Page 8 of The Bet

I hold my breath.Here we go. The Rich pep rally will soon re-ignite.“Rich and Jim were out last night, and Jim met someone more suited for him, so Rich offered to let me know.”

“Ah, how sweet. I told you Rich was a great guy. He wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt by Jim moving on to another woman. See, Rich is perfect.”

Yes, mom. He’s perfect. Just not perfect for me.I glance at the clock above the freezer door. “I’ve got to get back to my cupcakes.”

“Okay, dear. We’ll discuss this more tomorrow. Be there at noon.”

“Bye.”Great.I wave at both my parents and flee to the bakery.That went – well.

Chapter Six

Chloe

A week later, I tap my sandal covered toe on my shop’s concrete floor as I re-read the text from Jim.

Jim: I only dated you over a $500 bet.

“The asshole.” My chest heaves as I clasp the phone. The desire to fling it across the room and break something is overwhelming. “God, damn it. I would like to fucking kick his ass.”

I can feel my mother’s spirit cringing from the adjacent building. However, some situations deserved an expletive, and this one is one of those times.

Thankfully, I’ve already let my employees leave before Jim dropped the mic on this nugget of goodness.

Me: Who bet you?

I grind my teeth together.

Jim: Kameron Willoughby.

My eyes narrow into slits as I read the name.WTF?I like Kameron. He’s a nice guy.

Me: What was involved in the bet?

My stomach churns. I don’t want to know, but I need to know.

Jim: I was supposed to fuck you and then dump you in public while telling you about the bet.

Who the fuck would do that? What kind of sick pervert is this guy? And Kameron? What an asshole.

Jim: You owe me.

“Like hell I do,” I mutter. I don’t glance up when the door opens and shuts with a clang. “Fucker.”

“What in the hell?”

“Shit.” I jump and stare at Rich. “I didn’t hear you come in.” I wave my phone at him. “Did you know he only dated me over a bet with Kameron Willoughby?”

He stops in the middle of the room between two small tables. “Um…”

“You knew? Oh, that’s just fucking great. How humiliating. I can’t even get a datewithout someone getting five hundred dollars out of the deal.” My eyes well with tears.

“Don’t.” Rich raises his hands. “Do. Not. Cry.”

“I’m not going to cry, but I’m going to get back at those two assholes. All I need is for someone to make the same wager with Kameron and win the money.”

“What?”

“I’m going to get someone to bet Kameron that he can fuck me in under a week and take their money.”

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