Page 69 of Power and Possession

“Fuck.”

“I stopped you.”

Thank god. The last thing I wanted was for Ashlynn to realize how bad this was for me. It was bad enough that I fell for her and she wouldn’t admit her feelings for me, but if I called her, drunk out of my mind and pining, I’d have absolutely no dignity left. At least when I said goodbye to her, I’d made it a clean break. I gave her what she needed, then hoped we couldboth move on.

But it was clear that it was going to take some time.

“Are you okay if I leave? I need to be back at the warehouse in France tonight for that large cigar shipment. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t choke to death on your own vomit.”

Part of me wished I had.

“You can go. Thanks…for being a friend.”

Cooper stopped walking and turned at my words. I’d never once acknowledged him as a friend.

“No problem, man.”

I knew I shouldn’t keep tabs on her, but I couldn’t help myself. I constantly opened up the app on my phone, watching her location move around the English countryside. Just seeing the flashing dot from her tracker made me feel connected. She stayed close to the house I’d bought her, only leaving to go to the market or the coffee shop. Based on the amount of time she spent in the coffee shop, I guessed that she was working there. I didn’t want her working, at least at a job that she didn’t enjoy, but she wasn’t my concern anymore.

But when her dot traveled into London one Saturday evening, and then into a club, I was down the stairs and out the door before I could even stop to think. Blood pounded in my ears as I drove, my car flying down the streets. I had no clue what I was going to do, but if she was with another man, I had to know. Maybe it would force me to move on, seeing her with someone else. Seeing her laugh and toss her beautiful hair, her white smile illuminated in the light. Something primitive dwelled within my chest, beastly and unchecked.

I knew exactly what I’d do. I’d tear him from limb to limb.

I didn’t even bother to stop my car when I pulled up to the club. I tossed my keys to the bouncer along with a hundred pound note. I had no clue if they offered valet parking, but I didn’t care.

The club was jam-packed and loud. Strobe lights were flashing everywhere, and I suddenly felt older than hell as I saw men and women drinking, dancing, and laughing all around me. The music pounded, the smell of cigarette smoke hit my nostrils, and the ground was sticky from spilled drinks. This was not my idea of a good time, and I had a hard time believing it was Ashlynn’s pick either.

A woman approached me as my eyes were scanning the crowd. “Looking for someone?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

“Yes,” I said, moving past her.

She followed me, and then put her hand on my arm. “Me?” She winked.

“Sorry, no,” I answered rudely, focusing on my main goal: find Ashlynn and make sure she wasn’t with anyone else.

The woman pouted and sauntered off, and I moved closer to the stage where the DJ was. People were bumping into me left and right. Someone even spilled a drink on my shoes, but I didn’t care. I was too determined.

When I spotted her, my heart stopped. She was standing with a group of women, her hair pulled up into a half ponytail with the ends cascading down her back. She was wearing a dress that was far too revealing in my opinion, in an environment like this where any man could look at her. Her hips swayed to the song, and she was smiling, but her gaze was far away, like she wasn’t really part of the crowd. However, from her movements, I could tell that she had already had too much to drink. One of the women she was with said something to her and she nodded, heading towards the bar with her. Like there was an invisible cord between us, I moved with her, following her to the corner where she and her friend sat.

She hadn’t seen me, but I could see her reflection in the mirror behind the bar. I moved in close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Did you see anyone you like?” her friend said, flipping her blonde hair off her shoulder. “I think you really need to get shagged.”

I wanted to throttle this woman. Whoever she was, I hated her.

“No,” Ashlynn said, as the bartender passed her a drink. She took a large gulp and then set the glass down. The light caught her hand as she moved it, and the ring I bought for her for our fake engagement sparkled and reflected the light.

She was wearing it on her left hand.

Holy hell. Maybe there was still hope for us after all. I felt my chest tighten in hope, but then at that exact same moment, a wave of dread hit my stomach and all the blood drained from my face.

A man, tall and handsome, sat next to her. He tapped her shoulder, flashing her a smile, and then said something quietly to her. I couldn’t make out what he said, but I saw her face blush slightly, saw the red creep down her neck. I knew Ashlynn intimately, and I knew whatever he’d said to her was flattering. He pointed to the dance floor, and she looked at her friend, who nodded emphatically. She still hesitated, but she let him grab her by the hand and pull her out into the throng of people, moving in sync with the music. They stood a couple of feet apart, Ashlynn looking uncertain, but then the man moved in and pulled her body close to his.

Her mouth opened in surprise, but he kept tightly ahold of her. I knew she was uncomfortable.

Before I knew what was happening, I had stalked over and punched him in the jaw.

The shock on Ashlynn’s face was enough to pull me out of my rage-fueled fury. The man stumbled backward, bumping into another group before slinking away into the shadows, where he belonged.

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