Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104403 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“If you’re here to yell at me about Saint, you can save it. Nothing fucking happened. He was the perfect little Saint when he dropped me off at my house, and I haven’t talked to him since.”
“No.” Beth waved away the statement. “That’s not… shit, this is kinda awkward. Um, okay, that guy you were just with? That was Demo, right?”
Melody gasped. “Are you fucking spying on me?”
“What?” Her eyes bugged. “No. No, definitely not. You walked past my… I mean, I leased…” She shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. I’m not spying, I just happened to see you with that guy.”
“And? What, you want him too?”
“No. No.” This was not going well. “That’s not what I’m saying. Melody, he’s not a good guy. I don’t know what he’s told you about himself, but he’s dangerous.”
“Oh, come on. Seriously? You do know who your father is, right? And the guy you’re fucking? You know his role in the club, right?” She laughed, a nasty sound of suspicion.
“What? I’m not…” Beth blinked and jerked back as though slapped. Then she took a cleansing breath.
Melody didn’t know anything about her and Saint. She was trying to get under Beth’s skin. That’s all. “None of that is the point. That guy is causing a lot of trouble for the club. Mel, I’m worried he sought you out on purpose. I’m worried you’re not safe.”
“Wow, you really are a piece of work. What’s the matter? Is Saint not interested in you, so you’re gonna go after another man I want? Princess Beth can’t be happy unless all the men want her?”
“What? No, that’s absurd. I’m literally telling you I’m worried for your safety.”
“It’s pathetic, really.”
Beth threw her hands in the air and huffed in exasperation. “Will you just listen to me? I’m trying to help you.”
“Fuck you. I don’t need your help.” Melody lunged closer, practically snarling.
For a moment, Beth wondered if she was about to get into her first physical fight right there on the sidewalk in the middle of town.
“Don’t mess with me, Beth. I know everyone in the club thinks the sun shines out of your ass, but not me. I’m on to you. You’re nothing but a conniving bitch with daddy issues who wants to fuck as many men as you can under his nose.”
Beth’s jaw dropped as she staggered back a step. Melody might as well have slapped her across the face with the vitriol she spewed. The words burrowed under her skin like parasites.
Daddy issues. Conniving bitch.
Did others see her the same way? Would they think that she was using Saint to rebel? That she was playing games to mess with her father? No. That was absurd.
She’d never worried about such a thing before and wouldn’t start now. It was merely Melody grasping at straws and trying to stir up drama.
“That’s not…” She shook her head. “I…” How did she respond to that?
Melody’s lips curved in a victorious smile. “Wonder what will happen if Daddy finds out what his precious princess is really like. I think he’ll be very interested to know you’ve been fucking Saint for the past month.”
She wouldn’t. Beth fought to keep her face neutral. For all she knew, Melody was fishing. No way could she know for sure Beth had been seeing Saint. Still, Beth’s stomach soured.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Melody said when Beth didn’t respond. “Stay the fuck away from me, and if I see you anywhere near my man, I’ll rip your fucking hair out.” Mel turned and strutted up the sidewalk, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she went.
Beth sagged as she let out a long breath. That did not go as planned. Not that she’d formulated a plan. She tore out of her salon without a damn thought.
“Fuck,” she whispered. Now she’d have to tell Saint and probably others in the club about Melody’s connection to Demo. She’d be banned from coming around, and as much as Beth disliked Melody, she knew how important the club was to the other woman.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
She walked back to the soon-to-be salon with a pit in her stomach. How could she handle this in the best way? If she told her father and he confronted Melody, would Melody spill her suspicions about Beth and Saint? She probably wouldn’t be receptive to talking to Saint either. Maybe Gator could talk some sense into her.
A bit of tension eased in her stomach. That could work. Gator could give it a day or two, then claim he saw Melody with Demo and had concerns about her safety. As soon as she got to the clubhouse, she’d run the idea by him.
After returning to the salon, she emptied the bucket of soapy water, took a final inventory of what still needed cleaning, and locked up.
Twenty minutes later, she parked at the clubhouse and pulled out her phone to text Saint.