“Can’t make it to lunch, will explain after your game tomorrow night. Mary needs a girls night. Miss you already.”
My phone dings when it sends through, and I wait for him to text me back, the little bubbles popping up before disappearing without him replying. He must still be busy with the coach. Donald starts the car with a purr and pulls away from the curb in a rush, tires squealing.
“Slow the fuck down and start talking, the clock is ticking.” My knuckles are tight, gripping the oh shit handle as he drives like he’s being chased by the cops, not even slowing down when students start to cross the crosswalk.
“I’ll give you half of the information because I’m feeling generous, but I’ll give you the rest if you agree to my deal.” He smirks like the big asshole he is, enjoying every miserable second in his company he’s putting me through.
“What deal would that be?” I stare straight ahead with a blank expression to prove he’s not getting to me, but my palms are sweating. What if this so called information breaks me?
“Not yet. Hear me out first, then you can decide if you so desperately want the rest of the information.” He turns down the main street that makes a complete square around campus, and I’m counting down the clock until I’m out of his flashy vehicle.
“Just get it over with. You have six more minutes. Stop wasting my time.” My tone hardens, saying cut the bullshit and get to the point.
“I see you’ve grown a backbone. That will change eventually. I found something very interesting in my research on your father.” He looks at me out of the corner of his eye, judging to see how I’m reacting, but I give him nothing. “I’m a man coming into power, you didn’t think I wouldn’t do my homework on the family that will merge with mine?” he asks, leering at me before turning his attention back to the road.
“There will be no merging. Unless you're talking about a different family, then by all means, merge away,” I say with a flourish. I’m already sick of this bullshit.
I have a desperate need to be held in Granger’s arms right the fuck now.
“Hmmm…did you ever wonder why your father held you on such a tight leash, and why he’s desperately trying to get you back home?” He’s literally on the edge of his seat, he’s so excited that he knows something I don’t.
“Never really wondered, because he’s a raging alcoholic asshole who loves control. What do you know, Donald?” I pointedly turn in my seat and stare at him with narrowed eyes, which he ignores.
“He married into a rich family and took control of the company that was your mother’s… Haven’t you thought of why your mother would leave the company to a man she didn’t even love?” He’s gloating, the pencil dick.
Most of the time I don’t get angry, it’s all locked up tight, but he’s bringing up my mom. The one person who loved me, and he’s tarnishing it just by talking about her. I unhook my seat belt and reach for the door handle, even though the car is still moving. He turns onto the street of the library where Mary is waiting, but I want out of this car now.
“What the fuck are you doing? I’m not done talking!” He grabs my elbow in a tight squeeze just as I start to swing the door open and slams on the brakes about five car spaces away from the library. “Listen, just stop being a whore with that dumb jock and agree to marry me. I’ll tell you everything, and we’ll want for nothing.”
“Let go of my arm now.” I lock gazes with him and grind my teeth so I don’t punch him in his smug face.
He squeezes one more time in threat and lets go when he looks over my shoulder at the passenger window. Following his gaze, I make contact with Mary and her backup muscle, Beast. If looks could kill, Donald would be dead by the way Beast is staring at him.
“Chica, I see you have this handled, but maybe you should get out of the car now before Henry tears him a new asshole,” Mary says gleefully, like she wants that to happen, with her hands on her cocked hips as she waits for me to step out.
I turn back to Donald, hopefully for the last time. No one has time for games, and that’s just what he was doing. If I want to know what my father has up his sleeve, I’d figure it out myself, or I could move on with life and pretend he never existed.
“You’re delusional, I should never have gotten in this car. We’re done here. Stay the hell away from me, and get me marrying you out of your thick head. That dumb jock you were talking about, the man I love…that’s my future. Kiss my ass,” I say with a snide smile, and hop out the car with a slam of the door to see Mary with a beaming smile, slowly clapping.
I don’t look back as I loop arms with Mary’s and ignore the screeching tires pulling away from the curb. We make our way around the library, taking the sidewalk path to her dorm, and I hope to God she changed her sheets if I’m spending the night. Beast walks silently behind us with a concerned facial expression, his brow wrinkled.
“Should have kicked his ass. Does Granger know that he showed up right outside your class?” he asks in a grumbled voice, throwing his big muscular arm over Mary’s shoulder.
She pretends to look uninterested but snuggles into his embrace against the chill, and by my guess, enjoying the comfort of his
