Total D*ck(47)
“I still just can’t believe it isn’t Greenwood.” Frank shrugged and stood as well.
“The sooner he finds out, the better. But you leaving here doesn’t sit right with me, Scarlett.” Guy frowned, the creases next to his mouth reminiscent of a bulldog.
“Me neither.” Eric walked around the table and helped Scarlett up.
I barely stifled an eye roll. “She’s not sick, Eric. She can stand by herself.”
“Just because you weren’t raised to be a gentleman, doesn’t mean I wasn’t,” he snapped.
I tossed my napkin down. “I do believe my mama, God rest her soul, would slap the shit out of you for suggesting she didn’t raise me right.”
“Boys.” Frank held his hands up, palm out. “This is neither the time nor the place. All I want to make sure of is that we’re all safe.”
Scarlett grabbed her bag. “Lie low, don’t talk on the phone, and wait to hear from us. We’ll get in touch somehow once we figure out what’s going on. And—” She stabbed a finger toward Guy. “—do not call my mother.”
Generally, mommy issues weren’t half so hot as daddy issues, but the way Scarlett got all riled up whenever her mother was mentioned would definitely provide me with some ammunition for later.
“I won’t.” He scratched his neck, as if he could feel the noose tightening. “But she’s going to raise hell when this is all over.”
“I’ll deal with it then. Kennedy, let’s go.” She all but stomped from the room, tendrils of her hair whipping behind her as she went.
Eric tried to follow her like a puppy, but I stepped in front of him, getting the choice view of her ass in her tight skirt. The winter months looked good on her.
“Scarlett? A word?” Eric called.
“Douche bag,” I said over my shoulder.
“Wh-what?” Eric’s voice cracked.
“You asked for a word. I gave you one.”
Scarlett stopped and turned on her heel. “Kennedy, would you mind waiting for me in the car?” The thin line of her lips coupled with irritated squint of her eyes brooked no argument.
So, naturally, I argued. “Why? So you can talk to pixel dick?” I chuckled, amused at my own joke.
Scarlett scowled, though her plump lips formed more of a pout that I wanted to kiss until she was breathless. “Go.”
“Fine, I’ll be waiting for you. In the car. Where we will ride together. Alone. Back to my house. Where you will stay. With me. All day and night.” I spoke extra loud and brushed past her shoulder.
“You are the worst,” she said under her breath as I walked by.
I swung my hand back and smacked her ass for good measure. Her squeak of surprise brought a smile to my face as I strode out the front door and into the sun. She was all mine. She just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter Thirteen
Scarlett
Slamming Kennedy’s car door gave me a twinge of satisfaction.
He winced. “Hey, watch it! I spent an entire settlement check on this bad boy.”
“You are such a dick.”
“What did I do?” He backed out of the driveway, slinging his arm across the back of my seat and leaning into my space to peer behind the car.
“You have a backup camera.”
“Can’t trust that.” He smirked, leaning closer to me as he eased into the street.
“Knock it off.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared out the window, trying my best to ignore him.
“What?” We cruised out of Audubon Place and back onto the bumpy side roads.
“You know what! You can’t treat me like that in front of a client. Now Eric’s going to think that we’re, that, that we’re . . .” I waved my hands around as if that were an adequate stand-in for the word I refused to say.
“What, that we’re together?” Kennedy had no problem spitting out the word.
“Yes! That we’re together.”
“But we are together. For the foreseeable future anyway.”
“You’re never together with any woman. What happened before, this morning and at the office—that was temporary insanity or something. Stress. I don’t know.”
“Come on, Scarlett. You know it’s more than that.”
“I know I’m just another notch on your bedpost.” I tried to disregard how my eyes stung when I said the words. But the way he’d treated me in front of Eric—acting as if I were a plaything to be batted about and gloated over. Dammit. I fought the tears back and calmed my breathing.
“Scarlett—”
“Just don’t. Your reputation has preceded you.”
Kennedy braked and swerved to the curb so fast, I gripped my seat belt and clenched my eyes shut.