Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“Fun?”
“Yeah, fun, it is supposed to be a fun process. Don’t let it get too serious, you know?”
Larissa understood.
Once the eyes were done, Hailey went into a foundation, and according to her, she would eventually need two shades. One for summer when she got a tan, and the other for winter. There was so much to learn, but Larissa liked the attention.
“So, how are you dealing?” Hailey asked.
They had both been shot, not together, but they’d been the ones stuck at the hospital. They had been side by side when it came to rooms. Larissa would go and see Hailey, and Hailey would come and visit her. It was during their hospital stay that they developed their friendship.
“I’m doing ... okay.”
“Okay? Is that why you were willing to kiss a random stranger?” Hailey asked.
“George is not a random stranger. I’ve known him a long time.”
“That kiss seemed intense.”
“It was just a kiss done on a dare. Nothing else.”
“Nothing else?”
“No.”
“You’re sure about that?” Hailey asked.
“George doesn’t like me, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I am a big fan of his either.”
“Wow, I thought you liked everyone.”
“Yeah, well, I guess things change you over the years. You stop ... being what you once were,” Larissa said.
“You’re right. Life sucks at times, doesn’t it? I mean, you think you found the one and then you’re woken up to the fact you’ve been used.” Hailey laughed. “It sucks.”
Larissa knew she was talking about Kinky.
“You know he’s outside, watching, don’t you?”
“I know,” Hailey said.
“Does it bother you?”
Hailey sighed. “Yes and no. Yes, because I don’t want to see him, I don’t want him around me. And no, because getting shot fucking sucked, and if someone had been here, we might not have gotten hit.”
Larissa reached out and put a hand on her friend’s. “I get it.”
“I know you do. Sometimes, when I’m here, I find myself getting tense at every noise. I know why they targeted my shop, and it has kind of taken the magic away from this place a bit.”
“It has kind of taken the magic away from ... life,” Larissa said.
“Yeah.”
They looked at each other and Larissa felt happier knowing someone else understood what it felt like. It wasn’t easy to get back up, but she had done it. She knew others were suffering differently. She wasn’t the only one having to deal with this kind of crap. Some people were in terrible circumstances. She had to keep reminding herself she wasn’t back at that shop. She wasn’t dead. She was alive.
“How are things with you and Andrew?” Hailey asked.
Larissa hadn’t told her new friend what happened. There were only three people who knew, and that was how it was going to stay. Herself, Andrew, and Big Dick—no, George. She was not going to keep thinking of him as Big Dick.
“They’re fine.”
“But you don’t want anything long-term with him?”
“No, I don’t.”
“What changed?”
“I, uh, I just realized he is not going to make me happy. He will make someone else happy, but not me.”
“I get it,” Hailey said.
Larissa doubted it.
****
Getting women was fucking easy. All Big Dick had to do was snap his fingers and they came running. Some even came crawling for a chance to ride his cock. There had even been times he had kept them waiting until he was done with one woman, and sure enough, some women would fucking wait for a turn, which was a shock.
He didn’t get women. Well, he did, especially the ones who were looking for a good time, only interested in riding cock. Larissa didn’t fall into that category. He looked out of the diner to watch as Larissa worked in the bakery.
It had been a week. A week of buying baked goods. A week of trying to get her to go out with him, and yet every single time, she had turned him down. If she wasn’t working, she was helping her dad, or Hailey, or hanging out with the girls.
He had to wait to see if Andrew was sniffing around, but so far, he had adhered to his warning and stayed well clear. So, he watched and waited for the perfect opportunity to figure out how to win Larissa over. The clock was ticking. One year. He and Carlos had set the terms. No one knew, and they would figure out the finer details when the time arose.
“You’re doing an awful lot of staring across at the bakery. Are your senses tingling or something?” Brick asked, taking a seat opposite him.
Abriana had offered to cook at the clubhouse, and Big Dick’s asshole still remembered what happened the last time that woman cooked. He and Brick had made their escape quickly. The woman, bless her heart, could not fucking cook. She was a nightmare in the kitchen, a deadly weapon, and still Ugly Beast was standing. However, she did nearly take out the whole club on her spaghetti dish. Spaghetti, one of the most basic foods, and yet it had caused him to throw his guts up. It might have also given him nightmares.