Page 24 of Seeking Vengeance
She bit her tongue so hard that she tasted blood. It was apparent Sean had already formed an opinion of who and what she was, though he was smart enough to pretend otherwise. Fine. She’d play her part, fulfill the role he’d already assigned in his head, just like she’d done with Jason Michaels. Living up—or down—to other people’s expectations was what she excelled at, and it was so much easier than revealing any of her true self.
God, it had been so long that she wasn’t even sure who that was anymore.
If he only knew what I was capable of, she thought. It might be worth telling him just to see his reaction.
She quickly dismissed that idea. The brief satisfaction she’d get wouldn’t last long enough to make up for the amount of proverbial shit that would hit the fan.No, she decided.It’s best to stick with the plan and forgo the momentary thrill of putting Sean Callaghan in his place.
Playing the part was easy—she’d been doing it for so long that it was second nature to her now. Over coffee, she’d given quite the performance too. And he bought it, all of it. He really believed she was nothing more than an exotic dancer. That was what she’d wanted, right?
So, why did she feel disappointed?
Nicki threw the pillow against the wall and let out a string of curses that would have raised a few eyebrows from a construction crew. She was finished thinking about Sean Callaghan. Period. She put in her earphones and maxed out the volume on her phone. There was nothing like a little screaming death metal to get a girl’s head in the right place.
* * *
Two hours later,Nicki breathed a sigh of relief. Nick’s apartment was spotless. Everything had been scrubbed, disinfected, and polished until it shone. And the multiple runs up and down the three flights of stairs to the basement laundry had turned out to be a decent workout.
With a sense of satisfaction, Nicki headed for a shower. The hot water felt heavenly over her tired muscles as she washed away the smell of Pine-Sol and Clorox, replacing it with the honeyed vanilla–scented body wash. She took her time, languishing in the steamy shower until the water finally turned cold. Only then did she force herself to get out and dry off. Without bothering to don underwear, she pulled on a pair of Nick’s freshly laundered sweats and a Hanes tee, wondering for the thousandth time why men’s clothes were so much more comfortable than women’s.
She towel-dried her hair, letting it hang loose to dry into natural waves. It felt so good to be clean and comfortable. With a little food in her belly and an hour on the sofa, she might almost feel human again.
A huge billow of steam wafted out as she opened the bathroom door. The smell of fresh pizza had her stomach growling in no time.Thank God!Nick was back. With food.
“I hope you got me veggie,” she called out, padding barefoot into the small living/dining space.
Pizza toppings were a source of contention between them. Nick liked all meat, Nicki preferred the all veg. Nick usually won out, and Nicki contented herself on eating the crusts and scrounging from her ever-present stash of fresh fruit, nuts, and peanut butter. Home-cooked meals were not a priority, but then, as Nick said often enough, you didn’t miss what you never had.
“Yeah,” Nick said, his voice smooth as he handed her a beer.
She took it gratefully and then paused with the bottle halfway to her lips when Sean stood up from the sofa in an old-fashioned gesture. To his credit, his lips twitched only slightly, though he wasn’t as successful at keeping the amusement out of his eyes.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” she asked, suddenly all too aware of what she was—and was not—wearing.
It shouldn’t have mattered. She’d worn far less the night before. But without her costume, without her makeup, she felt strangely … exposed. She swore Sean’s eyes glittered when her traitorous nipples hardened to granite pebbles beneath the soft white V-neck. Thankfully, his eyes rose quickly and locked on her face instead.
No,shit, that was even worse.
“Sean’s cool, Nicki. Chill. Here, this is for you.” Nick handed her a white box. She looked at it as if it might bite her. “Go on, open it.”
Suspiciously, she lifted the lid. The heavenly smell of onions, mushrooms, black olives, and three different kinds of peppers smothered in cheese hit her full-on. So, that was it. Nick and Sean were joining forces, no doubt thinking that between the two of them, they could make her see reason. Nick had been on her case about working at Angels the minute he found out, and when he realized he wasn’t making any headway, he’d involved his boss.
Nicki had a sudden, vehement urge to throw the pizza at him. At both of them.
But as aggravated as she was, her hunger won out. She would eat first and argue later. Nick flashed her a cocky smile when she took the box over to the far corner and sank down into the large chair there, no doubt thinking he’d won the battle. She would not correct him. Yet.
With the box propped in her lap above her crisscrossed legs and the lid open, Nicki concentrated on her pizza and ignored them. Within minutes, they seemed to forget she was even there, digging into their own pizzas. Sean seemed to share Nick’s penchant for the heart-stopping, artery-clogging, flesh-topped variety and beers.
She snorted in another wave of indignation. Why didn’t guys have to watch their calories like women? If she ate like that all the time, she’d be out of a job. But them? They looked like they spent hours a day in a gym without even trying. Yet more proof that God was a man.
Bastards.
Nicki ripped into the extra-cheese, smothering her groan of delight as she pondered the injustices of the universe while Nick and Sean talked about the garage. She couldn’t remember when she had been so hungry. Then again, she couldn’t actually remember the last time she had eaten, sitting down. Usually, she was in motion, running late on her way somewhere to do something. Passivity did not come naturally to her. Even now, her foot bobbed in steady rhythm to the songs that were always in her head, keeping her relatively sane.
It took her a while to realize that their conversation had stopped and both men were staring at her.
“What?” she asked, swallowing the last of her fourth piece.
Nick had a smug half-smile on his face, but Sean was gaping at her in disbelief.
