IRWIN
(Alpha Mavericks Brigade)
KAYLA KELLY
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Kayla Kelly – All rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review
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Contents
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Irwin
Cleo
Alpha Mavericks Brigade Book Series
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Other Works by Kayla Kelly
Cleo
“Will you make an effort tonight?” Marsha asks irritably, while dabbing on another coat of lipstick. Her lips are firetruck red already and she’s been staring at the mirror for the past forty minutes. I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to muster some enthusiasm for the dreary night ahead.
“Yes, I will...I mean I made an effort the last time too. I just couldn’t stand the guy you introduced me too. He grabbed my ass two minutes after we were introduced,” I complain. This isn’t my scene at the best of times, but it’s made worse by the men Marsha draws into the equation. She looks over her shoulder at me and rolls her eyes.
“Oh, come on, Cleo! Get over it! The man was paying for your drinks.” She checks herself out once more in the mirror and then looks me up and down too. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
I feel a wave of frustration zing down my spine, but I’m trying my best to keep it together. I literally have no other choice. Marsha has a quick temper and I don’t really know what’ll set her off. If I say the wrong thing, I may not have anywhere to sleep tonight.
“Yes, this is all I have,” I reply and look down at the black cocktail dress and the sensible black heels I have on. All I have to my name right now is one bag filled with my most essential possessions. This dress and these shoes are the only ‘nice’ things I own. I figured Marsha would know that and she’d be a bit more sensitive about it, but apparently not.
“It’s like you’re trying to embarrass me!” she snaps, turning back to the mirror in disgust.
I feel a tightness in the pit of my stomach. I can’t believe I ever considered her to be a friend. Even worse, I still can’t believe she is my only hope. Now that we are living together I can see her true colors. She knows I’m indebted to her. She knows I won’t have anywhere to go if she kicks me out. I have to do everything she expects of me.
Including going on every double-date she sets up for us.
“Okay, fine, let’s just go. I really like this guy, Cleo, I want to make a good impression on him. You need to charm his friend somehow. Do it for me, yeah? You owe me.”
I follow her to the door, trying to push down the lump in my throat. This feels so wrong. I’ve been on six double-dates with Marsha in the last four weeks, never knowing what I’m walking into each time. Every night we go out, she’s convinced he’s the one. What’s so special about this next guy?
I’m not looking for the one. I’m not looking for any man. There is so much shit in my life I have to figure out first. I need a job. I need independence. I need a source of income and my own place. It’s always been my dream to set up a bakery business, but right now, I can’t afford the pressure of a new business. The last thing I need is the added complication of a man I can’t handle. But Marsha doesn’t care about that. As long as she’s happy, nothing else matters, right?
Marsha’s heels click as we go down the stairs. She’s chattering about the guy we’re meeting and the friend he’s bringing along, but I’m barely listening because I’m starting to panic. This happens every time and I can’t stop it.
I panic because I’m afraid of what might happen tonight. Like the guy who grabbed my ass the last time and I ended up slapping him. It ruined Marsha’s date and she didn’t speak to me for two days. She even forced me to pack my bags. I thought I was going to be homeless, but she eventually changed her mind at the last minute. I have to do better this time or I’ll be out on the streets.
Right now; I hate my life.
Irwin
“Staff Sergeant Irwin Byrne, Alpha Mavericks Brigade.” Jimmy thumps my back as he introduces me to the girl behind the bar counter.
Jimmy is drunk. He breaks into a big laugh right after, and slaps his hand on the bar counter repeatedly, like he’s just made a big joke.
I stand by him, watching him laugh and my facial expression doesn’t stir. I just have to let him ride it out. The others are around here somewhere; the other guys from the company. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration, and yet I’m the designated sober one in the party.
The bartender looks at me with a big grin on her face.
“Your friend looks like he’s having fun,” she says, sliding two more beers in our direction. Jimmy lunges at one and holds it to his lips.
“I always have fun, baby. I’m a fun guy!”
I clap my hands on his shoulders and start to pull him away.
“Sorry for the noise. I’m going to try and keep the men under control,” I tell the bartender. She’s still smiling. I know that look. She’s checking me out.
“Don’t worry about it. You boys deserve it.”
“Damn
