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•17• Priscilla
I will admit— I don’t know how to pack. At all.
I’m standing by my tiny closet, hand on my forehead, eyes unfocused on the clothes hanging in my wardrobe. There’s not one decent outfit I can wear to a dinner. And that, too, with Gerrard.
The fuck am I going to do?
I'm biting my lip furiously, chewing on it, but I still can't think of a good outfit. My gaze is fixated on this dark purple dress with lace sleeves, but the problem is I don't have matching footwear with it.
I heave a sigh. I should've listened to Mom and not packed light.
I'm in the middle of blowing out a loud breath when my phone starts ringing. I walk over to the side table on the other side of my bedroom, on which my phone is charging, and check the caller ID: unknown.
My brow sags a bit. Who might this be?
Nevertheless, I answer the call. "Hello?"
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"Gard?" I call down the little hallway that leads to her kitchen.She pokes her head out the door, her bun bobbing to and fro atop her head. I swear I have to bite back a smile at the sight before I tell her, "I'm going to go park my car in the basement's parking, yeah? I kind of just parked outside when I came, but I better park it somewhere safe now that I'm staying the night.""Okay," she quips, before disappearing into the kitchen again.I don't think I need to describe just how much her bun bobs again-- at every movement she makes.I finally let slip a laugh, making my way out of her apartment and to the parking lot. The complex where Gard lives is, to be honest, pretty basic. I know the rent parameter might be why she chooses to live her, but then this place is pretty much like a five minute drive from my office, so that might also be a reason why she lives in such a cramped place. I'm pretty sure there's just one bedroom in her apartmen
When Love Strikes Hard •19• Priscilla
My heart is still pounding in my chest. Almost as fast as a damned jackhammer.I blow a long breath out of my mouth, depositing my platein the sink and hunching over to lean on the counter. I can't believe those scenes started playing in the movies when Gerrard Southerford was sitting right next to me. All those hot and heavy moans, all those erotic whispers, those sounds... I swear my vagina is still singing a heartbeat to me, even now after I fled the living room.The night from Gerrard's house flashes in my mind for a quick second, when I'd walked in on him without his towel. My pulse beats wildly at the recollection.God, this man might just be the death of me...I pour myself a glass of water quickly, and gulp it down like I just ran a marathon. But how is it my fault that my throat feels parched all of a sudden?Tucking a loose strand of my hair behind an ear, I make my way out of th
When Love Strikes Hard •20• Gerrard
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When Love Strikes Hard •21• Priscilla
Gerrard Southerford is the most confusing man I've ever met. Ever. Like, even the guys at school weren't so hot and cold.This man, though,surpasses all of those idiots.As I make my way out of his room with absolutely no idea where to go, because I don't have a room of my own and he just kicked me out of his, his words play in my mind like a loop on repeat. 'Do you have a boyfriend, Gard?'The fuck?I swear this man has been trespassing the invisible boundary of our employer-employee relationship since day one, and then when just a bit of hope blossoms in my chest because of the shit he pulls on me, he goes ahead and douses even the last flame of that flimsy hope that I dare to feel. Like, why did he have to ask me why I laughed when I asked him about Bru and Keith in his car?Because if he hadn't, I never would have had to answer and tell him that I didn't like seeing him with his PA
When Love Strikes Hard •22• Gerrard
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When Love Strikes Hard •23• Priscilla
I’ve only been dancing with Ruben for like five minutes-- but when I look ahead, over his shoulder, I see none other than Gerrard Southerford dancing with a woman in a tight as fuck red latex dress, his hands trailing so low on her waist that they’re pretty much grazing her ass. Shock grips me, to the point where I almost stop dancing. She has her arms around Gerrard's neck, her body pressed flushed against his, grinding her pelvis on his thigh as they sway raunchily. I watch them, transfixed, unable to get my eyes off of Gerrard's when he leans in, close to the slut's ear and whispers something. I swear my heart feels like someone's broken past my ribs to squeeze the shit out of it at this point, because that's how much it hurts to watch him with some other woman like this. I don't realise when it is exactly that I stop dancing-- all I know is that I break Gerrard's cruel gaze to stare at my feet instead, only
When Love Strikes Hard •24• Gerrard
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When Love Strikes Hard •25• Priscilla
"Actually, Ms. Southerford,” Ruben says out of the blue, making every person swiveltheir headshis way. He pushes that hoeforward by a step."This is Gerrard's guest. Priscilla is with me."I know Ruben said the wrong thing when Gerrard’s eyes practically glow with fury. “They bothare with me, Ma. That’s Hannah. You see, the person she came to the office party with left her for someone else, so I decided to tag her along.”Ms. Southerford beams. “That wasso sweet of you, honey. Now,come bring your date insid-”“Actually, my sweet,” Smith interrupts, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder. “Ruben’s quite right. I, myself, took it upon me to invite Priscilla to our family dinner, as Ruben’s date, no less. You know how lonely he gets on family nights.”I don’t know if my eyes are weak or the dark’
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