Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Slamming his dick deep inside her, he closed his eyes, not liking the other face he saw. He was royally fucked.
Chapter Three
Chewing her gum, Hope picked up the three jars of salt, making her way out to the main diner to place them on her table. It was late, after eleven, and she still needed to finish writing two assignments before Monday.
The biggest problem she had was that weekends were always so busy at the diner, but the extra money came in handy. She worked so that her trust fund went further. If she didn’t withdraw too much, she’d be able to pay for college and leave debt-free, with a good job. That was her plan, and she intended to stick with it.
Coming to a stop, she saw Beast Carson with a couple of men huddled around a table. They looked so out of place in a diner like this. Their suits gave away their wealth. Each one had to cost more than she earned in a year. Not only that, one suit alone would probably fund her entire college tuition for a year.
“I’m not serving them. I don’t want to register on Carson’s radar,” Chloe, a single mother said, coming toward her. “I’ve got kids to protect.”
Before Hope could comprehend what was happening she was shoved toward the table. Taking out her notebook, she stared at the table of men, who fell silent the moment she approached. When she was around Beast he never made her feel uneasy, but right now she wasn’t exactly getting any of the good vibes. Her stomach was somersaulting, and she felt afraid.
“Is there anything I can get you?” she asked.
“There’s not enough menus. Bring us some.”
“A coffee for each of us to start, Hope,” Beast said.
There he went, his voice calming her. She gave a quick nod, leaving them alone. Entering the kitchen, she began to make two pots of fresh coffee.
Chloe came up to her. “Do you know him?”
“I tutor his nephew in school.” She waited for them to fill, and turned to give Chloe her undivided attention. “What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal? You know who Carson is, right? You know what he does?”
“I’ve heard the rumors.”
“If I was you, I’d get a new tutor for his nephew. Nothing good comes from sticking around a Carson. They’re bad news.”
Hope watched as Chloe walked away, and she bit her lip, hating that sick feeling beginning to start in her stomach.
Once the coffee was filled, she grabbed a handful of menus and went to serve them. Once again, the table went quiet, and she hated how nervous that made her. Silence meant what they were talking about was top secret.
Or dangerous.
She finished serving them coffee and left them alone, going to deal with other customers. The diner had pretty much emptied out the moment Beast Carson entered.
The rest of the shift went by without much incident. The men ate. Her boss looked shit scared, and she had to serve them since no one else would.
Not bothering to change out of her uniform, she pulled out a jacket and headed outside, stopping when she caught sight of Beast, alone. He leaned against his car, and he was smoking a cigarette.
“I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I rarely do anymore. It just seems like the night for a smoke.” He offered it to her, and she shook her head.
“I don’t smoke.”
“You don’t party.”
She stared at him. Dwayne had invited her to his party, something about a pool house, and it being a rare occurrence for him to allow people to his place. She’d declined, as it wasn’t really her scene.
“I’m going to keep my brain cells active while I can. Last I heard I kind of need them to get out of town.”
Folding her arms beneath her breasts, she stared at him. At the table surrounded by men, she’d been afraid of him. Now, she wasn’t. She felt drawn to him.
“Why aren’t you at the party?” she asked.
“Kids don’t appeal to me.”
If words could hurt, that sure did, and she didn’t know why. “I better get going.”
She made to turn away, but he spoke, stopping her.
“Why do you want to get out of town?” he asked.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw he’d turned to look at her. “Didn’t you get the memo? I’m a freak.”
“I know about your past, Hope. You just don’t strike me as the kind of woman that runs.”
She took a deep breath. “There’s nothing here for me, Mr. Carson. No one at school or at home. I’ve got … nothing. I’m just waiting to graduate high school, get the hell out of town, and away from the memories. The whispers.”
“The whispers?”
“People know what happened, and even though I can pretend for a time that it doesn’t bother me, I get tired of it. My dad killed my mom, and I’m what’s left.” She held her arms out. “Not a lot really going for me here.”