Page 55 of Unmasked
CHAPTER 39
Mallory
Itake a long drink of my coffee, my mind back where I don’t want it to be.Home.
“My parents have a house in LA and one in New York. When they weren’t working, they traveled.” I pause, sipping my drink. “From the outside, my life seemed glamorous. Wealth. Huge houses. Parties. Prestige.”
I sigh, staring vacantly out the window. “The dark side of it was I was never enough. Not just in appearance but all the things I liked and valued that my parents didn’t respect.”
“Some people used me to get close to them, so I had to be careful. It’s exhausting determining if someone likes you or has ulterior motives.”
“It sounds lonely.” Mandy’s sympathetic voice draws my attention to her.
“Very. I had no real friends. My parents were suspicious of everyone after a nanny used me to get close to them.”
I fidget with the coffee cup, spinning it in a circle. “I was isolated and remained that way until I was sixteen. That’s when my parents started setting me up on dates to attend parties and charity events. It was all very structured, and I wasgiven detailed instructions on what to say and how to behave.”
Mandy’s hand grabs mine, stopping me from fidgeting. “That sounds awful.”
“It was. Being set up like that meant no real chemistry between me and my date. Not that I had anything in common with most of the Hollywood elite, anyway.” I give her a sheepish smile. “I was never attracted to the ones my mom wanted me to like. It was always the bad boys with tattoos who turned my head.”
Mandy grins. “Like Stryker. Girl, don’t hate me, but that man is fine as hell.”
I laugh. “You can say something like that. I know you’d never try to cause problems. But I am a little possessive of him.”
She takes a sip of her coffee. “Who can blame you?” Her phone beeps. She looks at it, a smile curling her lips.
“Answer it. I can tell you wanna talk to Jeremy.”
She gets up from the table. “I’ll be right back.”
I wave her away with a smile. Grabbing my pastry from the bag, I tear a piece off and stare out the window as I chew. The fog perpetually hanging over campus has burnt off, and the sun is peeking out, brightening the autumn leaves.
My gaze locks on a guy leaning against a tree. He seems out of place, considering his black pants and jacket and his position by the tree. He’s staring right at me, but he’s too far away for me to get a good look at his face, especially with the sunglasses and hat shielding it.
The hair stands up on the back of my neck.Who is he?
My phone beeps, and I look down, instantly drooling at the picture Stryker sent me. He’s shirtless, wearing the orange purge mask and…Oh, shit. He’s wearing gray sweatpants.
My temperature shoots up about ten degrees as I drink him in.
I’m about to respond when he sends me another one without the mask.
STRYKER: I miss you.
ME: I miss you. Thanks for sending me pictures that give me a lady boner. *Wink*
STRYKER: Lady boner, huh? I figured I’d give you some inspo to get you through this afternoon.
ME: I won’t be able to focus on class. I’ll just drool over your pics.
STRYKER: You’re so sweet, little prey. Focus on class. I may have a surprise for you this weekend. *Smiles*
ME: Please tell me it’s you! That’s all I want.
STRYKER: Mayyyybee. *Wink*
ME: Fingers crossed.