Bad Seed

“We just meeting Jane?”

“I know she’s going to be here and that’s all I care about. But don’t worry, Granty-boy. We’ll find you, someone.”

He patted my shoulder, and I shook my head before we got out of the car. My eyes fell along the pavement, and a grin spread across my face when I saw them. There was Jane, with her slender form and her long legs and her wispy red hair.

And standing beside her was Theresa.

Gawking as I stepped out of the car.

The grin Jane had on her face caused me to double-take

before my eyes fell back onto Theresa. Hollis approached Jane, and I watched her immediately turn her attention to the man. He slid his arm around her neck and led her inside, and I saw the way Jane melted into him.

Oh, yeah.

They were going to fuck.

“Theresa,” I said.

“Grant,” she said breathlessly.

“Still can’t find that voice of yours?”

I watched her blush before I held my hand out. She turned on her heels and walked in front of me into the bar, and I held the door open for her. My eyes fell to her swaying ass, causing the veins in my cock to pulse. I drew in a deep breath, trying to control myself as best as I could.

I’d be lucky if I could make it through the night with my hands clean.

CHAPTER 7

THERESA

I couldn’t believe Hollis brought Grant. Was he insane? I called Hollis and Jane so they could come out and celebrate my newfound freedom. I wanted to have a few drinks and forget about my terrible day yesterday, and Hollis brought Grant? What in the world was he thinking? I didn’t want to talk about my breakup with Ike in front of Grant. He would think I was weak. Stupid. Idiotic for clinging to a man like that for so long.

I didn’t want Grant seeing me in that kind of light.

I tried to put it behind me. Yes, I’d put up with Ike’s ridiculous and possessive behavior for too long, but I had finally put my foot down. It didn’t matter that what he’d said about my figure had wounded me more deeply than I’d cared to admit. I tried to tell myself that it was just another one of his manipulative tactics – make it look like the breakup was all my fault.

But still, a part of me was self-conscious about it now. I didn’t want to put that in front of someone like Grant.

We walked to a table where Hollis ordered four shots and turned to hand them out to us. “To new beginnings,” Hollis said.

“To fresh starts,” Jane said.

“To men who deserve you,” Grant said.

My eyes locked with his as I held up my glass.

“Yeah,” I said. “To all of that.”

We clinked glasses, and my eyes fell to my drink. I was nervous with Grant being there. I didn’t want to talk about it with him around. I knew Jane and Hollis were waiting for me to fill them in on all the details, but I felt lightheaded. My heart was slamming too hard against my chest. I felt like I was going to puke even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“So?” Jane asked. “What happened?”

“I finally got tired of his bullshit,” I said. “I told him it was over.”

“What did he say?” Hollis asked.

No way in hell I was answering that question. “Does it matter?” I asked. “What matters is we aren’t a thing anymore.”