Page 11 of Seduce

“I didn’t. It was a couple of days before I was to graduate. I went to Jack’s office since I’d finished work early. I figured we could go out to dinner. Jack was talking with one of his buddies about how he had me wrapped around his finger, and that once we were married, he’d have his foot fully in the door with my father.”

“Oh hell,” Sierra muttered.

“I was upset. I went back to the apartment we shared. I paced around wondering what I should do.”

“And?” Crystal asked.

“Jack arrived, surprised to see me. I decided to confront him, and I did.”

“He lied,” Sierra said.

“No, he was quite honest with me. He told me flat out that, yes, he was using me to get closer to my father. That I was a nice woman but really not his type. I was too mousy, too quiet, and I was sick because I wanted a little bit of kink in my life.”

“Asshole,” Sierra muttered.

“Big time. His words devastated me. I told him to go to hell and walked out.”

Tessa never looked back but had encased her heart in ice. Until Damon. “I graduated on Saturday, and that night, my father was throwing a big party. Not for my graduation, mind you, but for politics.” While her mother had shown up for her graduation, her father and brother couldn’t bother. “Jack showed up and wanted me to pretend everything was okay. I didn’t want to make a scene, but when he tried to kiss me for the press, I lost it.” Her face grew hot even now. “Let’s say that was not a good scene to play out in front of the press. My father was apoplectic. At that point, I decided it was time for me to get out of the area, and I came out here.”

“But why did you take on your mother’s maiden name?” Crystal asked.

“I wanted to distance myself from my family and my father’s political aspirations. You have to understand, for years I’d met people who only wanted to know me because of my father and my brother as well.”

“That really sucks,” Sierra said.

“It did. Here I was able to start fresh.”

“And we became friends,” Crystal leaned over and hugged Tessa.

“We did, and I’m so glad.”

“What about Wicked Sanctuary? How did you become a member?” Sierra asked.

“It was about six months after I moved here. We had just met. I heard about the club and thought I’d check it out. I joined, thinking I’d dip my toes back into the water.”

“You said you only went a couple of times,” Crystal said.

“I did. Not because something was wrong, but because I wasn’t ready to go back into the community. Jack’s words hurt me deeply, and I started to question my wants and needs.”

“And now?” Sierra asked.

“Seeing you two embrace the community and the way Max and Jordan were with you two, I decided to try again. And since I was a member, the Valentine’s Day party was perfect, as it was a masquerade. So that’s my sad tale.”

“It took me a while to figure out it was you, and when I did, I couldn’t believe it,” Sierra said.

“I told Sierra she was wrong, but then I saw you with Regina, and I knew it was you,” Crystal said.

“What gave me away?”

“I knew in my gut,” Sierra said.

“I want to know why you skipped out before midnight,” Crystal said.

“You two were watching me, so you know why.” How could she explain, when she really didn’t quite understand it herself? She hadn’t figured out why she’d left. Damon would find out soon enough, especially if she went back to the club. Well, she had left him the note. Why had she left the door open? Did she want to go back to the club? Tessa saw the happiness on her friends’ faces when they were with their men. She wanted that.

Damon made her feel things she’d never felt before, and he’d barely touched her. She wanted more, so yes. She would go back. It was time to see what the future held.

* * * *

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