Dirty Bad Boys Box Set: Forbidden Romance Collection

“Ooh, catty.” Clive raises his hand and makes a claw.

“I’m sorry, Dee. I shouldn’t have assumed that because I see the both of you tongue-wrestling at every opportunity, you have actually slept together.”

My tone is off. Snarky. Catty, as Clive just put it. Gee, someone would think I was jealous. Again with that word.

“Everything but.” She winks this time.

“Ooh, a wink? Do tell!” Clive’s enthusiasm prompts Dee to fess up.

“He’s pierced.”

I choke on the cherry tomato that I’m swallowing that instant. Clive is patting me on the back repeatedly as I try to calm myself down, gulping a whole heap of water.

“You alright there, cowgirl?” Clive asks.

I nod, bright red with embarrassment.

“I know, it’s taboo right? I mean it’s pierced right on the tip. I can’t wait to see what it feels like inside.”

Clive laughs. “Why don’t you just tell him you want to do the horizontal tango?”

“Because Clive, I have and he says soon. Lord knows what he is waiting for. We’ve kinda been fooling around for weeks.”

I’m not a gossiper, but I am desperate to get answers, so I bring it up. “What about Trina?”

“The chick that cried after they had sex? Apparently, he was off his face that night. They were flirting for weeks.”

What the hell did this all mean? He flirts with Trina then fucks her when drunk or drugged. He hasn’t sealed the deal with Dee, but he screws me in the alleyway without any thought.

Do not read any more into this. It means nothing and even if it was something, you don’t think of him that way. It was a just a mistake. A big fat huge mistake that should be listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the worst mistake ever.

My thoughts are like poison, slowing seeping through my veins until I am consumed wholly by thoughts of the evil one. I need to stop this madness now. With Clive and Dee busily discussing genital piercings, I take out my cell and find Marcus’s number. I am

straight to the point, asking him to meet up for lunch tomorrow. He responds immediately, naming a place and time.

Whatever Haden’s problem with Marcus and me being friends, he will have to overcome it. A week into being single and already there’s drama. This is not what I had in mind when I broke up with Jason.

Marcus is sweet, friendly, and hopefully drama-free. And to top it off, it feels good to sweep Friday night’s regrets under the rug. Just like I had said—swept, vacuumed, and in the trash the Jerk goes.

Chapter Seven

The next day, Marcus shows up at the office, midday on the dot. Since the last time I saw him (just short of twenty-four hours ago) I had forgotten how good-looking he is. Wearing a black-striped business shirt paired with charcoal pants, his tattooed arms are completely covered and one would think he was some corporate mogul.

But I know how deliciously dangerous he is underneath.

He sits casually on my desk, and we briefly chat while I gather my purse, ready to head out for lunch. In such close proximity, my senses have picked up that he is wearing the same cologne Jason once wore. I’m trying my damn hardest to remember my reasons for wanting more than Jason, scared to admit even to myself that it may have been a huge mistake on my behalf. Yes, I got that all from a bottle of Hugo Boss.

I stand up, straightening my dress, when the Jerk invades my cubicle. Today he chose not to wear a tie, exposing his smooth, tanned skin. Stop staring now; behave, Kitty!

“Fancy seeing you here, cousin.” Haden, has stretched his arms wide, blocking our exit.

“Well, if you see a gorgeous woman like Presley, you ask her out,” Marcus responds with a cocky grin.

The two of them watch each other intently, but I swear at this moment they are having a full-on conversation in their heads. I’m certain it involves boxing gloves and Brad Pitt standing in the corner of the ring saying “Welcome to Fight Club.”

Haden stands firmly with his arms crossed. “She just broke up with the love of her life.”

“Uh, wait a minute. Now you’ve got my back?” I laugh in his face, infuriating him even further.