Page 8 of The Red-Hot Stakes

How do his hands even fit in there? And why am I noticing how tight his jeans are? Ugh, snap out of it. I yanked my focus back to his face.

“No problem. Anytime you need someone to piss you off so you ignore those big, bad needles, I’m your man.”

A smirk tilted my lips. “If only you’d known about the little one.”

His emerald eyes twinkled. “That’s the second joke you’ve made tonight. Careful, or I might think you actually like me.”

To my surprise, I couldn’t find it in me to contradict his words, so I said softly, “Night, Liam.” And I shut the door.

* * * *

“Gina?”

I woke up to Josh whispering my name and shaking my shoulder.

“Morning, sweetie. I thought you’d want to wish me luck before my audition.”

Blearily, I checked the clock. It was five a.m., and Josh was completely naked, waving his erect dick around like a flag.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Twelve stitches was nothing to sneeze at, and he hadn’t even asked how I was doing. “I’ve had less than four hours of sleep, and it was crappy sleep at that.” I held up my bandaged arm as proof.

“But it’s tradition.”

After reaching for the bottle of lotion on the end table, I shoved it into his chest. “I don’t give a fuck about tradition. You no-showed on me when I needed you last night. I pulled a double yesterday, I’m running on no sleep, and I have class in”—I paused to figure it out—“three hours. So go fuck yourself, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the phrase.” Then I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Mondays and Tuesdays were my main class days since the bar was closed. I tried to keep my Wednesday and Thursday work hours to a minimum, leaving me plenty of time for assignments. It wasn’t easy juggling my bar hours along with striving to earn my bachelor’s in business, but I managed.

My dream was to own a place like The High Five, to turn it into the hot spot of the area. Our little bar had so much potential. We had location, being so close to Southern Michigan University, where I went to college. And we had clientele from all the students. I’d approached Mr. Weston with several ideas on how to bring in people, like trivia or game night, but he always shut me down, preferring to stick with bland chili and karaoke.

I shook my head, tuning back into the lecture. Today’s lesson was especially fitting as the professor addressed workplace hazards and OSHA. I couldn’t help remembering Liam threatening Mr. Weston, and warmth spread through me. People didn’t defend me very often.

My Supply Chain Management course flew by. I was disappointed when I got to my final class of the day to find a note attached to the door saying it was canceled due to the professor being out sick. Sure enough, I checked my email, and there was an email from her confirming it. Market Analysis was my favorite. The professor was dynamic, with real life scenarios for us to learn from.

Debating what to do next, I checked to see if I’d missed anything from Josh as a pang of guilt hit me at the grumpy way I’d treated him this morning. Maybe I’d grab us a treat from the bakery and surprise him. We could spend the afternoon making up, and he could tell me about his audition. In the year and a half we’d been together, he’d only scored one leading role. Maybe this one would be his big break.

My arm chose that minute to throb, giving me another reason to go home—I could take my meds.

Half an hour later, I walked into my apartment, a bag of our favorite donuts in hand. I set them on the counter and, hearing noises from the bedroom, made my way there to surprise him.

He lay on his back, arms folded under his head as a buxom, naked blonde brushed her tits in his face. My jaw dropped, stunned at his audacity. Then a lump under the covers moved, and the sheets peeled back to reveal a deeply tanned, black-haired beauty wiping off her mouth.

Anger coursed through me as I folded my arms and cleared my throat.

Josh shot upright, yanking the sheet to his chest. “Gina! You were supposed to be in class.”

Indignation coursed through me. “And that gives you the right to have an orgy in our bed?”

The bathroom door swung open at that moment, and a long-haired man stepped out, completely nude, dick erect. His leer slid over me. “Well, hello there. Come to join the fun?”

I wrinkled my nose. That’s…unexpected. Josh leaped out of bed, taking the sheet with him. As if I haven’t seen him naked a million times before.

“Gina. I can explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” There was no salvaging this.

“It’s just, well, you work all the time. And go to class the other half of the time, and I have needs.” His lip jutted out as if I might possibly understand.

I scoffed. “So do I, Josh. I need a mature man who realizes I have responsibilities. And I need you to be gone at six tonight when I come get my things. Are we clear?”

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