Page 25 of Outplayed

I clenched my fists and jaw. I took another step back, glaring at them. With a quick glance to Link, I saw him not watching the couple, but me. He winked at me before he shot his hand out to the woman. “Trisha, come meet Violet.” She’s not Travis’s woman? “Violet. This is my married sister, Trisha.”

I scoffed, rolled my eyes, glared at Link, and scoffed again. “Not sure why you’re adding married in there.” I nodded to Trisha. “Nice to meet you, but I have to get going.” I spun away.

“Violet,” I heard, in a sweet, giggly voice. “Your name’s pretty.”

Fuck me. Could I ignore the child? Would it be rude?

Yes. Yes, it would be.

Holding my sigh in, I turned back around and smiled. “Thank you. So is Izzy.” I waved. “Bye.”

“You should stay for dinner,” she added quickly.

Where was a gag when I needed one? Wait, it was wrong to gag kids, right? I was sure people would understand in this situation, one where I was trying to get away from her father, so I didn’t melt and cave because he had tapped my phones.

He was also a pimp.

He pimped women out for sex so he could get money.

Slowly turning, I caught sight of Trisha and Link smiling, while Travis was at least grinning down at the floor.

“Thank you for the offer, but I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I won’t be good company.” I waved again and managed another step.

“You can come another night. You have really pretty black hair. I wanna do your hair. Promise to wash my hands after dinner.”

“Ah….” Shit, I had nothing. Her eyes were drawing me in.

“You can’t say no to that cuteness,” Link said. I shot a glare his way. He and Trisha laughed. I glanced back to Izzy. Dear Jesus, she was batting her lashes.

“Um, maybe one day… sure.”

“Yay!” she screamed. “Tomorrow?”

“No, I have to—”

“The next day.”

“Ah, probably not.”

“The next?”

“We’ll see.”

“Yay! Daddy will ring you. Daddy, do you have Miss Violet’s number?”

This kid was switched on for her age… or maybe I just didn’t hang around children enough to know how smart and cunning they really were—something I would change soon, since I wanted to get to know my nephew, Cody, and even Zara’s girl, Maya.

I really felt like I was being played.

“I do. I’ll ring her, princess.”

She smooshed his cheeks together in her tiny hands and yelled once more, “Yay!”

It was adorable…. No, it wasn’t. “I’ve got to go. Nice meeting you, talk soon. Bye.” Before Izzy could suggest anything else, like a sleepover, I made a mad dash for my car, got in, waved lamely, and drove off.

I was certain I’d just been outplayed by a little girl.

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