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Home / Romance / BAD REPUTATION / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of BAD REPUTATION : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

112 Chapters

1

Olivia Carter sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly, her coffee forgotten in the cupholder. The parking lot was quiet, save for the occasional squeak of tires on asphalt and the distant hum of the city. Her friend, Tessa's voice came through the speaker, sharp and teasing as always.“I still can’t believe Jack canceled again last night,” Olivia said, shaking her head. Her eyes scanned the row of sedans and SUVs, but she wasn’t really looking.“I can believe it,” Tessa shot back. “Honestly, Liv, I’ve hated that guy from day one and you know it. What the hell do you see in him… Well, apart from his money? You deserve better than—”“He had a rough night,” Liv interrupted gently, laughing despite herself. “He didn’t mean it. You know how busy he is…”“Busy? Sure. Busy being shady. Too busy to remember the one thing that actually matters… showing up for the woman he supposedly loves?” Tessa groaned. “You know what, I'm sick of this, I and Izzy have been

2

Did he have to be heading to the same floor?Olivia had had enough of arrogant assholes in her life and now she was stuck in a lift with a self-professed one. She couldn’t deny he’d amused her with his honesty and self-deprecating introduction though.But he was trouble. She didn't have to be told. She just knew it. He wasn’t like Jack. He wasn’t smooth and perfect, clean-shaven and pristine. No, this man was all about the stubble and the bedhead hair. Like a sun-kissed surfer plucked from the ocean, jazzed up and dumped in the city. The jeans and sweatshirt hugging his imposing frame looked laid-back but they screamed designer from top to toe. And the way he had her pulse tripping over itself, he was just as dangerous. On every level.“Now that you know so much about me,” he suddenly said, his voice thick and exciting her far more than was fair, “how about you let me take you for a drink?”Olivia almost swallowed her tongue, the portfolio digging into her side as she turned rigid. “

3

“For the record,” Derek added when he saw their reaction, “my preference is definitely for the former.”And then Olivia laughed. Really laughed. He really was charming. Good-looking. Dangerous.No. No. No.… And besides, she reminded herself, she was already in a relationship. With Jack Stewart. __________Derek was grinding his teeth. His arms folded across his front. His body rigid as he leant back against the door that housed what Olivia had referred to as an ample bathroom for this size of apartment, in this desirable area.He’d say this: desirable or not, you could certainly save time going for your morning constitution while brushing your teeth over the sink. And the shower-over-the-bath—you had to be some kind of contortionist to use it. Why was he the only one seeing these issues?At least this third property was an improvement on the previous two. It had natural daylight for starters, and no pounding pub or store adjoining.He watched them cooing over the open-plan living sp

4

“Right, well, I think we’re done with this one,” she said, unceremoniously shoving the shower screen in his face and almost sending him to his ass on the pink porcelain. “Shall we move on?” she said, already heading out.“Yup.” Isabella nodded, smirking right at him.He screwed his face up in a childish gesture. Whatever. “If you both go on down,” Olivia said, expertly ignoring their little exchange—thank fuck! The pair of them were doing his ego and renowned charm no favours at all.“I’ll join you shortly,” she continued. “I just have to take care of an errand for the owner.”“Great,” Isabella said, moving for the front door. “I have a quick call to make so I’ll meet you downstairs.”“I’ll catch you up,” he called after her, pushing the glass door back into place and wondering why the hell he hadn’t thought of that.Perhaps because you haven't been thinking straight since you saw her? He shook his head, brushing the entire incident off as he followed in Olivia's direction.“Can I ha

5

Gosh… This was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling or thinking this way about another man touching her. She loved Jack, right? Then why did she feel this way… This excited about another man touching her? When was the last time she felt this excited about Jack's touch? “Fun?” he questioned softly, interrupting her thoughts, his hand following the contours of her neck and her head almost lolled back into his palm of its own mutinous accord.“Not this sort of fun.” She trembled; fear, excitement, all manner of urges melting away the need to break free.“You’re going to have to clarify, because I’m talking about sex, nothing more, nothing less.”Sex. Even hearing him say it had her tummy contracting over the ferocity of her need as her confession burst from her lips. “And so am I.”His brow became a fierce V, his eyes sparking with something akin to surprise, disbelief, something more…but then it hooded over as he asked, “You’re afraid of keeping it casual?”She shook her head. If only that

