Theo gasps at his chest in fake outrage. “The ladies love my hair, more to tug on.” He winks at me, and I think I swoon slightly.
He’s definitely got something going for him, but unfortunately for him, I only have eyes for one man.
“Neither one of you assholes will be touching my daughter. I’ll fucking shoot the pair of you,” Dad warns, eyeing both of them.
Theo bursts out laughing, James freezes, and I let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, right. As if, Dad. I’d rather not date someone as old as you,” I scoff, rolling my eyes.
Oh my god, I lied to my dad. There’s a special place in hell for people like me.
A pinch to my ass has me yelping. I jump away from James as I rub the sore spot.
“Good.” Dad nods his head, pleased that he’s got his point across. “No one will ever be good enough for my pumpkin.”
“And on that note, I’m out.” I kiss my dad on the cheek, pat Theo on the chest, and give James a lingering glance that’s full of heat for later.
Chapter Forty-Four
RAVEN
After heading back to my room to shower and change, I call Mia. As I suspected, she was fully on board for a shopping trip, so we arranged for Leo to pick her up on the way.
I’m excited to spend some time with her, in between school, work, and James, there’s been little time for Mia, and I feel like such a shitty friend. I just have to keep reminding myself that I’ll be done with college in a few months and I’ll be able to—hopefully—see more of her.
We pull up outside Mia’s dorm, and she comes running out, squealing about being able to spend money. Her dad’s in construction, so she’s even more of a pampered princess than I am. Any excuse to spend Carl’s money, and Mia won’t say no. Unfortunately for him, he can never say no either.
“You have no idea how excited I am for this,” she says, getting in the car and leaning over to hug me.
“I often wonder how we ever became friends,” I laugh. “We like the complete opposite things.”
“Didn’t you hear? Opposites attract. I keep you fun and you keep me under control.” She shrugs as if that’s all the explanation that’s needed.
To be fair, she’s not wrong. I don’t think I’d ever leave the safety of my room other than for work or school if it weren’t for her.
Leo pulls up to the parking lot of the mall. Mia and I get out, strolling inside with him following close behind.
Hours later, and my feet are about to fall off. They weren’t lying when they said ‘shop till you drop’ because I’m about ready to. We stopped for lunch before heading back in for another round. I mostly browsed, not finding anything I liked enough to spend James’s money on.
I know he likes to call me his slut and whore during sex—which is totally fine because I’m into it—but spending his money outside of that makes me feel cheap and dirty. Like, I reallyamjust a whore.
“Ooooh, let’s look in here,” Mia calls, rushing off toward a lingerie shop.
Okay, maybe I can buy a little something.
I follow her into the boutique, wandering around and looking at the items on display. I notice a pale green all-in-one lace-up that leaves very little to the imagination.
“Try it on,” Mia encourages, smiling.
“Fine,” I huff. “If I must.” The smirk on my face gives away that I’m joking.
Entering the changing rooms, I begin undressing, leaving my bra and panties on—hygiene. I take a look at myself in the mirror, smiling at the reflection staring back at me. The outfit molds to my curves, accentuating my hips and pushing my boobs to the max. All in all, I look hot.
Feeling a little bit daring, I take my phone out of my bag and snap a picture before sending it to James. I nibble on my bottom lip as I wait for his reply.
James
Buy. It.
You like?
