Page 4 of Black Lace

My blood runs cold because I know how much Tiff relies on Milton Carter and how hard she works for him at Carter Group. I’m so proud of how she’s built on her grandfather’s legacy, ensuring that the multi-billion dollar business has stayed at the top of its industry.

“Ben’s probably in the bathroom or something. I’ll go look for him and let him know.”

Daisy nods as she pulls out her phone, probably to text Jazz, and I head toward a bathroom where I’ve seen Ben snorting drugs more times than I can count. He’s not there, so I search the bar and check the VIP area again.

I’m on my third sweep of the club when I find him. My stomach drops as I catch sight of him in a dark corner on the second floor of the club. He’s sitting in an armchair with Ashley Kirkpatrick straddling him, their mouths are connected, and her arms are wrapped around his neck. One of his hands is up her shirt, clearly wrapped around her breast.

I halt at the sight, blinking for a few seconds before my entire vision is clouded by rage. I growl as I storm toward them, intending to rip Ashley off him so I can punch his smug face. I’m only ten feet away when I stop again, as I remember Tiff.

This is going to break her.

How do I tell her this? I can’t watch her heart be torn to pieces in front of me. I don’t want the knowledge that I now have. What if he lies and says he didn’t do it? I pull my phone out of my pocket and snap a picture of the two of them before I continue toward them.

My momentary pause has abated my rage, but my anger is still boiling, and I know I can snap any second.

“What thefuckare you doing?” I snarl when I reach them.

Ben pulls away from Ashley and stares, glassy-eyed, at me. She has the same vacant stare that tells me they’re both off their faces right now.

He turns to look at Ashley and grins. “Fucking this sexy bitch.”

“Mmm, yes,” she says, moaning as she grinds herself on him.

His pants are still on, so they probably haven’t fucked yet. “Ben, you need to stop. You can’t cheat on Tiff.”

“What? No. It’s fine, Dec.”

I grab Ashley’s arm and try pulling her off Ben, but she yanks it away. “Fuck off!”

“You need to fucking stop,” I growl.

“Get fucked, Dec!” Ben pulls Ashley further away from me.

“Is there a problem here?” a deep voice says behind me.

I turn to see two security guards in suits, looking more than ready to haul me out of the club. I’ve been kicked out of places enough times to recognize the signs.

“He grabbed me,” Ashley accuses as she flips me the bird. “Asshole.”

One of the security guards grabs my arm, and I yank it out of his grasp. “Fuck off. I’m leaving anyway.”

They follow me all the way to the entrance of the club, so I don’t even get a chance to tell Daisy I’ve gone. I order a car to take me back to my townhouse, and as soon as I’m in the vehicle, I pull out my phone to text her. At once, I’m greeted with the picture of Ben and Ashley, and I blow out a breath of air, the reality of what just happened finally sinking in.

It seemed like they were more than happy to fuck right there in the club, and I feel sick thinking of Tiff getting cheated on while she’s at the hospital with her grandfather. I quickly send a text to Daisy.

Dec: Got kicked out. I’m headed home. Let me know if you hear from Tiff or Jazz.

It isn’t long before she replies.

Daisy: WTF?! Why were you kicked out? You weren’t even drunk.

Trust Daisy to immediately ask a question I can’treally answer right now. There’s no way I can explain what happened without telling her about Ben, and I need to figure out how to tell Tiff first.

Dec: Got into a fight with an asshole. No big deal. Just make sure you let me know if you hear from the girls.

Luckily, she accepts this answer and agrees to let me know. I try calling Tiff, but she doesn’t answer, so I head to the kitchen and grab some beer and chips. I turn on the TV and watch whatever comes on, eventually passing out in the early hours of the morning.

When I wake up, I’m groggy, and my head hurts. I feel sick, but not so bad that I think I’ll puke. Memories from last night come flooding back, and I snatch up my phone. There’s a missed call from Tiff, and a text from Daisy telling me that Tiff and Jazz’s grandfather is out of surgery, but nothing from Ben.

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