6

“Because you’re clearly not listening when I talk to you and tell you that it's not about you… you come in here, acting like—”“Oh, for God’s sake.” Olivia turned away, pacing once across the immaculate living room. Her heels clicked sharply against the hardwood. “Not about me? Seriously? All I want is for you to just show up,” she said, spinning back toward him. “That’s it. Not promises. Not five-year plans. Just… show up. Why is that so hard for you to do?”“I do show up.”“When it suits you.”“That’s not fair.”“Stop saying that!” Her voice rose, cracking slightly at the edges. “This is how I feel, Jack and I'm trying to communicate it to you. You don’t get to decide what feels fair to me.”He stared at her like she was someone he didn’t quite recognise.“You know we've had a lot of talks, but you’ve never complained…Sounded like this before.”He was kinda right. In the past they'd had several talks, but she'd always tried to make it more of a conversation than a full blown argumen

7

“That,” she said slowly, “is exactly what I need.”Izzy whooped softly. “Knew it.”“I’m in the mood for something strong,” Olivia admitted. “Very strong. Possibly with a lime. Or three.”“Say less. Tequila it is.”“Oh God,” Olivia groaned, though the heaviness in her chest had lightened by a fraction.“Nine o’clock?” Izzy continued. “The Velvet Hour. Dress hot. Or comfortable. Or emotionally chaotic. Whatever vibe you’re feeling.”Olivia glanced down at herself — rumpled blouse, skirt slightly creased from a full day of viewings. Emotionally chaotic sounded about right. “Nine’s perfect.” She said, “Good. And Liv?”“Yeah?”“You don’t sound fine.”The softness in Izzy’s voice made her throat tighten again. “I’m not,” she admitted quietly.A beat of silence.“Then tonight,” Izzy said firmly, “we fix that. Or at least numb it.”Olivia let out a breath that felt like it had been lodged in her lungs all day.“Thank you, Izzy.”“Always.”They hung up, and the apartment didn’t feel quite as s

8

There was a pause, then Tessa exhaled and lifted her shot glass again. “Fine, Liv,” she said loudly. “I agree. We'll drop it for now, but only because you definitely need to loosen up and have some bloody fun.”And just as she said it —A male voice cut smoothly into their space. “I can definitely help her with that...”All three of them turned.He stood beside the booth like he’d been summoned by the word fun itself. Tall. Broad shoulders under a dark button-down rolled at the sleeves. A drink in one hand. The other casually tucked into his pocket. His jaw sharp under the low amber lighting.And that smile. Lazy. Confident. Slightly wicked. But it was his eyes that mattered. They weren’t on Tessa, or on Isabella. They were glued on Olivia. Steady. Assessing, and definitely Interested.Derek Hawthorne.__________For a split second, the noise of the bar dimmed.It didn’t actually fade — the bass still thudded, glasses still clinked, laughter still burst from nearby tables — but inside

9

They all watched her finish the drink.The tequila burned on the way down, sharp, and punishing, but she welcomed it. It gave her something solid to focus on. Something that wasn’t Derek sitting inches away. Something that wasn’t Jack not calling.Before anyone could comment, she reached for another shot but she didn’t get far. Derek’s hand came down over hers. His fingers wrapped around her hand completely, dwarfing it. Warm. Solid. The pad of his thumb pressed lightly against her knuckles as if anchoring her there.A current shot straight up her spine and her breath caught in her throat.His palm was broad. Hard. Calloused in a way that suggested he used his hands for more than just signing documents. His fingers were long — of course they were long. He was tall, built, everything about him scaled larger than life. What the hell did she expect?It didn’t stop her mind from betraying her though. From wondering — vividly, and traitorously — what those hands would feel like elsewhere.

10

Olivia watched as Derek tipped the shot back without hesitation. His throat moved as he swallowed, jaw flexing once before he lowered the empty glass and set it down with a soft clink against the table.He caught her staring. One brow lifted. “What?” he asked, amused.She hadn’t realized she was staring that openly. “I don’t know,” she admitted truthfully. The alcohol loosened her tongue just enough to make her a little reckless. “I guess I’m trying to figure out what’s going on in your head. What exactly are you planning?” She tilted her head slightly. “Is this your new way of trying to get to me?”The air changed and Olivia felt it instantly. Like a drop in temperature before a storm. He stopped smiling, and suddenly, dangerous, charming Derek was back. Olivia knew she'd made a mistake. A huge mistake, she thought while everything inside her shuddered and those dark eyes of his seemed to…turn to steel. It was as if he’d put on a mask, Or worse, a voice in her suggested, taken one of

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