Page 82 of For Wrath and Redemption
I sink further into the couch cushion. My head swims. She straddles me. I don’t bother pushing her away, but when she tries to kiss me, I turn my head. Her hands are in my hair. Her tongue is in my ear. I feel nothing but disgust.
Then, because I’m fucking addicted to trouble, I grab my phone and snap a pic.
Naked fucking blonde straddling me, tits in my face, lips on my neck. I even manage a smirk. I don’t second-guess it. I pull up her text thread and shoot her the photo.
Then I turn my phone off and wait.
23
CLAIRE
I’ll kill him.
I will fucking murder him and burn his stupid body.
Not this bullshit again. Not again. It’s Stockholm déjà vu, but this time it’s not just anger I’m feeling. It’s jealousy. It’s so much jealousy. It’s bubbling and boiling, filling me with rage, making me stupid.
He’s going to fuck everything up. All of it.
I don’t even bother changing out of my pajamas or putting on shoes. I just bolt into the hallway and slam my hand into the elevator button. I’m in front of his suite and swiping my key card in a matter of minutes. Sure as shit, the moment I step into the suite, the photo comes to life right before my eyes. His pants are still on, and while there is lipstick all over him, there is none on his lips.
It shouldn’t make me feel better, but it does.
“Well, I’m here.” I stand in front of Jonah with my hands on my hips. I go for annoyed, but irate is what he gets. I couldn’t hide it if I wanted to. “I don’t know what you need me for. Your tests were clear. You can fuck whomever you want.”
He looks up at me with a scowl, and my jaw drops. He’s high. I turn to the woman.
“Get out.” She opens her mouth to argue, but I don’t let her. “I said get the fuck out before I throw you out.” I snatch her bag and shoes, then open the door and toss them in the hall. “Get out now, or I swear to God, I will drag you out by your hair.”
The calm I’ve cultivated is gone. The decorum, gone.
“Okay, fine, you crazy psycho.”
She rolls her eyes and starts to climb off Jonah slowly. Too slowly.
“Hurry the fuck up,” I snap, then I open the door and kick her jeans and bra with the rest of her shit. My eyes land on José, and from his expression, he knows I’m going to murder him, too.
“Did you make her sign an NDA?”
José nods. “Yes, Ms. Davis.”
I point at him. “Don’t move.”
I turn back to the woman and shout at her, clapping my hands with each word.
“Move your ass! My patience is fucking shot!”
As soon as she has a foot in the hallway, I slam the door on her back. She yelps, but I whip around and glare at Jonah. He’s standing now, watching me with that blank fucking face. I cross the floor, shove at his chest, and unleash every ounce of my rage on him.
“What the actual fuck were you thinking? Do you want to self-sabotage, you fucking idiot?” My voice quakes, my throat straining with my raised voice. I don’t care who hears me. I’d shout louder if I could. “Sober sex only. Sober sex only, Jonah! I leave you alone for four fucking days, and this is what you decide to do?”
I pick the vodka bottle up from the table and throw it in the kitchenette sink. It shatters. Then I march back to him and pat down his jeans. I choke out a sad laugh when I find a pill bottle in his pocket.
I snatch it and take it into the bathroom. It says Ibuprofen, but I’m not an idiot. Jonah follows and watches as I flush the pills down the toilet. I expect him to fight me, but he doesn’t, which is just more infuriating. Then I throw the empty bottle at him. He doesn’t even flinch.
I am so fucking mad, and I lean into it. I lean into it, so I don’t have to admit how much this also hurts. I shove at his chest again.
“Do you have to fuck everything up? Do you? The rules are simple. They’re simple fucking rules, Jonah! It’s not that hard. You’re a grown fucking adult, so why is it so fucking hard for you? Just be an adult and control yourself!”
