Page 10 of The Bitterness of Venom

My phone buzzes and I glare at the tiny device.

B.M.: Once upon a time, my doll approached me.

Blaise: Once upon a time, the douche found a better hobby.

I shove the phone back into my pocket. Looking up in time to see Desmond glaring down at his phone before his eyes meet mine. He smirks. Typing rapidly without evenlooking at the screen. I pull the stupid buzzing thing out again.

B.M.: So, you don’t want to go to college?

I glare up at him before looking back down.

B.M.: Let’s try this again.

B.M.: Once upon a time, my doll crawled to me so everyone could see what a clingy, desperate slut she is.

Several things are wrong here, but the one that has me questioning everything is the way heat pools between my thighs.

My throat tightens, making it hard to swallow as I meet his glittering eyes. He whistles loudly and the music cuts. Everyone turning to see what’s going on. Taking a deep breath, I pocket my phone, before sliding to my hands and knees.

I’ll make him regret this.

Keeping my head up, eyes focused on his, I begin to crawl. I lower my gaze, giving the illusion that I’m hungry for him, when I’m really doing this for vengeance. I sway my hips, flipping my hair once as I get closer to him. When I meet the tips of his shoes, I lean back, sitting on my knees and resting my hands in my lap.

His jaw tics, but then he masks his expression quickly. He smirks and pats his lap. I have to bite back my snarl. I could make him disappear and no one would ever find him. Instead of voicing that, I rise, sitting on his lap and looking up at him as I wind my arms around his neck.

I can feel eyes on me. I’m embarrassed, who wouldn’t be? But I mask it along with the ache between my legs. I need to get my head checked.

“Take your shirt off.”

I stiffen.This motherfucker.I widen my eyes innocently. “What if I didn’t wear a bra?”

It’s his turn to stiffen, eyes darkening. “Did you?” he grits out.

I give him my sweetest laugh. “Of course.”

He raises a single eyebrow in awhat are you waiting for?Expression.

Sighing, I begin to slowly undo my buttons. Teasing the crowd with every inch I expose. I did wear a bra, but it’s totally see-through. Once the buttons are undone, I slowly let my shirt fall down my arms, dropping on his shoes. The crowd cheers, but Desmond looks like he might snap. Eyes dark, nostrils flaring as he takes me in. I send a wink over my shoulder to the roaring crowd. As I turn around to face him again, a big black hoodie is being slipped hastily over my head. And with confusion, I realize it’s Desmond’s.

He pushes me off his lap, my ass hitting the floor as laughter rings around me. I glare as he leans down, breath hot on my neck as he whispers, “Go the fuck home, Freckles.”

Gladly.

I stand with dignity, not even sparing him a glance as I grab my shirt. I meet Jasper’s wide eyes and wink at him, hoping he buys it. I make my way through the drunk crowd that has found something better to do than watch me.

Once I reach the fresh air outside, I finally take my first steady breath. I cannot believe he did that to me in front of everyone. I need to realize that boy-turned-man is not my hero from when I was a child. But it’s hard to separate the two. To disentangle the love and adoration I once felt for him.

Reaching into my back pocket, I pause as someone taps on my shoulder. If they think they’re here to get a repeat show, they’re mistaken. Spinning, I take a step back from the beautiful girl I saw earlier with Desmond and his friends. This close, I can see the honeycomb color of her eyes. The dark beauty mark on the apple of her right cheek.

“Can I help you?”

She smiles a tentative smile. “Jasper asked if I could give you a ride home.”

“That’s okay, I’m not a charity case. I can figure it out.”

“Look, what happened back there was epic proportions of fucked up, but I’m not here to judge or understand. I’m just trying to be a friend, if you need or simply want one.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Look…”

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