Page 79 of Takeover

“Since when can’t I walk in here to see our son, Ethan? Why do you insist on humiliating me at every single turn? Do you know how embarrassing it was to have to wait for the doorman to call you to getpermissionfor me to come in here?”

Ethan looks at the ceiling, probably asking a higher power for patience to deal with the raving lunatic in front of us. A giggle escapes me. Lindsay turns her evil gaze from Ethan to me. The giggle turns into a full-on belly laugh.

“Is something funny, Cara?” she asks.

“Not anymore,” I tell her. “You’re boring us to death.” She takes a step closer to me, and I pull out of Ethan’s arm and take a step closer to her. I know mean girls like Lindsay. She uses her size to try to intimidate but doesn’t have what it takes to back it up. “Try it, Lindsay. I fucking dare you,” I whisper.

Ethan must sense how serious I am because he steps between us, but not before I saw Lindsay take a step back. Just like I thought she would.

“Daddy, is Mommy here yet?” Vincent runs into the room, and his eyes light up when he sees his mom. She opens her arms to him, and he runs into them. She lifts him up and kisses his hair.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” She puts him down and runs a hand through his hair. “Have you had dinner?”

“Yeah. Tara cooked for me.” Her smile slips when her son mentions me, but she takes his hand and helps him with his coat.

“Come on,” she says to him. He runs from her and hugs both of us before he takes her hand. Ethan walks to the elevator, punches the new code, and waits for them to leave.

I can still feel the anger radiating off Ethan’s body as he helps me with my coat, but instead of letting Lindsay ruin our night, I kiss my man and all the tension evaporates. We enjoy a decadent dinner, trying a different wine with each course. The mood throughout dinner is light as we feed each other. By the time our meal comes to an end, I’m tipsy from the wine.

“Whoa,” he says when I start to sway while he helps me with my coat. “My little drunk.”

As we wait for our car outside, Vickie calls us from the 40/40 Club, so instead of going back home, we decide to join her for a night out with her and her friends. It’s after eleven o’clock by the time we get there, and Vickie is with a couple of women I’ve only met once. When their eyes land on Ethan, I intertwine our fingers, claiming him as mine. But I didn’t need to bother. As soon as they hear there are professional basketball players in the club, they take off.

“Don’t you two look good?” Vickie says. She takes my hand and spins me around. “Let’s find a place to sit.” She gets in the middle of me and Ethan and hooks her arms through ours. “Your girlfriend’s sister needs a drink, Ethan.”

We find a table and Ethan orders champagne for us all. While we’re drinking and laughing, Colt Chastain walks by our table. He takes a seat when Ethan waves him over.

“Why do you look so familiar?” Vickie asks. “Are you an actor?”

“Basketball player. Forward for the Manhattan Mischiefs,” he says. He introduces himself to Vickie.

Vickie’s smile disappears, and I know it’s because she always vowed never to date an athlete, but Colt moves closer to Vickie, all the while admiring her bare legs.

“Let’s go get these ladies something stronger than champagne, E,” Colt says. He might be talking to Ethan, but his eyes are busy roaming Vickie’s body, paying special attention to her legs. Ethan whispers something in my ear, and I nod.

“Aren’t you going to ask us what we want?” Vickie says to Colt.

Colt smiles, showing off his perfect white teeth. “I got you, Vickie. Don’t worry.”

Vickie scowls, and the guys take off.

“He lives in Ethan’s building,” I tell my sister.

“Don’t you mean your building?”

“Yeah, that too,” I laugh. “His son is Vincent’s BFF.”

“He has a kid? Whatever,” she waves her hand. “No athletes or men with kids on this walkabout. And I’ve only slept with one guy this year. Turns out, I have standards.” We both start to laugh when a handsome set of twins join us in our booth. With their smooth brown skin and perfect straight teeth, they are exactly the type of guys I’d be into.

“Do either of you have kids?” Vickie asks. They shake their heads, and she smiles. Ethan and Colt return, and my easygoing man dies right before my eyes.

He offers me his hand, and when I take it, he practically lifts me from the table and my tablemates. “I go to get you a drink, and I come back to find you with not one, but two assholes.”

“Are you jealous?” I ask. I wrap both arms around his neck and look into his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m jealous. This power couple is full. This,” he says, running his hands down my back, “belongs to Ethan Bradford only.” He lowers his head close to my ear and whispers, “I’m so going to spank your little ass tonight. Come dance with me.”

“I’ve never given you a reason to be jealous. And hell yeah, this belongs to you. Just like this,” I say as my hands travel down his body, “belongs to me.”

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