Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Betty flops down onto the leather chair in the corner. “Of course.’’
There’s a beep on the speaker and I jog toward the little voice box, pressing the button.
“Ma’am, we have a Jade, Poppy, and Sloane here for you?”
“Let them up. Thanks, Michelle.”
“Oh God,” Betty grumbles, kicking off her heels and curling her legs under her ass on the couch. “This really a good idea?” I fish the bottle of 42 out the back of the cupboard, grabbing a bunch of glasses.
“Yes. You’re the one who said I don’t get to go out or have a life because of the family business!” I peek my head around the corner, only seeing her dark hair spilling over the couch. The living room is all glass walls and a large patio that curves around the design. There’s a large TV hanging on the wall to the left, with a fireplace burning beneath it. Three bedrooms downstairs and the master upstairs, loft style. I’ve always loved this apartment. I loved living here before Papa passed away. I feel so stupid saying that now. Men are liars. All of them.
“True!” Betty calls out. “Well, we may as well since you’re also childless until tomorrow too.”
The elevator doors part open and Jade steps out, wearing a little red dress and black heels. Behind her is Poppy, who has her hair pulled up into a tight pony, and behind her—Sloane. Her blonde hair is left wild over her shoulders, her blue eyes bright. I went big with my makeup tonight. Smoked-out eyes with sharp wings, beige lips, and deep bronzer and foundation. I am out for a good time, not a long time, so may as well look good doing it.
Jade wraps her arms around me. “You look hot!”
Poppy squeezes my waist. “Are you okay? I heard Wicked lost his utter shit at you the other day.”
I shrug, sliding the glasses over the black marble counter. “Just like old times.”
Poppy giggles, swooping up the glass and sitting on one of the barstools beside Sloane, who is still staring at me.
“Ahhh! I’ve heard so much about you two—” Betty saunters in behind me, running up to Poppy to give her a hug. “Hey, kid. Long time…”
Jade and Sloane say hello to Betty, who ignores Sloane. I know she’s being a good friend, and part of her doing that is waiting for Sloane and me to talk. She’s following my lead.
“Look,” Sloane breathes out. “Jade is my best friend and I don’t want this to be weird, so can we put everything out on the table.”
I take a small sip of 42. “Sure.” I’ve dealt with men three times her size and had guns pointed at my head, knives grazed over my skin. She doesn’t scare me one bit, but bless her for thinking so.
Sloane tucks her hair behind her ear. “It’s true, I am seeing Wicked.”
I blink slowly, the corner of my mouth curving in a small smirk.
“What’s funny?” She catches my smirk, her eyes narrowing.
“Ahh…” Jade grabs her by the arm.
I shake my head at Jade before going back to Sloane. “It’s just amusing to me that you think you’re seeing him.”
“Why?” Sloane whips her head back, clearly offended. “I get you have the whole badass, sexy vixen, mafia bitch thing going on, but I have been sleeping with him for years now.”
“Umm—” Poppy interferes, but I shake my head slightly at her.
“It’s amusing, Sloane, because I’ll tell you why.”
“Oh God,” Poppy murmurs in tune with Betty.
I lower my drink to the counter, resting my eyes on Sloane. I want to watch her squirm when the words leave my mouth. “When you have his attention, and I mean all of it, you’ll know, because with Wicked, he needs to own you. All of you. Every animalistic tendency that man has comes out to play when he’s fucking you. He fucks you to own you, not to sleep with you.” I pause when I notice her mouth slightly part. “That’s how I know. You may think you own him, honey, but he takes no ownership of you, and judging by the fact that you have not one single bruise on your body, or scar, or even marks around your throat, that tells me that not only does he not claim you—” I feel a pang of guilt when her eyes fall to the counter. “But neither does the monster that lives inside of him. The monster I know.”
Silence falls around us and I look to Jade whose lips are curled behind her teeth.
Sloane grabs the glass that I filled for her, shooting it back. I wait for her to answer, and how she answers is going to tell me whether or not either of us can move on. “I already knew.”
Jade sighs, her shoulders relaxing.
“God, I don’t know. I just—I got caught up. I am caught up—” Her eyes catch mine. “I’m not blind or stupid. I see what you both have, but make no mistake, I owe you no loyalty. If that man grabs me and wants to use me to get you jealous, I’ll fall to him straight away.”