Page 101 of Succeeding Love

Nick must have realized how over the edge I was, because that drunken smile left his face and he fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket.

When he placed it in my hands, I dug out a few twenties, then found his valet ticket in the front sleeve. I took the hundreds from the attendant’s hands and replaced them with the twenties.

“I’ll handle getting this jerk home. Just get me his key.”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded, then walked hurriedly to the foyer.

I then stomped over to Mr. Stevens and pushed the bills against his chest. “Wave your money at someone else.”

He lifted a brow, looking amused. “I understand your frustration, but he’s excessively intoxicated, and you’re just a snack of a woman,” Mr. Stevens eyed me up and down.

Vin made a noise that was as feral as he claimed to be, but I was getting pretty worked up myself. I was in mom-mode, which was just as scary and way more effective.

“Yourwifewas excessively intoxicated too, but I still somehow doubt she would appreciate you sizing up another woman or calling her a snack. Why don’t you quit staring at my breasts and go take care of her?”

Mr. Stevens’ eyes narrowed on me, but then he pursed his lips and nodded, turning to go back into the event hall. I gave the same icy stare to the others loitering at the entrance, watching the show, and many of them turned to return to their seats, too.

“Ma’am,” the attendant from before came back with Nick’s car keys. “The car is waiting for you.”

“Good,” I tried to smile appreciatively at him, but my heart wasn’t in it.

I turned towards Nick, snapping my fingers. “Up. Now. We’re getting you home.”

“Who’s getting him home?” Vin asked loudly.

“I am.” I turned my stony stare on him. “If you have a problem with that, you can stay here too. If not, get your keys and follow me. I’ll need a right back when I’m done.”

He looked like he was about to argue, but something in my expression stopped him. “Fine,” Vin snapped, pulling his arm out of the first guard’s grip.

“You two, help me get him outside and into the car.” I looked pointedly at the guards until they moved. They hurried to either side of Nick, guiding his drunken steps out of the doors and down the steps. I followed behind, and Vin was right beside me, seething. I knew he had a lot to say just by the set of his jaw, but so did I.

“This is not fucking okay, Feighlynn,” was all he uttered between clenched teeth.

I scoffed, “No, it’s not. I will not cause more of a scene here. We’ll talk on the drive to my house.”

He went silent after that, and so did I. I didn’t want to fight, and I knew a fight was coming. Just not yet.

This entire situation was a freaking nightmare, and I would not let it get any worse.

Empty Words

Vin

I watched on, leaning on the hood of my car as Lynn guided her drunk ass ex to the front door of his building. She wouldn’t let me help, giving me a nasty fucking look when I tried.

Thankfully, the doorman seemed to catch sight of her and rushed to open the door before she had to figure out the door code to get in. The doorman opened the door and helped drag Nick through it right as Preston came rushing from the elevator.

“Fucking pathetic,” I sneered, feeling the need to punch someone more than ever.

If it wasn’t for that look Lynn gave me when she told me to stay the fuck out of it, I wouldn’t have so easily let her go upstairs to that bastard’s apartment on her own.

Preston looked disgusted with his dad, and I felt a little better knowing he wouldn’t let the bastard disrespect his mother more than he already had. Then this sinking feeling made my heart drop to my gut.

Nick wasn’t the one Lynn was pissed at right now. It was me.

My stomach still twists imagining that expression on Lynn’s face when she had reached her limit.

“You knocked your lady to the ground, Mr. Trude. Pull yourself together,” Ivan had hissed at me after yanking me back from that fucker. I thought Ivan was exaggerating, saying whatever to calm the situation. In the red haze that fell over me, hearing that the prick had followed her to the bathroom and forced himself on her, I wasn’t really paying much attention to anything else. All I could see was his drunk, arrogant face as the urge to punch it in came over me.

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