On the Edge (The Grange Complex Book 1)

Sasha

The day I drove away from the complex, I found myself howling in misery. I kept telling myself that I wasn’t crying over Dexter, but over that gorgeous, stunning apartment. It finally had been sold and I was never going to get that kind of opportunity ever again. My life in the Grange was over.

After I got on the road to the city, it finally hit me. I had fallen in love with Dexter Tyndall, a man that had screwed enough women to fill the whole of Edinburgh, most of the coast, and probably halfway to England. He had bipolar and many problems, but he loved his uncomplicated lifestyle. He could sleep with any woman he chose and the fact that he might have to care about anyone else’s feelings never entered his head. He made the choice to be this person and he wasn’t going to change.

After my drama with Kirk, I promised myself that I would never ever fall in love again. The timing couldn’t have been any worse. I had gone through that terrible breakup, I had experienced so much sorrow and beatings and abuse. I was too old for this crap. Dexter wasn’t my Prince Charming. He was the Prince of Darkness. We all had issues. It was probably straight after his father’s death when he began slipping away from reality, self-medicating and using alcohol to make himself feel better, but I had an ugly past too. He wasn’t the only one who’d been suffering.

That was a few days ago. Now I was coping again, living my own better life.

“Hello, Earth to Sasha, are you even with me?” Gina asked. We had arranged to meet up for a drink and she wanted to see my new place. We were discussing the upcoming pole competition in London. Gina had taken part in it years ago and she offered to train me for it. I jumped at this opportunity straight away.

I shook my head and smiled, knowing that yet again I was driving myself crackers with thoughts about Dexter. I left a few days ago while he was busy with his “fiancee.” Correction. I ran away to avoid the confrontation. That part of my life was over and he was wrong. Our business was finished, even though I bloody loved him, but that was a small and unimportant detail.

“Sorry, what were we talking about?” I asked.

Gina took a sip of her wine and peered at me. Her crazy red hair seemed to have a mind of its own today. She looked like her head was on fire.

“Come on, spill it: what’s his name and what did he do to you?” she asked. I learned that Gina was very intelligent. She had a master’s in psychology and some other qualifications, but her own life was a mystery.

“Oh, it’s no one. Don’t worry about it. No one worth talking about,” I said, brushing it off.

“You’re competing in about two week’s time, darling, and if you aren’t focused enough, this won’t work. Tell me—who is this guy and what’s he done to you?”

“His name is Dexter and he won’t ruin this for me this time around. I’ll be all right,” I stated with determination.

Gina didn’t usually discuss men and their problems with me. She thought that it was the biggest waste of time. As far as I knew, she was single and too busy with work to even consider being tied down. I had been going to pole-dancing training often, at least four times a week, practising whatever new routine that Gina had given me. Tonight we were discussing my plan for the competition. Most of the time I was listening, but it was impossible for me not to think about Dexter.

“Have lots of sex before the competition. That should solve the problem straight away,” she said, winking at me.

My heart was shattered, but I had a new flat in the city, new friends, and everything was slowly moving in the right direction. I needed to look at the bright side.

A week ago, I had applied for a permanent job in the hospital and I was hoping to get an interview. I needed a full-time position and I wanted a normal social life again. These were just small steps. I made the decision that I was going to live my life the way I wanted, not like I used to.

up a gossip magazine from her bag and started turning the pages. The wine was slowly going to my head, and I thought that for a moment I spotted Dexter’s face on some

asked, pointing at the magazine. Gina nodded and handed it to me. I started turning the pages frantically until I found what I was looking for. There it was: Dexter Tyndall with Victoria Cross at some kind of charity banquet. My jaw dropped and I stared at his face for several seconds in disbelief. The bitch looked stunning wearing a white low-cut dress, posing with Dex outside the building. Dexter was in

fundraising money for starving

him into doing that. Dexter wouldn’t just agree, but then he wasn’t ill anymore, so maybe he had gone back to his usual self. I felt guilty that I escaped without discussing anything, without even a goodbye. Victoria was a leech and he had to do what she said. I couldn’t really get involved.

asked, snapping the paper away from me. I ran my

I’ve been trying to forget,” I

Holy moly, he’s hot and looks like a real asshole. Care to

though. I

you stupid enough to fall for

past now. We are done and we don’t have to see each other ever

up on him. I’m going to set you

but deep down I was raging. Dexter and Victoria. I wasn’t supposed to

ready to get that thought

me. It was strange,

one night with a hot random stranger to forget

done with casual sex and I was supposed to be done with men as well.”

see what I can do.”

Dexter

Victoria forced me to attend. It was a hell of a night and I chose not to touch any buzz during the party. I could drink, but as that asshole Bishop said, alcohol and antidepressants were a

it work again. I hadn’t had sex since I was

hour later Victoria picked me up outside the complex. She was chatting to me like everything was fine, like she wasn’t blackmailing

to track down that girl from the party myself to check if she was really fifteen. Victoria could have made this whole shit up. I couldn’t let her beat me at

introducing me to all the celebrities in the room. I didn’t give a fuck. I was ready to get out of there, but she glued herself

Most of the night I was trying not to explode. Victoria kept saying that I was her date when all I thought about was Sasha. My Barbie was in my head all the time: the way

daughter Jenny,” Victoria said, nudging me for the tenth time. I lifted my eyes and looked at the couple in their late forties. When my eyes darted at the girl I realised

smiled, blushing. My stomach revolted and I thought that I was going

Jenny had her finger around a

think so, Mr. Rogers. These apartments tend to be

anything goes on the market. See, we want to be closer to our daughter’s college. The city can be so