Page 61 of Tempted
This is interesting.“How come?”
“I’m surrounded by easy women. I can cover mydick, not my mouth. The Hounds…I pretty much know where theirmouths have been.”
“That first night, you didn’t know where minehad been.”
“True…but I had a feeling about you. Icouldn’t let you get away.”
“Now I feel special.”
“You should. You are.”
Now I reallydofeel special. I baskin the adoration in his eyes and pull him down to me. He kisses mesoftly then climbs off the bed.
“We should get back out there,” he says.
“You go ahead. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay.”
I use the bathroom and wash my hands andface. My hair is a mess.Doesn’t this man own a comb orbrush?I finally find a brush tucked away under the sink andrun it through my hair. I trail my fingers over the red spot on myneck with a smile. I can’t wait to see my breasts covered with hishickeys. I pull his chain from under my wife beater and smilegiddily at my reflection. I’m his. I belong to him. Never in amillion years would I have thought I would happily refer to myselfas a man’s property. But I am. Heownsme. It’s scary tofeel this way, to feel so strongly about a man who isn’t interestedin love. Yes, he may have changed his mind about the relationshipaspect, but what about the rest? What kind of relationship will wehave without love? I don’t know, but I want him. We’ll see where itgoes from here.
I leave the room, close the door, and freezeas I see Lonnie waiting for me. She scowls, clenching her fists ather side. I watch her and wait, my resting bitch face firmly inplace.
“I should kick your ass for what you’vedone,” she snarls.
“I haven’t done anything. It’s not my faultyou’re a slut.”
“Says the slut leaving his bedroom.”
“I’mstill a virgin. Unlike you, Idon’t need to spread my legs to keep a man’s attention.”
“Bitch!”
She steps toward me, but I don’t budge. I’mdone taking her shit. “Go ahead. What do you think Gage will dowhen I tell him? When he sees the bruises?”
She pauses, uncertainty blanketing herfeatures.
“You saw Mr. Glenn, right?” Her eyes widen inrealization and she steps back. “We’ve never really gotten along,but I didn’t know you hated me that much. He was going torapeme, and you set it up.” At least she has the decency tolook away in shame. “If Gage hadn’t been there that night…”
I shake my head and take a step in herdirection. Her eyes drop to my chest and Gage’s pendant and shetakes another step back in shock. “In a few days, Daddy’s lawyerwill be here with the papers for me to sign. After that, we’ll benothing but strangers. I no longer have a sister.” I push past her,but her next words stop me.
“I never did.”
I turn around slowly, my emotions flitteringbetween hurt and anger. The look on her face tells me she’sserious. These are not fighting words. This is how she feels, howshe’s always felt.
“What have I ever done to you, Lonnie? Why doyou hate me so much?”
“I don’t know why Papa was so in love withyourgringaputaof a mother. All she did was spityou out and run back to her bougie parents.”
“What does that have to do withanything?”
“Before you,Iwas Papa’s princess.Then you came along, and I didn’t matter anymore.”
“That’s not true.”
“How would you know?” She asks, folding herarms under her breasts. “You were too busy being Daddy’s littlegirl to notice how he treated me.”
That does it. She can bash me all she likes,but there’s no way I’m going to let her talk shit about Daddy. Tosay she was a problem child would be putting it mildly. Before sheleft there was a rumor going around that she was hooking on 8thStreet. Now I see it could have totally been true. At some point,Daddy just gave up when he realized he couldn’t reach her.
