Page 7 of Cruel Revenge

Groans form a chorus as girls in tiny dresses stop dancing and take shots instead.

Grady takes another sip of his bourbon. “Emily has a way of getting what she wants. So do I.”

“And what you want is for me to marry your daughter, who barely knows me, and for us to spend the rest of our lives together, even though we don’t know if we’re compatible or not? Grady, you have to see that Emily deserves better than that.”

I’m running out of things to say to change his mind, and I know it.

Emily is nothing but a spoiled brat who wouldn’t be able to hold her own in the real world. Even if I did want to get married, she would be the last woman I ever thought about proposing to.

I don’t have time to deal with her childish needs and behaviors. I would rather stick my head in boiling oil than put up with her for any period of time.

Someone waiting for me at home at the end of the day, as nice as it sounds, is just a dream, a fantasy.

And as realities go, if that someone was Emily, I’d rather be homeless.

Grady eyes me, his mouth pressing into a thinner line and a crease forming between his eyebrows. “I’m starting to think you don’t want this partnership to work out, Joshua. And if that’s the case, you should tell me now. I’d be more than happy to end it and find someone else who wants billions of dollars in cocaine shipments a year.”

“It’s not that.” I can’t lose him as a supplier, but I’ll die before I take Emily as my wife.

He’ll never accept that. Unless…

“I’m already married.”

He scoffs, shaking his head, and leans back in his seat as he takes another sip of his drink.

Pink strobe lights flash across his face, casting harsh shadows as he studies me.

It’s like he’s trying to see through me, and all I can do is hope that he’s not having any luck with that.

“You’re married?” He chuckles like it’s entirely unbelievable. “After years of partnership, why wasn’t I invited to the wedding? I thought we meant more to each other than that, Joshua.”

“We eloped. She’s a private woman, doesn’t like to be in the spotlight.”

He strokes a hand over his mustache, smoothing away the drops of alcohol clinging to the hairs. “And when did you have this wedding?”

“Only a couple of weeks ago. It’s still pretty new, but we’re both happy.” I force a smile on my face before taking a slow sip of the bourbon and looking out over the dance floor.

If I could be out there finding someone to spend the night with instead of dealing with Grady, I would be having a much better night.

Someone to warm my bed, to relieve some of the stress the man in front of me seems bent on piling up, sounds pretty amazing. As long as they are gone in the morning.

I’m not a playboy, not by a long shot, but even I have needs. And marriage, kids, the picket fence… None of that is for me.

For a while, when I was a kid, I could picture it, my perfect life.

But when I became old enough to understand the world, life around me, I knew I’d never let myself be in a position to be that vulnerable to someone else. Especially, a woman.

I have trouble enough as it is keeping an eye out for my brother, I don’t need to add to that.

All life ever taught me was to trust no one but myself. And I’ll be damned if I ever let anyone own me or my heart.

His glance drops to my hand. “No ring?”

“She’s more of a matching tattoo kind of woman and unfortunately, my tattoo artist is overseas right now.”

Great. Now I’m going to have to get a tattoo before he comes back to town again.

But I’ve already got more tattoos than I can count, so one more shouldn’t matter, even if it is one that I had not counted on.

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