Womanizer (Spoilt)

ISBN
              1481831127

EAN
              978-1481831123

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

'Womanizer' is published by Taylor Street Publishing LLC, who can be contacted at:

http://www.taylorstreetbooks.com

http://ninwriters.ning.com

'Womanizer
' is the copyright of the author, Joanne Ellis, 2012. All rights are reserved.

All characters are fictional, and any resemblance to anyone living or dead is accidental.

Chapter One

Isabelle

Isabelle rubbed tired eyes as she stumbled into the bathroom. Splashing water on her face, she attempted to wake up. She lifted her face to the mirror and rested her hands on the basin. A scowl appeared when she noticed the dark smudges under her eyes and the toll of life etched into her face.
Her beautiful face. Just as well she didn’t have a shoot today; her money-earning face wasn’t looking at its best. Beauty could be a curse but Isabelle needed her curse to support her family.

Jesse had kept her up most of the night and you could tell. She needed to sleep better tonight or she would look like h
ell tomorrow. A closer scrutinizing glance into the mirror reminded her that a facial should be scheduled, and as soon as possible. The usual glow on her high sharp cheekbones was absent and her olive complexion looked sallow. This reminded her further that her exercise regime had been a bit slack of late too. A run today or after the shoot tomorrow would be in order. Isabelle swept up her hair and went over the brief for the following day.

A reluctant sigh burst from her lips and she shook her head. This wasn’t where she wanted to be. To prevent regret seeping in, she thought of Jesse. He was all that mattered. University, a
life, love and all the other things she wished she’d done before falling pregnant at twenty-one, could wait. He was worth the sacrifice.

The light happy sound of her son drifted into the bathroom from the kitchen. Their cramped living space meant every sound could be heard throughout the
apartment. The appetizing sound and aroma of cooking beckoned, so Isabelle turned from the mirror, pushed aside her worries, and smiled. Jesse always managed to bring a warm glow.

A familiar sight greeted her when she walked into the kitchen from the short hallway. Her mother, Carol, attended to toast and upon spotting Isabelle popped two more slices into the toaster.

“Morning, honey. Coffee’s hot.” Carol pointed to the pot sitting on the bench.

“Thanks for getting up with Jesse this morning,” Isabelle said,
pouring a much-needed cup of caffeine.

“I get up early anyway.” She shrugged.

Peering through the gap between the bench-tops and shelving in the narrow kitchen, Isabelle studied her son. Pink colored his cheeks and he dove into his cereal as though he hadn’t been sick at all. The resilience of children. Life would be easier if she was as resilient.

Jesse sat at a small square table in the compact room that served as a dining room and living area. His blonde curls bobbed
as he ate and when his blue eyes caught Isabelle’s, he smiled, reminding her of his father, as he did every day. The ache over Adrian had subsided over the years but she still missed him. Although they had only been ‘friends with benefits’, his death still cut her deep. Life became that much harder without her best friend.

Burying the sting, she returned her son’s smile before helping Carol finish breakfast before joining her son.

“Are you feeling better, honey?” she asked, running her hand through his tangled curls.

“Yes, Mummy.
I don’t like being sick.”

“Me neither.” They shared another smile and the familiar warmth associated with motherhood spread over her.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Carol asked, joining them.

“Yes,
I’m working with a photographer I haven’t worked with before.”

“Is this the campaign that’s going on the main billboard near the city square?”

“Yes, it will be up for a month. I’m lucky to have gotten this job. It will help my uni fund nicely.”

“I still haven’t gotten used to having a famous daughter.”

Isabelle laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far, Mum. People may know my face from magazines but they don’t know who I am and I plan to keep it that way. The last thing I want is to be a famous supermodel.”

“Well, you know I’m proud of you anyway. You’ve been working hard, you deserve a break.”

“And a life.” Isabelle tried to hide the bitterness in her voice. It certainly wasn’t Jesse’s fault that both Carol and Isabelle struggled most of Isabelle and Jesse’s life. No, you could blame her absent womanizing father and the cruel twist of fate that took Adrian. With resolution she pushed aside her loneliness, there was no use dwelling on what had passed.

“So what do you want to do today, Jesse?”

“Go to the park.”

“What do you say?”

“Pleeaassse.” Out of the corner of her eye Isabelle saw Carol stifle a laugh.

“Sure we can but no leaping off the top of playground, it scares Mummy.”

“OK, Mummy.” It was Isabelle’s turn to stifle a smile. If he was capable of rolling his eyes he would have.

They finished their breakfast and while Carol prepared lun
ch, Isabelle organized her son. As it was a short distance to the park they decided to enjoy the spring sunshine and cool breeze, and walk. Jesse ran ahead jumping over cracks in the footpath while Isabelle and Carol both lost in their own thoughts strolled not far behind. As predicted by the weather forecast on the news the previous evening, the breeze teased at Isabelle’s straight black hair and took the sting off the sun.

They located a shady spot under a group of trees, set out a blanket and made themselves comfortable, apart from Jesse who had raced off to play on the equipment. Still deep in thought Isabelle watched her son play and a sigh escaped.

