“What happened?” Anna whispered, so only Daisy could hear. “I saw you talking to his ex-wife—was she awful?”
Daisy shook her head.
“Then what?”
She stared at the back of Jameson’s head. “He kept sleeping with Harley after I left.”
Anna’s eyes snapped wide. “You’re kidding.”
“He admitted it,” Daisy said, sinking into the plush seat.
Anna’s face softened. “I’m sorry, Double D. I know you’ve let some of that go, but hearing that… it’s brutal. I’m sure it drags everything back up. What do you need? How can I help?”
“You can get me a strong drink.”
As if summoned, Lenny leaned over. “Ladies want something? Champagne, cocktails…?”
“Vodka tonic,” Daisy and Anna said in unison.
Their go-to when they wanted to get properly wasted. They shared a knowing smirk.
“Well, all right then,” Lenny said, flagging down the bottle girl. “A bottle of Dom and two vodka tonics.”
“And water for me,” Jameson added from the other side, earning a pointed look from Daisy.
The vodka burned pleasantly. Daisy ignored the men and let Anna pull her onto the private dance floor. She wasn’t much of a dancer, so she let liquid confidence do the rest. The music caught her and, for once, she let it. She moved with the rhythm, laughing when strangers brushed past, trying to keep Anna in sight and losing her to the crush anyway. It didn’t matter. For a few songs, she let herself be—unguarded and totally weightless.
Soon after Anna disappeared into the crowd, a pair of hands slid to her hips. When she turned, she found a chart-topping rapper grinning down at her. “Didn’t think a pretty thing like you should dance alone.”
She was too starstruck to answer. She nodded. He leaned, voice in her ear, his own single pounding through the club. She tried to focus on anything but Jameson.
Which worked—until it didn’t. Because suddenly Jameson was there, eyes flat and burning.
“Get your hands off her.”
The rapper lifted his palms. “My bad. She your girl, Kingston?”
“Yes,” Jameson said, too fast for Daisy to correct. He laced his fingers through hers, pulling her down a dark corridor, away from the noise.
“Let go,” she snapped, yanking. He released her hand, then braced an arm against the wall beside her, caging her without touching.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“And you’re an asshole.”
“What were you doing? Letting him put his hands on you like that.”
“I can dance with whoever I want. I’m a single woman.”
“Be angry at me, fine.” He bit out, “But don’t make yourself a headline.”
“Oh, that’s rich. Why do you care who I dance with? Maybe I was trying to get lucky… just like you got lucky with Harley.”
“So that’s what this is,” he said, voice rough. “Payback for a mistake I made nine years ago.”
“Mistakes, Jameson.Plural.You made mistake after mistake when you climbed back into bed with that horrible woman! Did you ever once think about me—what I was going through after everything you did? The answer’s no. You didn’t. You probably never thought of me again.”
“You don’t know anything.”
