Perfect Bastard (by Mary D. Sant) novel Chapter 135

Perfect Bastard

Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

ELLIE

Ethan stopped beside me, clearly uncomfortable, confirming my

suspicion that the blonde was more than just an old friend.

“Emma,” he said indifferently, nodding in greeting.

“Ethan Morgan…” Her smile widened excessively. “I thought it was

you. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Seriously? I took a deep breath, struggling not to roll my eyes. Was

she really going to keep acting like I wasn’t standing right here? I

if she had seen him before, she must have seen the kiss too. It

didn’t take much more than that to figure out who I was.

mean,

“Yeah, I guess it has,” he said, making no effort to hide his total lack

of interest, then turned his attention back to me. “Love…”

“And you must be the girlfriend,” she cut him off, her gaze focusing

on me in a scrutinizing way. “I almost didn’t believe it when they told

1. me. I mean, it’s Ethan… we thought he was a lost cause.” She forced a

laugh, trying to sound sympathetic or funny, as if that could make her

comment any less unpleasant.

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Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

God… It was almost impossible not to roll my eyes. No one should be

that rude.

Still, I was nearly used to this kind of situation by now. After all, it

wasn’t the first time I ran into one of his “friends.” They seemed to

be multiplying. Maybe that explained the we thought.

First the blonde at the bar, then the ex–fiancée. Actually, I had

bumped into Charlotte first at his apartment, which hadn’t ended

well at the time.

And here we were once again. Only this time, I felt nothing but

boredom and impatience, and I wasn’t in the mood to play the polite,

clueless girlfriend.

“He’s really not easy… but I forgave him. After all, we all make a few

mistakes before finding the right person,” I shot back, masking a hint

of sarcasm with a friendly tone. “Some more than others, right, love?”

I forced a smile at him, not hiding the accusation in my eyes, while

his pleaded silently for forgiveness.

“You know I would have given anything to have met you earlier.”

“Yeah, I know. Weren’t you going to grab some wine?” I asked, deciding to handle the situation myself.

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Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

“Now?” He frowned in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“Uh–huh.”

Frowning even deeper, he gave me a skeptical look, as if asking if I

was sure.

“Go,” I insisted. “We need wine for dinner.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back,” he agreed, giving in.

I waited until he disappeared down the hallway again before turning

my attention back to the blonde.

“So, you two dated for a while?” I asked, wanting to test her, even

though I knew they’d never been more than casual.

I remembered well the rumors I had heard about Ethan when he

arrived in Manhattan, specifically about the kind of relationship he

had with two women back in London. Some sort of love triangle.

To me, it was simply disgusting that someone would subject

themselves to that, but I couldn’t judge him for his past choices now

that I knew the reasons behind his actions.

“No. We never dated. I mean, Ethan’s not the type for that. I’m sorry,

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Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

I meant he wasn’t… But it looks like you managed to change that.”

“No. The credit’s not mine. Actually, he’s been working hard at it.”

“Well, I don’t know how long you’ve been together, but I hope you

enjoy it,” she said with a fake, condescending smile. “Between us

girls, we both know he’s got the best asset to make a girl happy.” She

winked suggestively, finally managing to seriously annoy me–not just for being so brazen but for acting like she knew him better than I

did.

“Well, I think we’ve been together long enough…” I said, lifting my hand to show the ring on my finger. “I know, crazy, right?” It was my

turn to force an exaggerated smile.

Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped, unable to hide her surprise

and disbelief.

“You two are…?”

“Engaged. Yes. I couldn’t say no. He practically begged me on his knees,” I exaggerated a little, enjoying her reaction.

“Oh my God… that’s… unbelievable,” she stammered, clearly in shock. “But congratulations.”

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Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

Savoring the sweet taste of victory, I let the silence linger as she

stared at the ring on my finger, as if still unable to believe it.

“Thank you,” I finally said, making her blink.

“Well… It was nice meeting you, but I have to go now.”

Finally.

“The pleasure was all mine,” I said, this time smiling genuinely.

“Good riddance,” I muttered, watching her walk away.

The encounter made me wish we could just go home already, where I knew no one from Ethan’s past would be waiting.

*

“Are you sure you’re not upset?” he asked, following me into the kitchen and placing the bags on the counter.

“You already asked, and I already said I’m not,” I shot back, turning

on the faucet to wash my hands.

“Well, then try hiding it better,” he whispered playfully against my ear, stopping behind me.

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Chapter 135: Want to Go for a Ride?

“Fine…” I sighed heavily and turned to face him, forcing him to take a

step back. “What do you want me to say? That I’m happy I had to

listen to one of your… old friends talking nonsense about you and the

size of your dick?”

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