“Something bothering you?” Carol asked.

Isabelle turned to her mother and found a concerned frown wrinkling her
brow. “Don’t look so worried. It’s nothing serious. Just the usual.”

“The usual being how lonely you are?”

“Yes, my lack of love life, a male role model for Jesse.”

“I know how difficult it is to meet someone, especially when you have a child but don’t give up, just keep your
mind open to possibilities.”

“I do but it can’t be just anyone or a fling. Jesse needs stability.”

Staying silent for a moment, Carol turned from Isabelle as though composing herself. Isabelle couldn’t help but feel for her mother. She knew how hard it was to bring up a child alone. Not that Isabelle was. Carol was a rock that Isabelle valued.

“I know how lonely it can be. When your dad left, I craved male company but over time I got used to it. I guess working a lot helped fill the time.” Carol’s smile was filled with reassurance but Isabelle grimaced regardless. She knew how hard her mother had worked to support them. “Don’t frown, Isabelle, it wasn’t that bad. I have a few male companions and
it’s all I need. I was older than you too, so it will be easier for you to meet someone. It is a long time to be alone.”

“That’s what scares me. All I do is work, sleep and spend time with Jesse, whom I wouldn’t change for anything, of course, but it makes it really difficult to meet anyone. The men I do meet through work are not the kind of men I want around Jesse. I don’t go anywhere else so the chances of meeting someone are slim.”

“What about here?”

Isabelle followed the sweep of Carol’s arm with her eyes. “It’s a goldmine of single dads and dog walkers.”

“You could be right but what am I going to do? Just walk up to them and say hi. Besides how do I know if they are single? Then there is this,” she gestured to her face. “Men are either intimidated or think I’m a pretty conquest.”

“The curse of being beautiful.”

“It isn’t funny, Mum.” A wry laugh surfaced despite her feeling anything but humor.

“I like to believe that fate has a funny way of making things right.”

“I hope so.”

Isabelle p
erused the park with a scrutinizing eye to discover that perhaps Carol was right; there appeared to be a smorgasbord in the crowded park. When her eyes reached the playground, she spotted Jesse as he did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do, before running over to them.

“Jesse, what did I say?” She asked with a laugh.

“Sorry, Mummy.”

Instead of chasti
sing him further, as it would do no good, Isabelle picked up the ball beside her and took off at a slow jog.

“OK, smart
guy, see if you can catch me.”

A gleeful laugh followed her as he ran after her the way only
pre-schoolers can. Isabelle let her son win by pulling her down, then jumping on her, causing delight to warm her blood, his buoyant mood contagious. Did she really need anyone else when she had a supportive mother and a beautiful boy? This question along with many others she had no answer for swirled around her head as they walked home in the cool afternoon. Was there a man out there who wasn’t judgmental, who wasn’t a player just looking for a good time? Someone who would love Jesse as well as her.

Chapter Two

Mitchell

Blue eyes opened to greet the morning. Mitch blinked away the blur, to find himself in a bed, in a room, that wasn’t his. He glanced to his right to find a stunning blonde still sleeping. A sense of relief washed over him at not having to make morning pillow talk. He slipped from the bed and dressed with quiet ease. His eyes trailed across her photogenic face and down the lean contours of her body. Sleeping with models was far from being a chore, yet the experience of late left him unfulfilled. They were mostly the same, beautiful, shallow, and for the most part, narcissistic. Resisting the temptation to wake her for another round, he picked up his shoes and snuck bare foot from the room towards the front door.

While he walked to hi
s car, he questioned his judgment and realized he seemed to be a doing that a lot of late. Wasn’t he tired of waking up next to another woman after meaningless sex? Is this what he wanted to keep doing with his life? Perhaps the time had come to consider quitting his bed-hopping ways as the sense of satisfaction he once felt afterwards had become absent more and more. Did he honestly believe he would find substance beneath the glossy exterior? In his experience to date, he’d yet to find anything but frivolous beauty. Yet, he’d found solace in their arms and it helped to block out the visions he didn’t want to relive. So for the most part it served a purpose. Regardless, as he’d done numerous times over the past weeks, he questioned his choices.

The flip sid
e to this would be setting him up to be hurt. He’d seen it happen to his younger brother, Jared, on more than one occasion. Granted, Jared was getting married in a few weeks to his perfect match in Charlotte. Tall, blonde and sassy, she was the complete opposite of his serious and reserved brother. Their relationship hadn’t run smoothly in the beginning and they had almost let misunderstandings stand in the way of their happiness. Fortunately they’d been able to repair the damage and overcome the obstacles but Mitch had seen what the pain of almost losing Charlotte did to Jared and wasn’t in any hurry to experience it. Relationships seemed far too much hard work to him - well at least they did, until recently.

His younger brother wasn’t the only Montgomery striking the love lottery
, as his older brother Nathan was married with two great kids. So perhaps love and relationships weren’t as damaging as they seemed. Mitch still wasn’t convinced either way. No strings worked at present but it still left him with an empty feeling.