Page 114 of Dirty Dix

“Can I have a word with you?” she asks while Madison spins around to face her.

“Why?” she angrily questions. “You have no business speaking to him.”

“It’s fine, Madison,” I quickly say, slowly turning around and meeting the eyes of Satan herself.

“In private,” Juliet adds with a smirk, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Absolutely not!” Madison snarls, storming forward, but I latch onto her bicep to stop her rampage. “Dixon?” she says, the horror painting her face as she looks at me over her shoulder.

“It’s fine. Whatever she has to say will never change the way I feel about you. Go downstairs and wait for me, okay? I promise, I won’t be long,” I assure her. “Trust me?”

“Of course I do,” she whispers, and her honesty touches me in a way I never thought possible.

The thought of losing Madison tears a huge, gaping hole in my chest. Juliet now has the power to decide my fate, and I can only hope she shows me some mercy when she makes her decision.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs,” Madison unhappily states, her lower lip trembling.

“Angelo,” I say as she turns to leave.

She spins around to face me, and I can see the hope behind her eyes that I’ve changed my mind. I wish I could, but I can’t. My hands are chained, and Juliet is the holder of the key.

Madison waits for me to say something, anything, but I can’t. There are no words to express how sorry I am. So I let my actions speak for me. In two strides, I’m on her, wrapping my arms around her in a near-suffocating embrace and lowering my hungry mouth to hers. She kisses me back with as much enthusiasm, both of us needing to prove a point to Juliet. She may have the upper hand, but what Madison and I have is real, and it’ll take a lot more than a scorned bitch like her to break what we have.

I’m the one to break our kiss, and Madison protests, her plump lower lip dipping into an adorable pout.

“Just giving you a taste of what’s to come,” I whisper, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you soon.”

Madison nods, her eyes filled with concern, but she turns and leaves me alone with the Antichrist in heels.

“What do you want?” I hiss the moment Madison enters the elevator.

“Is that any way to talk to family?” Juliet sarcastically replies.

“You arenotmy family,” I sneer, as she doesn’t know the first thing about kin.

“Whatever, I don’t have time for chitchat.” She gives a small wave to an elderly couple as they walk past us, appearing unaffected by this fucked-up situation.

“Then get to the point,” I snap, loosening my tie.

“Ooh, you were always so demanding,” she says, a wicked smile passing over her sinful lips. “I’m sure you remember. Or does your memory need refreshing?”

She runs a fingernail down my shoulder while I swat her hand away, not caring if anyone sees me. “Donottouch me. You want to talk, then talk. I’m running out of time and patience.”

“You better be nice to me, Dixon. I mean, we share a secret that only you and I know about.” She cups her belly.

“That baby isnotmine,” I whisper, my eyes dropping to her bump in disgust.

“How do you know? Do you need reminding of all the dirty, disgusting ways you fucked me without protection?” she whispers, stepping close while I take a step back. “Maybe if you hadn’t been so mean to me when I saw you last, this wouldn’t be so awkward. I can’t believe thatshewas your sleepover buddy. How sad for you.”

“What do you want?” I repeat, not in the mood for games.

“I won’t tell anyone about us,” she says, which surprises me.

“What’s the catch?” I ask, knowing someone like Juliet doesn’t do anything unless it benefits her.

“No catch, but I may just call in a favor every now and then.”

“What kind of favor?” I ask, clenching my jaw, unsure where this conversation is going.

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