“Where are you going?” Addison says when I turn around and almost run into her. She grabs my shoes and tosses them over my head to Willow.
“Seriously?” I say with a sigh. “What are you guys in elementary school?”
“Tell us where you’re going?” Mackenzie says as she catches my shoes. “Or, you’re not getting these back.”
“Fine,” I say with a heavy breath. “I’m going on a date.”
“With who?”
“With the guy,” I say, feeling my cheeks start to blush again.
“His name?” Leah says as she catches my heels and then tosses them back to Addison.
I sigh. “Jackson. He’s the owner of the hotel.”
“Shut up,” Addison says as she hits my shoulder. “Can he get us a room upgrade?”
“Yeah, we need a bigger room,” Mackenzie says. “With an ocean view.”
Like I would ever ask Jackson for that. If anything, I’d ask him to kick these four bitches onto the curb where they belong.
“Give me my shoes and I’ll ask,” I say as I put my hand out.
Leah has them. She looks at my hand for a moment and then drops them into my palm.
“You better not be lying to us,” she warns with a sinister look on her face. “Or, we’ll make your life a living hell.”
“Haven’t you been doing that already?” I mutter under my breath as I turn to the door.
“No,” Mackenzie says in a firm voice. “That was just a little fun. Hell is something completely different. Don’t test us.”
I gulp as I turn and see the serious look on her face.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I ask her. It just slips out, but now that it’s out, I’m afraid to hear the answer.
Mackenzie’s face turns savage as she glares at me.
“She caught her ex-boyfriend looking at your tits,” Addison says and the other girls giggle. Mackenzie doesn’t. The hatred in her eyes intensifies.
“What?”
“He was looking at a picture of you on Facebook and was zoomed in on your huge breasts,” Leah adds with a laugh.
That’s why she hates me? How exactly is that my fault?
“I had to break up with him,” Mackenzie says with her nostrils flaring. “Because of you!”
“That wasn’t my fault!” I say indignantly. “That’s why you guys hate me? Give me a break!”
I would never have talked to them like this before this afternoon, but Jackson has changed everything. I’m feeling more confident and bolder. I feel like he loves me and nothing else matters. These girls don’t matter. Not anymore.
“The best room in the hotel,” Mackenzie says with a sneer. “By midnight. Or, we won’t be happy.”
They’re all laughing as I push past Addison and grab the door handle.
I hate these girls. Someone really needs to put them in their place.
Addison lets me out and I run down the hallway, trying not to cry as I take the stairs back down to the lobby.
I don’t know what to do about them.
The best option might be to give them what they want and ask Jackson to give them a room upgrade.
I know he would do it for me.
But I can’t let them win.
Can I?
“Where have you been?” Jackson asks when I open the door to his place and walk in.
He’s standing in the living room, looking sinfully hot in a pair of gray pants and a tight white long-sleeved collared shirt that’s rolled up his thick forearms. His hair is styled to the side and I noticed that he trimmed his beard.
My heart flutters with his blue eyes back on me. I still can’t believe I was naked with this man only a short time ago. And if things go well on our date, we’ll be that way again in a few hours.
“I just had to get my shoes from my room.”
“The room with those girls who forced you on stage?”
“Yeah,” I say as I slip off my flip-flops and start putting the shoes on.
“I can kick them out if you’d like,” he says. “I’d like that. I don’t want anyone here who treats my girl like that.”
After I strap my shoes on, I stand back up and go to him. He swallows me up in his big arms and I feel safer and happier than I’ve ever felt before. No one can hurt me with this powerful man watching over me.
“Thank you,” I say as I stand on my toes. Our lips are so close. “But it’s okay. They’re not going to have anywhere to go.”
“You’re too nice,” he says in his deep sexy voice. “But that’s what I love about you. I’ll be the bad guy for you whenever you need one.”
I smile as our mouths close the distance between us and we kiss. My body melts against him. It transforms. It becomes his.
I feel so safe in his arms. Like I’m invincible to the outside world. Like nothing can break his bubble of protection to harm me. It’s the first time I’ve ever had this feeling.