Page 31 of Dirty Padraig: Dirty Dusters

“Well, you’ve certainly changed, Jaine.” He pulls me in for a hug, and I return his embrace. “Where’s the tank and combats?”

“Where’s the tank and shorts?” I quip back. “How have you been?”

He grins broadly at my question. “Taking London by storm, but then you’ll have done your homework in advance, so I’m sure you’re already aware of what I’ve been up to in my business life.”

I chuckle because he’s right. “Senior partner at Crown and Temple and currently vying for the CEO position. You’ve obviously been dedicated to your craft since leaving school.”

“Not as dedicated as you, it would seem. Your name is above the door of one of the most prestigious legal firms stateside, and if that wasn’t enough, you’ve only gone and added an accountancy string to your bow. I think we would all have to agree that you’ve been the most successful out of all of us who managed to graduate.”

I accept a flute of sparking water from one of the passing waiters. “It depends on how you measure success. Most went on to work for family organizations, as you know, and there aren’t many who would wish to interact with the majority of my clients, let alone take their chances by agreeing to represent them on a legal playing field.”

He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Yes, you managed to keep your background well and truly hidden, didn’t you? Paddy the Irish mobster, and Jaine the outlaw biker. It’s no wonder you two were so well matched.”

I smile politely. “We weren’t that well-suited given what happened.” I raise my hand to take a sip of water. As I do he glances at the vulgar engagement ring Eoin insists I wear. “But that’s a story for another time, perhaps,” I cut the conversation short when I notice the girl partially responsible for my heart being broken that third time.

Brittany Mason.

It takes two to tango. She was the female who willingly spread her legs for Irish while he was with me. It’s like déjà vu. She hasn’t changed. She even has Skylar Knox by her side, and still hanging on her every word.

A plethora of emotions run through me, none of which are positive, but I show nothing outwardly. There’s no point. Time has moved on. It was twelve years ago now.

A lifetime.

None of us can change what happened in the past, no matter how much we may wish to.

I observe the pair as they make their way over. Black seems to be the color of the evening. Like me, Brittany and Skylar are also dressed head to toe in black. Brittany in a sequin gown, Skylar in a simple skater-style dress.

Is it a reunion or a funeral?

I guess there’s an element of the latter, as I suspect Brittany’s about to attempt to bury the hatchet.

When they reach us, Fletch snakes his arm around Skylar’s waist. Has the reunion seen them pick up where they left off, or is this something else? It’s then I notice the sparkling engagement ring on her finger.

“You remember Skylar, don’t you, Jaine?”

I smile warmly at the blonde. Her eyes scan me from head to toe, but not in the bitchy way they did back then.

“It’s good to see you again, Skylar.” She smiles, and it’s sincere. “Are congratulations in order?” I look at the ring and then between them both.

She smiles up at Fletch, her face glowing with happiness.

“Yes.” She beams at me. “It’s part of the reason we’ve flown in. So Cody could ask my daddy for my hand.”

I’m pleased for her. She was obsessed with Fletch back then, and all he did was use her mouth as a convenient receptacle for his cum in between fucking his way through a long line of other girls.

Not that they were an item back then so I guess Skylar knew what she was signing herself up for. I’m not sure I could have been with someone who treated me like a cum slut, but I guess we’re all different.

I finally turn to look ather.

“It’s good to see you, Brittany.” It’s a lie, obviously. It’s not good to see her. She changed the course of my life when she willingly spread her legs, although the fact remains that Irish is still the one who cheated.

“Is it?”

I frown inwardly at her response, but her face gives nothing away. Up close, it’s clear that she hasn’t aged quite as well as Skylar, but she’s still extremely beautiful. I can see what Padraig saw in her.

She looks so much like Emilia. It’s like God was trying to punish me twice over with the same goddamn girl.

“Can I have a word in private, please, Jaine?”

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