Savage Road (Torpedo Ink 7)

There were two super-cute dresses she couldn’t resist. One she thought Savage might like; the other was strictly for her. It was purple and blue, the purple handkerchief hems falling short and the blue ones a little longer. Both dresses were sleeveless. She always wore the sweaters her mother had knitted for her, so she didn’t worry too much about being cold, even on the coast.

Hyde took her packages from her and stowed them in the back seat of her car. To her dismay, as she made her way up the sidewalk toward the Floating Hat, the last stop she had, Brandon Campbell stepped in front of her, purposely stopping her. He wasn’t alone. Shari was there as well. Shari from the bar. Shari, who had had her mouth all over Savage’s cock. Just great.

“Seychelle,” Brandon greeted. He looked around her as if expecting to see her with someone. “You alone?”

She looked around as well. “Looks like it, Brandon.” She didn’t point out Hyde, who was leaning casually against the storefront not six feet away from them. He didn’t appear to be paying them any attention, but he had his phone out, which was bad news for her. “How have you been?” The two were blocking the sidewalk, impossible to get around unless she went into the street.

“Just fine. You look good. Have you met Shari Albright? She’s a good friend of one of your male friends.” He looked smug.

“I have so many, that really doesn’t tell me much. Hi, Shari. We did meet at the bar last week. It was a little crazy. Nice to see you again. Brandon, how nice that you and Shari know one another.”

Shari gave a little indignant sniff. “Don’t think for one minute, Brandon, that I don’t know that you’ve been chasing after her …”

Brandon turned toward her. “Enough, Shari. Don’t say another word.”

Seychelle found the pitch in his voice amazing. It seemed to hit just the right note with Shari. She blushed and stepped back, ducking her head.

Brandon leaned down, his head over Seychelle, mouth close to her ear. She tried not to pull back, but his cologne seemed overpowering. “Shari has something she needs to tell you. It’s important, Seychelle, so it would be good if you could just take a couple of minutes and hear her out. This isn’t easy for her.”

Seychelle couldn’t imagine what Brandon and Shari had cooked up between them, but she definitely wanted to find out. She gave another quick glance toward Hyde just to reassure herself he was close. He was in the same exact spot, looking bored, staring at his phone.

“Of course.”

“Just give me a minute. She needs a little courage.” Brandon took Shari’s arm and walked her a few feet from Seychelle, not noticing she glided a few steps after him.

“You’re a beautiful, sexy woman, and you know every man wants you, especially Savage. You know that, Shari. You feel sad for this woman, and upset that she just doesn’t understand that he’s using her. She doesn’t hold a candle to you. But you can never talk to me like that again, you understand? I’m the only man that can help you get what you want.”

“I’m sorry, Brandon. I really am.”

“Go to her now and talk to her. Say exactly what we talked about last night and make her understand the truth.”

Shari nodded. Brandon smiled down at her benevolently. Seychelle backpedaled quickly so that she was standing beside Hyde, looking into the window of the store three doors down from the Floating Hat. Shari and Brandon came right up to her.

“I really wanted to apologize to you for my behavior the night you were singing at the bar,” Shari said. She even attempted a smile and then looked over her shoulder at Brandon, who nodded encouragingly. “What I was really trying to say to you, and doing it very badly because I knew it would hurt you, was that Savage is two-timing you with me.”

Seychelle saw Hyde’s head come up, and she shifted her body to put herself squarely between Shari and her guard. Glancing at the reflection in the window, she could see he was busy texting like crazy.

“He is?” She squeaked it.

Shari nodded. “He put me up in the hotel in Sea Haven, and he comes to me every single night. He needs certain things that you just can’t give him. It isn’t your fault, it really isn’t.”

“Like what? I don’t understand.”

Hyde took a step along the wall of the building, sliding just a step closer. She wanted to kick him. Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. She knew exactly who was calling, and she ignored it.

“He requires a blow job. Not just any kind. I don’t know how to put this. A certain kind,” Shari said.

Seychelle regarded Shari with her most innocent expression. “You think Savage needs a certain kind of blow job?” She canted her head to one side, her eyes wide with wonder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Shari.”