everything okay? You look really pale,"
he says in concern.

 
    I
can't even look at him right now, so I just shake my head quickly. Kara is also
now frowning. She takes my arm and leads me away. We step out into the hall and
I tell Kara that I'm having some personal issues that I need to take care of
right now. Thankfully, she's understanding and tells me to take off. I thank
her and follow her back inside so I can grab my stuff. I quickly gather it up
and head for the door. I make it to the hallway before I hear Ace's voice
behind me.

 
    "Nicole,
hold up," he calls.

 
    I
shake my head. "I can't talk to you right now, Ace," I croak without
turning around, continuing to walk as quickly as I can toward the stairs. If I
wait for the elevators, I will get stuck talking to him.

 
    Before
I know it, he grabs my arm and whirls me around. "Tell me what's going
on," he demands, his crystal blue eyes boring into mine.

 
    "Go
read a fucking tabloid, you'll figure it out soon enough," I snap,
wrenching my arm out of his grasp and racing toward the stairwell.

 
    I
hear him bite out a vicious curse as I burst through the door and run as fast
as I can down the steps. A breakdown is threatening to take over but I need to
get to my hotel room before that happens. My life has never felt