Page 12 of Heat Stroke

He says, “Can you be ready at seven tonight?”

The fuck!?

Be ready for what?

“Be ready for what?! What the hell are you talking about?” I growl.

Blaze sighs as if I’m slow. “Be ready at seven, Wren. I’m taking you to dinner. I’ll pick you up at your place.” He hangs up.

I stare at the phone in complete stupification as I mutter, “Thehellyou are! I’m not going to dinner with you!”

But, it doesn’t matter. I’m talking to myself.

He’s gone.

Who does he think he is? Calling to flirt with me and telling me that he’s picking me up for dinner and to be ready. I’m not going to dinner with him!

I slam the receiver down and look through the papers on my desk, searching for the purchase order for Carrington Construction, so, I can call him back and give him a piece of my mind.

I must be loud because Alena’s voice in my doorway causes my head to jerk up. “Who’s a pompous asshole? Girl, you are slamming stuff around in here. Who was on that call? Sorry, I was in the kitchen and I couldn’t grab it. Was it an angry customer?”

I glare at her and she holds her hands out as her eyes widen. “Whoa. I didn’t do it. Whatever it was, I didn’t do it. Shit, even if Ididdo it, with that murderous glint in your eyes, Ididn’tdo it…

“Who was on the phone?!”

Shaking my head, I growl. “No, you didn’t do it. The call was for me…”

She cocks her pretty head to the side and asks, “Someone called for you and now you’re ready to break something?! Who called?”

Glaring at the phone again, I mutter, “Blaze Carrington…”

I look back at her as she gasps. She’s grinning at me as she says, “That fine ass man called for you and you’re mad…” She wiggles her brows at me and I transfer my glare back to her. She asks, “What did he say to piss you off so bad?”

Frowning, I stare at her. “He told me he’s taking me to dinner and I need to be ready at seven tonight.”

Her eyes widen and then she laughs. “Wait… so, he asked you out and you’re mad?!” Her shoulders lift in a shrug and she shakes her head at me. “Why is that a bad thing, sis? He’s super-hot and you haven’t had a date in quite a while. I’m not seeing the issue…”

Slapping my hands on my desk, I raise my voice. “Youwouldn’t see the issue. He didn’taskme shit! Hetoldme… Like some kind of Neanderthal.

“You never attended school with him. He made my lifehell, Alena. He tormented me daily. I never got to attend dances or games… I did nothing extra-curricular. I didn’t get asked on dates. He literally made fun of me and made others make fun of me every single day…Every… single… day.

“Do you know what that’s like?

“No, of course you don’t. Because, there wasn’t a Blaze Carrington focused on you when you were in school.

“The day he left for college was the best day of my whole damn life.”

A look of absolute sadness crosses her face and her blue eyes soften. “Oh, Wren. He was the bully that upset you so much?”

I nod as my lips tighten.

Her eyes harden and she stands as tall as she can. “Well, of course you aren’t going out with him. I have half a mind to march down to the community center and punch him in his sexy ass face. Shame on him for treating you like that. I used to hear you crying in your room…” Her cheeks flush as she comes over to hug me. Her arms close around me and I chuckle at the picture of my petite little sister marching over to Blaze’s work site and lighting him up. She’d have to stand on something to reach his face to hit him.

She leans back as she hears me laugh. “What?! Why are you laughing? I never told you I’d hear you in your room, but I did. I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how I could.” Her eyes are sincere as she meets mine. “You’re my big sister. I hated that you were hurting…”

A smile crosses my face as I lean in and touch her nose with mine. “It was a long time ago. I’m over it now. Once Blaze left, my life settled. Hell, I had my first date two weeks after he headed out of town.” I smirk at her. “So, you’re ready to go beat his ass, huh?” I tweak her nose with my finger and grin. “You’d have to ask him for a cinder block or two to reach his face, but that’s so sweet of you.”

Leaning back, she slaps my shoulder and laughs with me before slamming her hands on her hips. “You know dynamite comes in small packages, Wren! Besides, I’m small, but my wrath is legendary.” She raises her brow. “I could scare him.”

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