“Wait, there’s more? I thought he was just some random guy you saw once and brushed off. Isn’t that what you said?”
She looked at Gavin, twisting her mouth. “Yes, that’s what I said, and it’s true, but there’s more to it than just that. If you at least try to fix my door, I’ll tell you. I don’t like it being open. I feel exposed.”
Her ex sniffed the air, and a smile began to appear on his face. The look he gave her caused Sarah to roll her eyes. She knew what was coming.
“Hey, is something burning?” Devon walked into the kitchen and laughed.
“You know very well I could never cook. I might have left it in there too long, and well, I missed the part in the instructions where it said you had to baste every thirty minutes. I plan to do better tomorrow.”
“Pizza it is,” Gavin said, rubbing his hands together.
“Pizza sounds perfect. I’m just going to go change. When my door’s fixed, I’ll explain.”
Gavin lifted the door easily and nodded to her. “Sounds good to me. The frame’s not broken. I’ll have it fixed before you get back. Devon, go get me some tools.”
Sarah shut her bedroom door and sat on the bed, trying to collect her thoughts. What Tom had done truly scared the shit out of her. What in the hell was he doing, or more importantly, planning to do? Chills raced down her body as she rubbed her arms. She knew he’d been upset, but to go as far as breaking down her door was too much. It was time to call Stephen.
Picking up her house phone from the bedside table, she called Evelyn. Two rings went by until she answered. “Hey, Sarah, what’s up?”
“Ev, I need you to send Stephen over.”
“What’s happened?” Evelyn’s voice deepened at her concern. “Tom broke down my door. Devon ran after him, but he got away.”
A large intake of breath echoed over the phone. “Shit, we’re on our way.”
“Thanks, Ev.”
Sarah hung up and walked over to her closet grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Her hands were shaking so badly, buttoning the pants was almost impossible. All the information she was about to tell the guys would either break their building relationship or put a huge dent in it. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how they would take things.
The sound of a drill made her jump. Anxiously, Sarah paced the floor trying to buy some time, but she knew she needed to get this out before Evelyn and Stephen showed up. How in the world could she tell the men who she likely would be spending the rest of her life with that for the last year she made bets on which men to sleep with?
Uncertainly, she walked out of the room. Gavin gave her a big smile until he noticed, and probably felt, her distress. He tested the door and shut it.
“All done. See, no problem. Devon!” Gavin called, looking toward the kitchen. She could see how tense he appeared. The way her body shook, she knew he could probably tell this wasn’t going to be good.
Devon walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. “I was just getting rid of the chicken and washing the dishes. Pizza’s on its way.”
“I might as well tell you both before Evelyn and Stephen get here.” Sarah took a deep breath and gestured for them to sit down while she paced in front of them. When they were ready, she nodded, more to jumpstart her mouth than anything.
“Tom and I met almost a year ago. It was at a club in Corpus.” She paused to look at them. “Tom was one of my first bets.” When they remained silent, she proceeded. “The girls and I have played the game Bets a while now. We…bet each other on who to take home. Gavin, Devon, I’m sorry, but you were both bets. That was, of course, until everyone figured out who you were,” she said, looking at Devon.
“That night, Gavin, I didn’t approach you the second time because of the bet. I wanted to be with you.”
“Bets.” Gavin laughed. “You girls bet on men?” He turned toward Devon. “Is it just me or does that sound more like a man’s kind of game? Bets…” He laughed.
Devon threw him an angry look. “It might be funny to you, but has it occurred to you that this guy, a bet, is now after Sarah? That is the stupidest, most dangerous game I’ve ever heard of. And what about Stephen and Brandon, do they know about this game?”
Sarah looked down. “Yes, they know. We’ve already told them to butt out. Stephen doesn’t like it at all, but Brandon’s more easygoing. He thinks we’re allowed to make our own decisions. Plus, they kind of watch over us and scan who we leave with. I’m not sure exactly how or what they do, but they’ve told us no on some of them.”
“Unbelievable,” Devon said aghast.
A knock at the door made Sarah’s stomach twist even tighter. Gavin held up his hand when she walked forward. He went and opened the door, looking back at her for assurance.
“Are you okay?” Evelyn ran up, embracing her tightly.
“I’m fine Just a little shaken, that’s all.”
“Devon, it’s good to see you. Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” Stephen said, holding out his hand to Gavin.