If I Break THE COMPLETE SERIES Bundle (100 page)

Cal’s back and his arrival changes everything.

Lauren knew it was coming but what she didn’t think he’d bring with him was an ultimatum.

A choice.

One that Lauren feels trapped under. A choice she’s unsure will make a difference but could possibly change everything.

The ultimatum isn’t the only thing Cal’s got with him but answers. The ones Lauren so desperately craves. But the truth won’t only affect the lives of him and Lauren but everyone around them…and not everyone wants the truth to come out.

The thing is Cal doesn’t give a F…

…There are two sides to every story. In this one there’s three.

I’
m going to tell you a story. A story about a boy who was born to be a fuck up. 
If you haven’t picked up on this yet, this isn’t going to be one for children. The boy’s biological parents were both dregs of society. His mother dropped out of high school when she was sixteen and had him by a man whose screw-ups were only outnumbered by his kids. The boy was one of six and could have been next in line for the less than desirable family throne. His lot in life was already determined. He should have been following in good ol’ dad’s footsteps.

At five years old, life was already pitted against him. Born to two asinine parents in an environment filled with fools, there wouldn’t have been anything else for him to be—but life intervened. It had a different plan for him…

Madison, Michigan is where he eventually grew up. Your typical insignificant town, home to less than a thousand people. The downtown area had a pathetic excuse of a movie theater, library and a city hall. That’s where 
he
 grew up. He was lucky to end up there
,
some would think. He had been born into an even worse situation; now he had it made. With a 
real
 mom and dad and even a dog for a time.

His new parents, 
ridiculously in love
, volunteered for every charitable effort that took place in the town, even though they barely made ends meet themselves.

The do-gooders of Shelton County.

Their son, the boy, became a straight-A student, member of every little league team you could think of, captain of the junior varsity football team. The kind of boy you’d want your daughter to date. Popular, but nice to the misfits and you didn’t have to worry about him tainting your daughter’s innocence because he was such a gentleman. Almost a character out of a 1950’s TV show. They were the 
perfect
 family. What else could their son be other than perfect? He owed them perfection; they saved him from the wreck that could have been his life. He sacrificed the person nature had made him, for the one nurture would create. He assimilated to become a part of the picture perfect family he had been given. Until, one day when everything changed and the picture shattered. It jarred him—shocked him, even—as he discovered secret on top of secret, the type of thing that’s breaks most people. It broke him. I’d say it saved him, brought him back to life. He was free.

He
 was able to escape. And after that he was never going to look back.

Until her.

She
 changed everything.

F
reedom.

Most people think that they’re free, but they’re aren’t. They’re slaves—to their jobs, to suffocating families, to misplaced priorities, drowning under the weight of what should be life. I see them. I’ve lived with them. The pathetic thing is that at one point I wanted to be just like them. Well, a
part
of me at least. Then things changed. I was lost and now I’m found. Many people would wonder how a 23 year old with no formal education, no background in business, and a pretty shitty attitude—I admit it— ended up with a job making six figures to entertain ass-kissers, all with trust funds from mommy and daddy to convince me of why our company should consider saving theirs. My job is atypical but then again I’m not the typical guy.

There is far more to me than meets the eye. It’s my secret weapon, my gift, and my curse. But every curse can be used to your advantage if you can wield it just right.

I had a lot against me when I was born. The cards weren’t stacked in my favor but if my parents never gave me anything else, they passed along a good combination of their genes, which has given me a little bit of an edge up in the world. Regardless of your personality or your IQ, the right looks will get you everywhere—but, without the right mentality, you can only go so far. Lucky for me, a combination of looks and IQ have taken me from under-paid farm hand in a town most people never heard of to one of the greatest cities in the world, with the best food, the most interesting locations, and—my favorite part—the most beautiful women you have ever seen.

I wouldn’t trade my life for the world. Besides, I’ve already done that once.

I wasn’t always like this. I used to be like everyone else, suffocating in a shell of a man. A yes-man, until he broke in two. He couldn’t handle the pressure of life—the real side of it, not the sanitized made-for-TV version of life that was created for him. He couldn’t handle that reality is ugly. Which worked great because I handle that part just fine. But the beautiful part of life, I’m telling you, is what I love. The life some people never experience. My favorite part of this job is being among the most gorgeous women Chicago has to offer. Like an ice-cream shop, that has any flavor you could think of and I’ve tasted so many I
should
be embarrassed. Distractions that make me put up with the irritating part of my job.

My prospect tonight is already pissing me off, most of them do. Fucking babies. All used to having their asses kissed. I’m like a breath of fresh air for them, I guess. Somehow not giving a fuck works. And Dex pays me a whole lot to not give a fuck. The first time I went out with him to a business venture boring dinner, the client was a dick. I didn’t even work for him yet and the guy who had my job was just about ready to get on his knees and suck it.
I
told the client to go fuck himself and that’s how I got my first job. Not your typical interview, is it? But Dexter Crestfield isn’t your typical boss and his training isn’t your run-of-the-mill HR BS.