Page 278 of Hate Mates

His frown deepens as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Sorry to disappoint but I don’t fuck for a bet.”

My eyes narrow, but I crack a smile, confusing Mickey more. “Well, that does surprise me,” I say, slanting a blatant look to the girl beside him. Continuing before he can respond, I say, “But I was thinking more of a little real estate wager.”

Priest cheers beside me while Fletch rubs his hands together gleefully. I know there’s a property my father owns that Kurt Rawlins has been desperate to acquire. Any other time I wouldn’t dream of waging one of my father’s properties, but I’ve never played poker with these guys before, which means they have no clue how good I am.

I have absolutely no fucking intention of losing this bet. Not only will I win and revel in it, but I’ll thoroughly enjoy seeing Mickey stripped of his last item of clothing.

Without any mention of which property I’m talking about, Mickey agrees. He knows exactly what’s at stake here.

Priest deals, but as Mickey reaches for his hand, I stop him. “Er…just the small detail of what you’ll give me if I win to clear up.”

Mickey’s hand hovers over his cards on the table as he looks up at me. “Ifyou win, I’ll give you the Mayfair apartment.”

Priest whistles. “Fuck, Mickey. That’s worth two mil.”

“Deal,” I say quickly, offering him my hand before he changes his mind now Priest has pointed out just how much it’s worth. The satisfaction grows when he takes it, shaking firmly and sealing our bet. The Mayfair apartment is not only a sought-after property with an expensive price tag, its Mickey’s home.

Chapter Five

MICKEY

Roni holds my gaze as she slowly lays her cards down on the table. Priest and Fletch curse telling me all I need to know. I just lost to Roni Hart. I just lost my fucking home to Roni Hart.

Fuck!

She claps her hands and leans back in her seat, crossing her legs. “Straight flush. Now if you don’t mind…” she says, waving a finger in the direction of my boxers.

I push to my feet as Priest and Fletch whoop and holler. “No fucking way!” I grit out, my jaw clenched so tight the muscles spasm in protest. “You cheating bitch.”

Priest grabs me as I move to get to her. “Whoa, whoa,” he says, holding me back.

Fletch moves toward Roni as she climbs to her feet. “I think it’s time for you to go,” he tells her, picking up her discarded top and shoes and grabbing her arm to guide her out.

Her smug smile is like a fucking red rag to a bull, and I snort, pointing a finger in her direction. “Fucking cheat. Like father, like daughter. You’ll pay for this, Veronica! I’ll make you fucking pay.”

She yanks out of Fletch’s hold and pulls her top on, then snatches her shoes from him. “I know where the door is.” Pausing at the front door, she turns. “Oh, don’t worry about the boxers. Once you’ve seen one cock…well, you know the rest. You’ve got forty-eight hours to vacate my apartment. Enjoy the rest of your night, gentlemen.”

I shove out of Priest’s hold and grab the nearest bottle from the table, then throw it in the direction of the front door. It hits as the door closes, shattering into a thousand pieces.

“Fucking hell!” I roar, gripping my hair and pacing up and down. My father is going to fucking kill me. With that thought, lights from the drive spill through the window. I spin, seeking out my clothes. Snatching up my jeans, I tug them on hopping from foot to foot, then shove my feet in my shoes and snatch a set of keys from the table before heading for the door.

“Hey, they’re my fucking keys! Mickey, where the fuck you going, man?”

“To get my fucking apartment back!”

I storm out the house just as break lights fade into the distance. Running over to Priest’s car, I unlock it and jump inside. Spraying gravel and dust as I reverse and peel off after Roni.

If she thinks I’m giving up my house after she fucking cheated, she obviously doesn’t know us Rawlinses well. I hit the accelerator hard, shifting through the gears as I race after her. Priest might just beat my father to end my life if I damage his precious beemer. But right now my focus is solely on the infuriating woman ahead of me.

I slap a hand on the horn, holding it down, as she comes into view. She speeds up and I flick my full beam on and off, blinding her in her rearview mirror.

I’ve no damn idea what I’m going to do once I get her to stop, if she even does. Showing no sign of stopping, Roni rounds thebend up ahead, and I push the car harder to catch up, rounding the bend a minute behind her. I toot the horn again, flashing my lights several times before leaving my full beam on and hampering my own view in the process.

There’s a screech of brakes and the skidding of tyres on the road as Roni’s car spins out. I slam my brakes on, stopping less than a foot from the passenger side of her car, which is now at a standstill horizontally across the middle of the road.

Flinging the car door open, I’m greeted with a high-pitched yell as I climb out.

“What the actual fuck, Mickey! Have you lost your fucking mind?” Roni shouts as she marches toward me.

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