Page 17 of Tame Me

My martini arrived, and I sipped the liquid courage, slowly waiting for the perfect moment to approach my old friends.

It came barely two sips later when the group of girls burst out laughing. I turned and made a show of looking at who was having so much fun in the corner.

When Vikki caught my eye I waved, stood up, grabbed my martini, and headed in their direction.

As a whisper broke out between them, I stuck my chest out, sucked my tummy in, and strode across the wooden floor as if it were a Paris Fashion runway.

“Hello, ladies.” A couple of them had confused looks on their faces, maybe pretending not to know who I was, so I flicked my hair back as if doing a big reveal. “It’s me. Jane Nichols.”

Five sets of eyes flicked over my body. This moment had been nearly four years in the making, and every second was pure gold.

“Jane, how lovely to see you again.” Nicole was the first to stand. She stepped toward me, and we kissed each other’s cheeks.

Three of the other four women followed Nicole’s lead. Chelsea-Lea, however, continued to rock her baby in her arms, declining to stand. The child was dressed head to toe in shades of blue and had dark curly hair and chubby red cheeks. Her little boy looked nothing like her.

When the women sat again, I lowered my eyes to Chelsea-Lea. “You and Alexander must be so happy.”

Straight for the jugular.

The other four women all dropped their jaws to resemble clowns at a cheesy sideshow game.

Chelsea-Lea cleared her throat. “Xander and I broke up months ago.”

“Oh, I hadn’t heard. That’s a shame.” I loaded my words with sarcasm.

I bent over, getting a better look at the baby. “Wow, he looks so much like Alexander,” I said, even though the baby bore no resemblance to him at all.

Chelsea-Lea squirmed and clenched, then unclenched her jaw, and the other four women were a combination of bulging eyes and gaping mouths.

Enjoying Chelsea-Lea’s obvious discomfort, I sipped my martini and then smiled a cute, unassuming smile at the other ladies as I awaited her response.

“Xander isn’t the father.” Chelsea-Lea finally broke the silence.

“Oh, really? Who is?”

The rash on her neck multiplied before my eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re right!” I cocked my head. “Just like Alexander was none of your business when I was engaged to him.”

Chelsea-Lea shot me a death stare, then she handed her baby over to Nicole and launched to her feet. With her hands on her abundant hips, she squared off at me.

I casually sipped my cocktail, however, my insides curled as tight as a metal spring.

“Alexander never loved you.” She scrunched her face, making her even more unattractive.

I tilted my head, making a show of running my eyes over her plump body. “I know,” I said with the lack of indifference it deserved. “He never loved you either!”

She stepped toward me, and I held my palm in her face. “Before you think of doing anything stupid, I must warn you I’m a green belt in karate, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

The four ladies in the peanut gallery gasped.

Chelsea-Lea, however, took a tentative step forward, her jaw clenched. “You don’t belong here anymore.”

I nodded. “At least you and I agree on one thing.” I glanced around her. “Nice to see you again, ladies.”

With one final sip of my martini, I placed the glass down, then I calmly eyeballed Chelsea-Lea. “Love what you’ve done to yourself.”

She lashed out, her clenched fist aimed straight for my nose, but I gripped her hand in mine and bent it back until she fell to her knees, screaming.

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