Page 1 of Jackass

Prologue

Little Rock, Arkansas

Five Years Ago

“Sam, what are you thinking? You can’t do this. He’ll kill you.”

“He will never know.”

Of course he’d know.

I was fooling myself, thinking I could deceive him that way, but it didn’t matter. I needed this.

“Sam, think about the consequences,” Carrie pleaded.

Carrie was my best friend. My voice of reason. She tried to talk me out of it. She’d tried to convince me to think about what could happen if I followed through with what I had planned.

What she didn’t realize was, I had already thought about it.

I had done nothing but think about it. This was what I wanted. This was somethinghecouldn’t give me.

I had given up everything for him. He would just have to accept this. Not that I had any intention of telling him what I had done. No one but Carrie and I would ever know the truth.

“Carrie, I love you.” Taking her hands in mine, I looked into her eyes, needing her to see my sincerity. Hoping she wouldn’t see the desperation lurking there too. “You need to be on my side here. I want this. I deserve this. He will never know because you and I will be the only two people who know.”

I stood, walked over and grabbed my jacket.

“And neither of us will ever say a word.”

I walked into the bar with one purpose.

Find a man to spend one night with.

I had one shot, and I needed it to work. It would take more courage than I had to try again next month.

Stepping up to the bar, I ordered a drink. Alcohol might not be the best idea, but given what I had planned, I needed a little liquid courage. Sitting on a stool, facing the bar, I tried to steel myself against my nerves.

Sipping my drink, I waited for him to arrive.

The wait wasn’t long.

A commotion at the door caught my attention.

They were here.

The Silver Shadows MC.

They were well-known in Little Rock. People feared them. But I had begun watching them.

When I made the decision to do what I was about to, Carrie and I had started hitting the bar in town. One I knew he would never go to. That was when I saw them, and I saw him. He was the one. It had to be him, there was never any question.

There appeared to be a dozen of them here tonight. My eyes grazed over the men, hoping the one I needed was here.

There he was.

My heart beat rapidly in my chest. My hands became damp, and I self-consciously rubbed them along my thighs.

I stood, holding my drink in my hand, and strutted across the room. My hips, encased in jeans that were a little tighter than I normally wore, swayed more than usual. The shirt I chose lay a little lower, enhancing my cleavage. The bright red, six-inch heels made a statement that I was here for one thing.

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