Page 47 of Man Seeking Woman

Because it didn't matter what a women looked like, all women were beautiful. Ugly was in their actions, ugly came when they were shallow and self centered, only focusing on how they looked or how much they had, consumed by name brands and monetary value.

A wise woman once told me,'You can't judge a book by its cover, August, it's what's in the pages that matter.'

My grandmother was a good woman, I could thank her for a lot of things, but she taught me what was important when no one else around me could see it anymore.

“It's one piece of pizza, I don't think it'll hurt me,” she said, reaching out to pick it back up.

Justin shoved the box to the other side of the table. “Your jeans are already getting a little bit tight,” he snapped, giving her a stern look.

Balling my fists in my lap, I glanced over at Ella. Her face was contorted, lips folded into a heavy frown, the vein in her forehead was throbbing angrily. “Hey, ass police, who gave you permission to tell Kay what she can and can't eat?”

Crooking his jaw, Justin scoffed. “Last time I checked, I wasn't talking to you.”

Ella shot up in her chair, pointing a slender finger in his direction, but Kayla gave her a look and shook her head no very lightly. With rigid movements, Ella reluctantly sat back in her chair, her teeth grinding down hard. I could see it in her eyes that she was ready to tear him apart, she wanted to rip his balls off his body and stuff them down his throat. But she was going to respect her friend.

You could see the rage she was holding in and the hatred she was trying desperately to confine. And that spark, that little firecracker she had living inside her, that turned me on even more.

She wasn't someone who was going to sit back and let anyone walk over her. That was what I wanted for my child, a woman who spoke their mind and didn't take shit, someone who could be a good role model.

Justin smiled, his grin making my muscles shake and stomach tighten from anger. Ella wasn't the only one who wanted to make him eat shit. I had no idea where the fuck that guy got off talking to Kayla that way and why she didn't tell him to get bent.

Kayla just ignored him, simply letting his snotty, demeaning comment roll off her back. But the closer I looked, the more I saw that she wasn't letting it go, she was holding it in. Her eyes were filled with thin tears, the shiny coating only staying in place because she wouldn't blink. If Kayla blinked, there was no doubt those tears would break free.

“What, no smart-ass remark?” Justin asked, his eyes hooded as he stared down Ella.

Ella squinted her eyes, her mouth rocking back and forth, hands balling into fists as they rested on the table. She was about to fucking lose it.

Parting her lips, I stood up, interrupting her before things could get any worse. I wanted to avoid him saying something to Ella he would end up regretting. Because it wasn't just for her sake, it was for mine too. I wasn't sure what I would do if he said something to her that set me off. I couldn't promise I wouldn't knock his teeth down his throat or give him a broken nose.

Justin was a dick, I knew it the second he walked through my door, carrying a box labeled glass and his first comment was wondering how many glass dildos she had in there.

But I kept my mouth shut, because he wasn't worth the aggravation, I had better things to focus on that night. And going to jail for someone like him wasn't in the cards.

Clearing my throat, I clapped my hands together. “Alright, it's getting late, so I think it might be time to wrap this up for the night.” Stepping behind Justin, I slipped my hand under his arm and lifted him up from his seat. “I have a car waiting downstairs to take you home.”

“Hands off, man.” Jerking his arm, he took an off balanced step to the side. “It looks like we're getting kicked out, Kay.”

“No,” I said, arching a brow. “I'm sending you home, she's more than welcome to stay.”

“What the fuck, that's not an asshole move or anything.”

“It's an asshole move, perfect for another asshole.” Gripping his arm again, I started to drag him towards the door. “I think you should really listen to yourself when you talk, you sound like a fucking tool. Kayla, if you want to stay, I have an extra room you can use. You don't need to go anywhere with him.”

“I appreciate what you're trying to do, August,” Kayla said, standing up and gathering her purse and jacket. “But I think I'm going to go too.”

“Are you sure, because you don't have to.”

“Stay, Kay,” Ella said, reaching out to touch her arm. “August said it was fine, let Justin go home and sleep off whatever crawled up his ass.”

“Screw you,” he braked, waving his hand at Kayla. “Let's go, Kay, I don't want to be here anymore anyway.”

“Kay, please, just stay.” Ella gave her pleading eyes, pouting her bottom lip.

“No, we really should give you two love birds some privacy.” Kayla over exaggerated her lips into a large O as she winked. “I'll call you tomorrow, if you don't answer, I'm going to assume it was because you were up all night.”

Palming her forehead, Ella groaned. “Oh God, please stop.”

Kayla giggled, walking to Justin and taking his hand. “Come on, Babe, we're not going to want to be here for this.”

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