Page 31 of Best Friend's Dirty Ex

It's Rico. He offers me a slight smile. “I was going to ask if you could come back to the club for a little bit. I need you to sign some paperwork. I know now might not be the best time, but it is important.”

I nod, feeling numb.

Inside the club, the music thuds down in my very soul and Rico offers me another shot. I swallow it, then sign the nondisclosure agreement on Rico’s tablet.

I don’t mind keeping my mouth shut about everything I’ve seen here. I read over everything just in case - I know better than to sign anything without reading - and Sandra rubs my back from the other side where she’s perched next to me.

“I’m sorry you’re going through this,” she whispers.

I shake my head, unable to tell her it’s not her fault and I don’t blame her.

“That’s the last one. Thank you,” Rico says. “I can send you e-copies, if you’d like.”

I shake my head. “No need, thank you.”

When I glance up, I see Troy watching, and I slip from the barstool and bolt. He gives chase and I begin racing through rooms, not wanting to face him or talk to him or hear his excuses. The colors begin to blur as I run and my passage doesn't even upset the people moaning, touching, sucking, and engaging in carnal behaviors.

The sights, sounds, and even smells turn me on, and I feel the moisture between my thighs sliding sexily as I run, but my lungs burn and the fear tickling through me has me on edge as I come to another door with a new color - green.

All at once a hand clamps down around my arm and I’m pulled to a stop. I look up into Troy’s eyes and he lets me go, lifting both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“You can hate me and I’ll even leave you alone moving forward, but please don’t go in there.” He swallows hard as he glances at the door we’re standing beside. “They’ll tear you apart.”

I swallow hard. “What’s in there?” I don’t want him to think he controls me.

“It’s an anything goes room. Anything.” The way he says the words sends a shiver down my spine and I take a step back.

“I’ll go, and I’ll leave you alone. Just... be careful, please.”

My heart thumps at his words, and I nod my head. He’s protecting me. When he has nothing to gain, he still protects me.

Maybe...

Maybe I need to not go there. He betrayed me and that’s all there is to it.

Chapter Sixteen

Troy

I can hear the raised voices and arguing before I ever get to her door. I hesitate for a second wondering if I should bother her. I'm only here to check in on her because she hasn't been to my office in days. While the workers are busting their backsides and things are getting done, it's still awful not having her around.

With my hand lifted to knock, I hesitate, listening to the words coming from the other side of the door. I don't recognize the male's voice as he speaks.

“I never abused you. When did I abuse you? Name one time I hit you.” The man’s voice grows in volume as he speaks.

In return, I hear Everly speak up, and she’s much calmer. “This. This is abuse, James. You're yelling at me. Abuse is a lot more than just hitting. It's all the gaslighting, It's all the lies. It's trying to control my life. It's sleeping with other women while keeping me on the back burner and not allowing me to sleep with other men because there's a double standard. Everything you've done to me has been abusive.”

I'm not really sure what I should do, whether I should try to bust in or just knock or listen or call the cops. It's an uncomfortable position to be in because I'm not sure I'm really her ally at this time. But I also don't like the thought of her facing an abusive ex by herself, especially one that might get physical.

“You're the one that hit me.” James lifts his voice to almost a screech. “See. Look at these scratches. They might scar. I could have called the cops on you for abusing me. I could have gotten you thrown in jail. I could have done whatever I wanted. But I didn't.”

His words have me furious and I feel my fist clenching at my side. The fact that he's threatening her right now when I know that there’s no way she’d hit him if she didn’t feel threatened makes me see red. And I also know that he’d tried to force his way in - she told me as much when she came to see me. She'd been afraid for her life, and now he’s trying to use her, defending herself as a way to threaten her.

“But, James, that's just more manipulation. You know that if you go to the cops and tell them that you were here in my home and I slapped you, that they're probably going to arrest you for violating the protective order.” She still sounds so calm and I’m proud of her resilience.

“Protective order or not, you can't just injure someone.” He sounds almost like a petulant child and I can feel that he's trying to get pity from her, but she stands her ground.

“Actually, I can. The protective order is in place because the judge agreed that you are a threat to my safety, which means that if you violate it, I am well within my rights to protect myself, the law’s on my side, no matter how delusional you might be about it. Now I'm going to ask you once, nicely, to leave.”

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