Page 14 of Dark Seduction

Mack and V, on the ground together, tangled up in a way that couldn’t be anything other than V trying to get Mack all for himself. Motherfucker. The realization hits me like a sledgehammer. That asshole was trying to claim her for his own.

My fists clench at my sides and my jaw is so tight it hurts as I glare at V, wishing I could burn him to ash with just the power of my stare.

“Well,” Mack says, an uncomfortable smile on her lips. “I didn’t get that bolt but I think I loosened it.”

“Thanks,” V mutters, never taking his eyes off mine.

“Anyway, have a good night, gentleman.” And with that, she slips out the door and towards her apartment across the street.

“I get you’re pissed, man,” V sighs. “You've got it all wrong, though. She was just helping me with a stubborn bolt, and she fell and knocked me over. Nothing happened. Nothing was going to happen.”

I can't bring myself to listen anymore. "I saw what I saw," I snarl.

My fists ache at my sides, and the only thing that would ease that would be to drive them into V’s face over and over again, until I couldn’t recognize the back-stabbing fucker anymore.

“Nothing happened,” he says again.

I want to believe him. I wish I hadn’t just walked in on that scene.

For weeks now, Mack has occupied my thoughts during every waking second. Hell, she’d occupied most of my sleeping seconds too. Every dream I have has her taking center stage. Sometimes she’s wearing that black lace mask from the first night. Other times she’s wearing her coveralls, with nothing underneath.

“Burnt,” V says, opening his mouth to say something else, but I can't stay here. Not now. Not in that moment. My emotions are a tempest, and I have to get away before I do something I'll regret. Something that could cost me my patch.

Without a word, I whirl around and storm away from him, the roar of my frustration echoing in off the walls. My boots pound against the concrete floor as I move farther from the scene, my footsteps carrying me deeper into the secluded corner of the clubhouse. My back finally meets the cool, unyielding wall, and I lean against it, trying to catch my breath.

My anger still burns hot within me, a relentless fire that refuses to be extinguished. The image of Mack and V on the ground together flashes before my eyes, and the jealousy that had consumed me initially refuses to subside.

But as I stand there in the solitude of the corner, doubt begins to creep into my mind like a persistent whisper. Maybe I had jumped to conclusions too quickly. Maybe my emotions had blinded me to the truth. After two weeks of trying to respect Mack’s wishes, maybe I’d just flat out lost my damn mind. The more I replay the scene in my head, the more I start to question my initial reaction.

Mack's pleading eyes. V’s voice trying to explain that it was all a misunderstanding—could he be telling the truth? V has always been a ladies man, but Mack has made it abundantly clear that she valued her professionalism, and it wouldn’t make sense for her to change that on the job.

And V, for his part, had never lied to me before, and there had been something about the look in his eyes, a hint of innocence, perhaps. Maybe he had been as surprised as I was when they ended up on the ground together.

A heavy sigh escapes my lips as I try to calm the tempest of emotions raging inside me. I realize I need to consider the possibility that I had misinterpreted the situation. My anger had sent me into a rage before I’d had a chance to even listen.

The coolness of the wall against my back serves as a grounding force, helping me regain my composure. I know I need to sort out these conflicting emotions. V and I need to make some ground rules, and when we do, I need to have a level head.

I take a deep breath, trying to quell the storm of emotions inside me. It's not like Mack and I are together. We've never been anything more than what we were that one single night, and the crush I have on her has remained unspoken, just as she’d instructed.

Fuck, I love it when she instructs me.

But the thought of Mack and V together, even if it was just an innocent accident, stings like a betrayal. I can't help but feel like I've lost something precious, even though it was never really mine to begin with.

This whole situation is fucking with my head. Not only has Mack made it clear that there won’t be anything more between us, but V had been a part of all that too. I don’t want Mack for myself. I want her for us, and I don’t even really know what that means. A throuple? Is that what this is?

One thing is for certain: my feelings for Mack are growing stronger each day, and I can't just let them go. But I also can't let jealousy and anger consume me either.

As I stand in the secluded corner of the clubhouse, my mind wrestling with doubt and anger, I hear approaching footsteps. I tense up, not sure if I'm ready to confront anyone just yet. But when I turn to see V approaching, his expression a mix of concern and guilt, I know I can't avoid him.

He stops a few feet away from me, and for a moment, we just stand there in silence, the weight of recent events hanging heavy in the air. Then, he finally speaks, his voice carrying a sincerity I’ve never heard from him before.

"Look, man," V begins, his tone low and earnest. "I know what you saw back there looked...bad. But it wasn't what you think."

I narrow my eyes at him, my anger still simmering beneath the surface. "You expect me to believe that?"

V sighs, his shoulders slumping with a sense of defeat. "I get it. It's hard to believe, but I swear to you, nothing happened between Mack and me. It was all a misunderstanding, a freak accident."

I take a deep breath, trying to quell the storm of emotions inside me. "Explain."

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