Page 40 of Bounty
“Oh, girl, I saw you and that model earlier.” Leah wiggled her dark eyebrows and broached a subject I’d rather ignore, especially as I chowed down on my third delicious sandwich. “Y’alls discussion was mighty heated. What’s the tea?”
And just like that, my annoyance returned.
“Just a disagreement.” I finished my sandwich and debated what to do with the remaining two.
The mere mention of Slice destroyed my appetite. I couldn’t getoneraggedy man and Ophelia what’s her face had two. I’d heard about throuples, but I never actually met such a trio. They seemed genuinely happy, even if Cash was an asshole. I wondered what he did for a living. Certainly, if hewasGeorgie Mason’s brother, a Google search would provide answers.
By deduction, I reasoned his name was Cash McCall, since Mason was Georgie’s married name, and he’d mentioned both.
“A disagreement?”
“Yep.”
“Not. Spill, girl.”
“Nothing to spill.”
Leah snorted. “Sounded like you and that biker had a lover’s quarrel.”
“Nope. Just had a disagreement.” That was my story and I’d stick to it.
“Really?” Mom swept into the breakroom. “You and Slice had a disagreement?” She looked between me and Leah, who must’ve sensed the energy shift because she hurried the hell out. “What about?”
I blinked, wondering how long Mom had been lurking in the shadows like fucking Batman, eavesdropping on myconversation. Nothing of essence was said, but it was the principle.
“He didn’t like a picture I took of him.”
The lie came easily. As the youngest daughter, I was babied to the point of suffocation. The skill of lying was a crucial one if I wanted even a little freedom.
Her eyes narrowed. “Slice doesn’t seem like the vain type.”
“He’s literally a model. They’re all vain.”
“You know better than to stereotype an entire group, Effie Monroe.”
“How long had you been listening?” I demanded, wondering if she’d followed me to the breakroom, and for some God-forsaken reason, decided not to alert me to her presence.
“Drop the tone, Effie,” she snapped, stepping closer to me. It took a lot to get her angry, but when she was, everyone in her vicinity suffered. “Whatever you’re hiding is safe, but I want to know what it is.”
Oh, so that’s why she followed me. She was taking a page from Slice’s book and cornering me for verbal harassment.
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“I beg to differ.”
“That isn’t my problem.”
If looks could kill, I’d be a smoldering pile of ash.
“You know what I think?” she started, continuing before I answered her rhetorical question. “I think you’re sweet on Slice, and you’re bitter that IknowCassie is better for him. I didn’t see it before—I don’t know how—but I do now.”
Well, fuck. Color me surprised; she was spot on. Thankfully, she was missing core parts of the story. If she was so worked up over me having a simple crush on Slice, she’d implode if she knew all we’d done.
“So, you’re mad because I might have a crush?” I asked, proud of how uninterested I sounded. I couldn’t let her know how accurate she was.
“No, I’m mad because I think you hit on him. You have your ass on your shoulders because he rejected you, so you didn’t get the expected results from your little stunt. Shame on you for trying to ruin your sister’s happiness.”
“Shame on you for trying to control everyone’s life,” I bit out, the words escaping before I stopped myself. “I’m a grown woman, just like Slice is a grown man with free will, so what happens between me and him isn’t your business.”
