Page 104 of Hard Hitter

Jett laughed. “You sound like Quinn talking about you and any guy who’s ever looked at you since you were sixteen.”

“Come on, Jett,” Raelyn groaned. “Don’t you want to lose your V-card to a hottie like that?”

“I’m not...I’ve had sex, Rae,” Jett snapped, frustration tinging his voice. “I went to college and got crazy just like you and Quinn.” Raelyn gave him a skeptical glance. “Okay, maybe notjustlike you guys, but I had sex. I had a few girlfriends. But I’m not going to have sex with Regina just so she stays away from Quinn. That’s ridiculous.”

Scrunching her face up in disappointment, she let her gaze drift around the room for a better solution than Jett Miller. In any other circumstance, Raelyn wouldn’t say that Jett was exactly out of this Regina chick’s league, but she needed someone with the charisma and charm to get her away from Quinn Casey. Surely part of the appeal was that he was famous. Not only was he a professional athlete, but he also had that whole ‘sex icon’ reputation going for him.

Raelyn was about to give up the task and resort to handling it how she knew Quinn would- a punch to that pretty face of hers, perhaps?- when the tall, broad, blonde, and bearded solution she didn’t know she was looking for strutted right by her and Jett. Gasping, she reached out and grabbed Emerson’s arm and pulled him around as she stood up to face him.

“Hey!” Raelyn beamed brightly.

Emerson glanced at Jett, who was laughing with a hand to his brow as though embarrassed for her, then back to Raelyn. “Hi?”

“So, I was just thinking,” Raelyn began, now realizing she had no idea how to ask him for a favor. Surely if she posed it as a favor, he would refuse. Especially if it meant helping her and Quinn. She took a deep breath and continued, “You like hot girls, right? Big boobs, small waist, that kind of thing?”

“Okay?” Emerson looked, if possible, even more confused now.

“See the girl in the short red dress, legs for days, and cleavage that should only be on an airbrushed Cosmo magazine cover model?” Raelyn turned Emerson to face the bar where it would be impossible not to see her.

Oh no, she didnotjust brush her hand down his chest like that!

“You mean the one putting moves on your man over there?” Emerson asked.

“Yes,” she said, exasperated. “She won’t leave him alone. And I don’t want to cause a scene by punching her, so I thought that maybe…possibly...you’d take her off my hands.”

“Why would I do that?” Emerson got that competitive gleam in his eye that was so familiar. “She’s hitting on him pretty hard. If he gives in-”

“He’snotgoing to give in,” Raelyn stated firmly. “Besides, you owe me.”

“Do I?”

“Yes, because you cheated on metwice!”Raelyn glared. She turned her focus back to the bar and added offhand, “Actually, Icaughtyou twice. For all I know, you could’ve cheated on me way more than that.”

Emerson smirked. “Look at you, beautyandbrains.”

Raelyn snapped her head back and glared at Emerson for a few silent moments, comprehending this admission. She heard Jett’s“seriously, man?”from where he was still seated. She was overcome with the urge to smack him, but finally blinked and focused on the issue at hand.

“Whatever…” She shook her head. “The point is, Quinn isn’t going to cheat on me, unlike some people, but that bitch won’t leave him alone and you might be the right person to distract her so we can enjoy our night. And so can you. Because you’ll have her. And you can find out how the hell she gets her boobs to look like that.”

“I don’t know,” Emerson sighed. “Shedoeshave a nice rack, but I don’t know how I feel about helping my ex have a good time with her new guy. Especially after he tried to fight me.”

“Consider it a competition,” Raelyn suggested. “If you can get her away from Quinn, who is extremely hotandrichandfamous, then that’s a big win for you.”

Emerson’s expression told Raelyn she’d hit the right note with that one. That competitive gleam shined a little brighter as he smirked. “Fine. But I’m not helping you. I’m helping myself. To adeliciousslice of cake, by the looks of it.”

Raelyn made a face, then shook off any weirdness she felt at having just set up her cheating ex-fiancé with a complete ten. “Just go! And send Quinn back.”

She sat back down and watched as Emerson made his way to the bar. Quinn and Regina were at the front of the line and ordering drinks when Emerson slid past the line and leaned against the bar next to Regina. He placed a hand on the small of her back and she turned to face him. For a split second, the woman looked annoyed that her attention was being brought away from Quinn, but when she registered the undeniably handsome second option that was being presented, her demeanor changed quickly. Her eyes swept Emerson from head to toe and back up to his charming grin, or at least it would have been charming if Raelyn didn't know the truth behind that look. If Regina hadn't just had her hands all over Quinn, Raelyn may have felt bad for inflicting Emerson on her.

Guess you should keep your hands to yourself, bitch.

Emerson leaned in and whispered something in Regina's ear, and Raelyn noticed the placement of his hand on her hip already. The way Regina grinned and bit her lip, it was probably safe to assume she was also blushing beneath her bronze tan. On the other side of them, Quinn was watching curiously for a moment, until the bartender handed him a glass of wine and a rocks glass, and he slipped away unnoticed.

Sitting in the chair next to Raelyn, he handed her the glass of red wine. "I hope this doesn't mean I have to thank him twice."

"No, you can thank me," said Raelyn, taking a sip of wine. "I sent him up there."

"Wow, a year later and he'll still take orders from you, huh?" Quinn teased.

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